Glennon will play some for N.C. State

N.C. State backup quarterback Mike Glennon will play at some point during Saturday's 6 p.m. opener with Western Carolina, coach Tom O'Brien said today.

O'Brien was the guest speaker at the Raleigh Sports Club's weekly luncheon, where he said Glennon needs to play some snaps in the opener.

"He definitely needs to get in the opening game," O'Brien said, "and it will have to be on a game-to-game basis from there."

Russell Wilson, who remains the starter, threw an ACC-high 31 touchdown passes last season as a sophomore. But while Wilson played baseball during the spring and summer, Glennon took advantage of his opportunities to work with the team in spring practice and improved, according to O'Brien.

"We'd like to keep continuing to work him in because he's got to be ready to go at a moment's notice," O'Brien said earlier in the day on the ACC's weekly coaches' teleconference.

In other news:

- Curtis Underwood is N.C. State's third running back heading into Saturday, O'Brien said on the ACC coaches' weekly teleconference. Underwood began preseason practice as the starter, but redshirt freshman Dean Haynes (who began practice at cornerback) and freshman Mustafa Greene have moved ahead of him on the depth chart.

- There is a chance cornerback Jarvis Byrd could return from a knee injury in time to help in the secondary for as many a eight games, O'Brien said. O'Brien has said he hopes to redshirt Byrd, but hasn't ruled out using him if it's necessary. But his confidence in the defensive backs overall made him comfortable moving Haynes from cornerback to running back. "After about the third scrimmage, it became apparent that we had enough guys in the secondary," he said.

Ken Tysiac