Why do national analysts pick Heels over Pack?

The biggest question in North Carolina during preseason practice isn't who's going to catch the ball for the Tar Heels.

It's not whether Duke can reach a bowl game, or who is going to replace Nate Irving at N.C. State.

The most obvious question crystallized after the USA Today coaches' poll was released today. Locally, there is a lot of excitement about both North Carolina and N.C. State after both schools reached bowl games in the same season in 2008 for the first time since 2001.

There is a sense locally that both teams are on about the same level. Yet nationally, that's not the case.

North Carolina was ranked No. 20 by the coaches, receiving 293 votes. N.C. State wasn't even within sniffing distance of the top 25, as it received just seven votes.

The most interesting question of this preseason is, why is North Carolina so highly respected nationally compared to N.C. State?

If you look objectively at the teams' rosters, the talent level should be about even. The Tar Heels return nine starters on defense and have a lot of team speed. N.C. State has a strong defensive front but questions about who's going to replace Irving and who's going to start at two key positions in the secondary.

On offense, N.C. State looks stronger than North Carolina on the line, at running back, at quarterback with first-team All-ACC performer Russell Wilson returning, and especially at wide receiver.

With returner T.J. Graham and place-kicker Josh Czajkowski giving the Wolfpack two returning special teams standouts, an objective analysis probably has to give N.C. State a slight edge over North Carolina in terms of overall personnel.

So why is North Carolina so far ahead of N.C. State in the national spotlight?

One thought is that national analysts and poll voters are more likely to look at last year's record as a big indication of how this year's team will fare. They are likely to know that North Carolina was 8-5 last season and N.C. State was 6-7. They are less likely to know that N.C. State crushed North Carolina 41-10 in Kenan Stadium, or that the Wolfpack could have finished with five straight wins because it was dominating the Papajohns.com Bowl against Rutgers before Wilson was injured right before halftime.

Another thought is that although N.C. State's Tom O'Brien might be every bit as good a coach as Butch Davis, the Davis name coupled with that of North Carolina carries more weight nationally. Davis is recognized as the guy who led glamour school Miami back to prominence after inheriting a probation-strapped program. He has been a head coach in the NFL and knows what it's like to win the Super Bowl after an assistant's role in the Dallas Cowboys dynasty. And North Carolina's constant success in basketball might help the Tar Heel program generate a bit more national name recognition than N.C. State gets.

Tom O'Brien has a strong coaching pedigree after reviving the Boston College program and training under longtime Virginia stalwart George Welsh. But O'Brien's resume isn't as glitzy as that of Davis.

Whatever the case, the preseason hype about North Carolina gives N.C. State and its fans plenty of motivation for this season. And as O'Brien likes to say, it doesn't take much to excite Wolfpack Nation.

- Ken Tysiac

N.C. State-Pitt gets 3:30 p.m. kickoff

N.C. State announced Friday morning that its Sept. 26 game against Pittsburgh will start at 3:30 p.m. and will be televised by ESPN-U.

Pittsburgh is among the favorites to win the Big East, so aside from the Sept. 3 season opener against South Carolina, the meeting with the Panthers will be the Wolfpack's most anticipated nonconference game.

Other N.C. State kickoff times that have been announced are:

・7 p.m. for the season opener against South Carolina on Sept. 3.

・6 p.m. on Sept 12 for Murray State.

・6 p.m. on Sept. 19 for Gardner-Webb.

All four of N.C. State's September games are at home.

Ken Tysiac

Tar Heels ranked No. 20 in coaches' poll

North Carolina has opened the preseason at No. 20 in the USA Today coaches’ poll, which was released this morning.

The Tar Heels are one of four ACC teams ranked in the top 25, three of which are from the Coastal Division. Virginia Tech (No. 7) and Georgia Tech (No. 15) also are ranked in the Coastal.

Florida State (No. 19) is the only team ranked from the Atlantic Division. Defending national champion Florida is No. 1, followed by Texas, Oklahoma, Southern California and Alabama.

The top three schools all return 2008 Heisman finalists at quarterback (Tim Tebow of Florida, Colt McCoy of Texas and 2008 winner Sam Bradford of Oklahoma).

Here’s the entire poll, with first-place votes in parentheses and total points.
1. Florida (53) 1,466. 2. Texas (4) 1,386. 3. Oklahoma (1) 1,358. 4. Southern California (1) 1,321. 5. Alabama 1,134. 6. Ohio State 1,126. 7. Virginia Tech 1,020. 8. Penn State 988. 9. LSU 917. 10. Mississippi 889.

11. Oklahoma State 861. 12. California 711. 13. Georgia 707. 14. Oregon 694. 15. Georgia Tech 559. 16. Boise State 542. 17. Texas Christian 461. 18. Utah 404. 19. Florida State 371. 20. North Carolina 293.

21. Iowa 257. 22. Nebraska 236. 23. Notre Dame 194. 24. Brigham Young 178. 25.Oregon State 165.

Among the teams also receiving votes were Clemson (30), South Carolina (18), N.C. State (7) and East Carolina (3).

Duke’s David Cutcliffe, North Carolina’s Butch Davis, Wake Forest’s Jim Grobe and N.C. State’s Tom O’Brien are among the 59 coaches on the panel.

Duke scores with OL commitment

Duke football coach David Cutcliffe gained his second high-profile offensive line commitment in the Class of 2010 when Laken Tomlinson of Lane Technical High School chose the Blue Devils.

Lane Tech coach Rich Rio confirmed Wednesday night in an e-mail that Tomlinson committed to Duke. Rio said Tomlinson had 16 other scholarship offers. Ohio State, Wisconsin, Nebraska and Tennessee were among the other schools that offered.

-- Ken Tysiac

Pack LB Manning gets new position

With junior Nate Irving out indefinitely, N.C. State coach Tom O'Brien has moved linebacker Terrell Manning from the "field" position to the "boundary" position.

That's the position Irving played before he suffered a broken leg, broken rib and a collapsed lung in a car crash in June. Sophomore Dwayne Maddox, who backed up Irving last season, entered preseason camp with the first shot at replacing Irving.

Manning, a redshirt freshman considered one of the top recruits in the state in his class, will get a chance to compete with Maddox. At middle linebacker, senior Ray Michel remains the starter ahead of sophomore Sterling Lucas.

Sophomore Audie Cole now is backed up by former walk-on Asante' Cureton at field linebacker.

"He's a walk-on who has done a really good job for us," O'Brien said after practice Wednesday. "He knows the defense. He's got some power. So right now he's ahead of (the freshmen) because he can get lined up and he knows where to go and what to do. So maybe he can win himself a spot."

O'Brien said the linebacker positions for the Sept. 3 opener against South Carolina are far from settled. The coaches will continue experimenting to figure out how to get the best three on the field as starters and develop three more backups.

- One of the most positive developments early in camp, O'Brien said, has been the ability of sophomore Russell Wilson and redshirt freshman Mike Glennon to get the team in and out of the huddle in a timely fashion.

"The huddle operation is much better because of the fact that you've got two kids running the huddle now that have been in the program," O'Brien said.

- O'Brien wasn't pleased with his players' struggles in the heat during Wednesday's practice.

"Guys are cramping up a little bit, feeling a little sorry for themselves because it's hot," O'Brien said. "And we've got to learn to push through it on days like this."

- Ken Tysiac

No time to panic, State fans

N.C. State ranked 96th nationally in pass defense last season. The permanent losses of cornerback Dominique Ellis and safety Jimmaul Simmons, and the temporary loss of linebacker Nate Irving, do not help that cause.

But if you're going to have a weakness in the ACC, pass defense is the first bullet you'd bite.

Quiz time.

How many ACC offenses ranked in the top 50 in passing?

How many ACC quarterbacks ranked in the top 50 in total offense? Or pass efficiency?

The answers are: none, none and one. In the case of the latter, unless he transfers, State doesn't have to worry about facing the one (Russell Wilson).

The point of the quiz? State's deficiencies on pass defense are not a reason to give up on the '09 season. If the Wolfpack moved to quarterback-happy conference like the Big 12, then maybe, but even with the experience returning at quarterback in the ACC, the league title will not be won by the secondary.

Wilson (41) was the only ACC quarterback ranked in the top 50 in efficiency and was the highest-ranked ACC player in total offense (60).

Of the seven other ACC quarterbacks ranked in the top 100 in efficiency, three (58, Cullen Harper, Clemson; 94, Marc Verica, UVa; 97, Robert Marve, Miami) are either no longer starting or no longer in the league.

Yeah, but there must be great receivers in the ACC, right? Well, there was one in UNC's Hakeem Nicks, but he's in the NFL. Nicks ranked 12th nationally in receiving yardage in '08. The other three receivers ranked in the top 100 are out of eligibility.

So, in short, State doesn't have to face the best quarterback in the league and there isn't a single receiver of statistical importance in the entire league.

Yep, State fan, it's time to jump off the ship because a corner transferred and a backup safety went home.

Focus.


Passing offense (NCAA rank)
58. Clemson
64. Maryland
65. N.C. State
69. Virginia
74. UNC
75. Duke
77. Miami
82. FSU
87. Wake Forest
93. BC
111. VT
116. GT

Passing efficiency (NCAA rank)
41. Russell Wilson, State
58. Cullen Harper, Clem
59. Riley Skinner, Wake
64. Thad Lewis, Duke
74. Chris Turner, Md
86. Christian Ponder, FSU
94. Marc Verica, UVa
97. Robert Marve, Miami

Not ranked in the top 100: Tyrod Taylor, VT; Chris Crane, BC; T.J. Yates, UNC (didn't play in enough games); Josh Nesbitt, GT

-- J.P. Giglio

Will Notre Dame look to ECU for next coach?

News of Urban Meyer's six-year contract, worth a tidy $24 million, should reverberate in Greenville.

Despite his protestations to the contrary, Meyer has been rumored to be leaving Florida for Notre Dame, his "dream job," since winning his first national title with the Gators in '06. This gargantuan contract should end any plausible notion that Meyer's going anywhere any time soon (right?).

Notre Dame, on the other hand, is still a mediocre season away from sending Charlie Weis back to the Belichick Conservatory for Overhyped Underlings.

Hmm, now where could Notre Dame possibly look for its next coach? Maybe someone who went there? Maybe someone who was on the same staff as Meyer? Maybe someone whose dad was the coach there?

I know, ECU fan, I know, Skip *hearts* Greenville and is never leaving (and no one should have the audacity to even bring up the subject) but Meyer's official unofficial rejection of the Golden Dome qualifies as a bad thing for the Pirates.

-- J.P. Giglio

Observations from N.C. State's first practice

Safety Jimmaul Simmons has left N.C. State's team and is withdrawing from school, coach Tom O'Brien said Monday.

Defensive end A.J. Ferguson, who would have been a freshman, also won't be with the team in the fall, O'Brien said.

Aside from those two personnel nuggets, little news came out of N.C. State's first practice session Monday.

Here are some observations from practice, which was open to the media until its thunderstorm-soaked early conclusion:

- Quarterback Russell Wilson looks strong and healthy, none the worse for wear after spending the spring and summer playing baseball. He said he weighs 208 pounds - a little less than last year at this time - and has spent a lot of time in the weight room. Looking at him, it's easy to believe.

- With Matt Kushner back from last season's knee injury, the Wolfpack is in great shape at tight end. Sophomore George Bryan has incredible hands and is back after a promising season, and redshirt freshman Mario Carter has demonstrated a lot of ability.

- The punter position could be one of N.C. State's biggest headaches this fall. Neither senior Jeff Ruiz nor freshman Chris Ward looked especially impressive in the first practice - but it's still early.

- Freshman Morgan Alexander, who was recruited as an "athlete," has started his career with the wide receivers. That's one of N.C. State's deepest positions, so Alexander is unlikely to play immediately. But he demonstrated quickness and good hands in his opening practice, even though he is small at 5-foot-11 and 180 pounds.

Ken Tysiac

Three elected N.C. State captains

Seniors Jamelle Eugene, Jeraill McCuller and Willie Young have been elected team captains by N.C. State's players, the school announced Monday.

The team elected captains during a meeting Sunday night. Practice begins shortly after 5 p.m. today.

Eugene, the projected starter at halfback, has 1,168 career rushing yards. Young, a defensive end, ranks 11th in school history with 31.5 tackles for loss. McCuller started every game at right tackle last season, allowing just two sacks in 795 snaps.

"These three young men are great choices," coach Tom O'Brien said in a statement. "They have shown great leadership throughout spring practice and in our summer workouts and their hard work and dedication has earned them the respect of their teammates."

Ken Tysiac

Q&A with Duke RB Requan Boyette

Requan Boyette, who led Duke in rushing in 2007, returns as a fifth-year senior running back after missing 2008 with a torn knee ligament:

Q: You're a week away from practice starting. How does it feel to be getting ready to play football again?

A: It feels great. I'm getting really excited to be back with my teammates on the field, be back in camp. Being out last year I was able to learn a lot and see a lot of things off the field that will help me on the field. That helped me with my leadership, also.

Q: Body-wise, have you changed from before the injury?

A: I'm bigger. My upper body has gotten a lot bigger. And the strength and conditioning staff and training room staff have done a terrific job of trying to get my lower body back where it was. But I've definitely gotten a lot stronger in my upper body. I've gained five pounds, and I have lost any speed but I've gained a lot of power.

Q: What do you weigh right now?

A: 205.

Q: What did you weigh before the injury?

A: 200.

Q: So you've got five extra pounds to stick it in there between the tackles when you lower your shoulder, right?

A: Yeah. I figure it will help a lot on the goal line. On third-and-1, fourth-and-1, that will really help us.

Q: Can you talk about how important it was being able to go through spring practice and be confident coming into the fall?

A: That was really an important part for my confidence, what I was able to do during the scrimmages. In one of the scrimmages I had a really big run that boosted my confidence and really showed me that I'm back on the road to being where I once was. Just being able to take hits and seeing if I could pick up blitzes, and being able to take the lead as far as my teammates go.

Q: How important is it for you guys to establish more of a running game this fall?

A: It's very important. We have a great quarterback (Thaddeus Lewis), one of the best in the nation. And I think if we're able to establish a running game like we should, we'll be able to take a lot of the load off him, and with me coming in and we have a lot of guys that are pretty good out of the backfield, that will help him also and relieve some of the pressure off him.

Q: You've been around football now for a while. How is your pass protection and route running? Are you ready to do that at a higher level than you were a couple years ago?

A: I'm definitely a lot better as far as pass protection. That was probably the weakest part of my game. I really saw that improve in the spring a lot, and I guess a lot of that comes from being off and being able to study a lot of things, studying what players can do and what to practice. I think that really helped me, and running routes has really helped. We go out every now and then and run a couple of routes, and I'm getting better.

Ken Tysiac