SB Nation - Alan-Michael Cash

The Conversation- Talking NC State with BackingThePack.com

FSUncensored — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 19:34:50 -0000

To get our readers ready for the Homecoming game, I swapped bounced some questions off Akula Wolf of BackingThePack.com, the premiere N.C. State site. He also asked me a few. My answers are here, check them out.

A lot was expected out of Russell Wilson this year by some in the national media. How has he lived up to the hype? What are some of the reasons for his shortcomings?

He's struggled a bit in conference play, at least by his standards. He's averaged a modest 6.3 yards per attempt over the last three weeks, completed just 53% of his throws, and has as many INTs as TD passes. The frustrating thing about it is the pass protection has been there. I thought he would shred Wake Forest and Duke, and it just didn't happen despite all the time in the world to find receivers downfield. Some of that's on the receivers, no question. It's a decent group but nobody's emerged as a guy who catches 5-6 balls consistently. TJ Graham, for all his speed, has never been much of a factor offensively. Owen Spencer, for his uncanny knack for the big play, has mediocre hands and disappears for extended periods.

I think also that teams are throwing primarily zone looks at Wilson, which is giving him a hard time both in terms of finding his receivers and in finding running room. If there's one week where FSU's coaches should maybe ease off their philosophy a bit and play more conservative coverages, it's this week. From what you've told me, though, it doesn't sound like that's going to happen. Bless their stubborn hearts. Owen Spencer one-on-one? Yes please. And when Russell gets out of the pocket against that sort of coverage, that's when he can run for days. Contain contain contain. That's critical for the Seminoles defense.

NCST has given up a lot of points on defense this year, has there been any talk of personnel or scheme changes for the upcoming game? Where do you think NCST matches up well against FSU's offense, if at all?

I don't expect any significant changes simply because the staff's options on that side of the ball are extremely limited. In the secondary, for example, we've got underclassmen backing up all four positions. There's not much to like about NC state's back seven, but at the same time, I trust that they are playing the best guys available. Which is truly frightening.

With the defense flaming out so spectacularly over the last few weeks, defensive coordinator Mike Archer has earned the attention of the Fire Somebody crowd. Tom O'Brien voiced his support earlier this week both for Archer and for our zone-heavy bend-but-don't-break scheme. If there are some wrinkles in that scheme on Saturday, I would think they'll come in the form of a little more man pressure. But that's just not who these guys are, so I'd expect the conservative approach most of the time. Hope I'm wrong about that. Everybody's killed this poorly-executed zone, and Ponder won't be an exception. Teams are doubling defensive end Willie Young and effectively neutralizing him, and none of the other guys are stepping up to make plays. Take Willie out of the equation, torch the secondary. Rinse, repeat.

So, no, there is nothing I like about how the Wolfpack defense matches up with FSU's offense. Perhaps they'll be able to limit FSU's unimpressive ground game, but I don't figure that to matter.

Waylon Jennings & Hank Williams Jr - The Conversation

What do you think O'brien's major strengths and weaknesses are in a coach thus far for NCST? Do you think the players trust in him at this point (and the staff)? Seeing at this is O'brien's 2nd year have you seen improvement in areas other than just record and do you feel that improvement is encouraging?

His organization and his ability to bring a more tangible structure to the program are a couple of things he has going for him, both of which are refreshing after that last guy, what's his name. O'Brien knows what works and he brought the bulk of his staff down from Boston College, which has been a bonus from the familiarity/continuity standpoint.

His track record as a recruiter is not so good, and he tends toward a conservative strategy, with support from a pair of meh coordinators. Those two things won't necessarily doom his tenure here, but they're worrisome.

The stretch run that earned the team a bowl bid in 2008 (which was his second year, for the record) was encouraging and seemed a solid step forward, hence all the positive talk heading into this season. But this team has clearly regressed in year three, scuttled by a defense in flames. It's tough to feel good about the program's near-term prospects mainly because the defense has a long way to go. That said, I still have faith.

Why did NC State stop stealing guys from that awesome track program you guys got there..? FSU was shocked when NCSt seemed to be the first team to match their speed in ACC play. I thought it was working out good for NCSt..

Good question. We wouldn't even need guys who can catch. Throw some fast dudes into the secondary and see what happens.

Finally, I'm not sure how to phrase this. Can you give a rundown of starters or key backups who have missed time this year due to injury or suspension? Are they back? If so, how much do you think their return will help. If not, who replaced them and how have they performed. (I ask this because it seems that NC State has suffered more injured than some other teams.

Where to start. Saying that NC State has suffered more injuries than some other teams is putting it mildly to say the least. A couple of years back I wrote that one of Tom O'Brien's hobbies is hurling black cats at mirrors. It's also possible that in this difficult economy we replaced the strength and conditioning staff with hobos willing to work for malt liquor. I can see no other explanation. In all seriousness, though, that S&C staff is the same one he had at BC, and they never had problems like this. It's baffling.

If we have an impact player, he's been hurt. From Toney Baker to Russell Wilson to Alan-Michael Cash to Nate Irving to various offensive linemen, tight ends, and receivers. This year's team was hurt by a pair of offseason defections by kids who could have been useful players in the secondary. One of whom may have started at corner. Safety Javon Walker, who was very good two years ago, was lost to a knee injury and never got back on the field. Freshman corner Rashard Smith, one of the few pleasant surprises in the secondary, is done for the year. Linebacker Nate Irving survived a horrific car accident (he's incredibly lucky to be alive: http://cdn2.sbnation.com/imported_assets/261038/3963847410_f27c3a05b8.jpg) that cost him his season.

The problem, particularly on the defensive side, is that these losses expose the program's lack of depth. The replacements have been adequate at best (but mostly not).

Thanks again to BackingThePack.com !

The Non-Conference Games That Will Shape The 2009 College Football Season: #1 South Carolina @ North Carolina State

FSUncensored — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 11:13:57 -0000

As regular readers know, TomahawkNation.com is obsessed with scheduling. We find it fascinating how teams can run materially different races and yet one can be crowned the winner over another at the end of the season. Often, evaluators turn to conference affiliations when judging a team, and that's why non-conference games are so important. With less than 100 days left until the start of college football season, Tomahawk Nation decided to take a look at the non-conference games that will shape the college football landscape in 2009.

As a general rule, the non-conference games that matter most to a conference's reputation are those in the first two weeks before the conference seasons begin, and those played during bowl season. The reason is simple: there aren't any conference battles going on and the games easily draw the attention of the media.

Last year the ACC took a big early hit after Alabama thumped Clemson, East Carolina upset Virginia Tech, and Maryland lost to Middle Tennessee State. It was such a bad opening weekend that much of the rest of the country stopped following ACC football, but the ACC was easily the best conference when they played the teams from the big 6 conferences. Examine:

	% of Games played against BCS Conference Competition	Combined Record of Each League's BCS conference competition	Winning % against BCS competition
ACC	48%	.652	.598
Big East	39%	.563	.573
Big XII	31%	.467	.495
Big 10	29%	.462	.538
Pac 10	45%	.429	.607
SEC	31%	.400	.578

The ACC played the most games against the other BCS conferences, and their opponents had the best winning percentages (meaning they played the good teams from the big conferences), yet the ACC had the 2nd best winning percentage against those squads.

Just as you wouldn't judge a conference on one bad weekend in november, it's equally stupid to render a final verdict as to a conference's strength based off the opening week.

Last August 28th, in yet another early season loss, South Carolina scored a huge blow for the SEC against the ACC, on national television. After a first half that saw 5 punts, two fumbles, three interceptions, and one missed field goal, South Carolina led 3-0 in Williams-Bryce Stadium (South Carolina). This was one of the ugliest football games I have ever seen. NCST Quarterback Russell Willson got knocked out cold

After that, it was all South Carolina, as the Gamecocks went up 13-0 to start the final quarter and Spurrier ran the score up to appease the alumni. Final: 38-0, Gamecocks.

But that might be different this year...

For the casual observer, NC State was one of the toughest teams to figure out last year. They started out the year 2-6, before winning their last 4 games to get bowl eligible. For those who followed the program closely, however, there was a pretty logical explanation for this turnaround: injuries. NC State lost an incredible 43 starts to injury last year (only 5 teams lost more). That lack of a consistent starting lineup hurt the Wolfpack early, particularly with Russell Wilson suffering from post concussion syndrome. They also suffered major injuries on the defensive side of the ball, losing star Linebacker Nate Irving.

The coaches sat Wilson for the South Florida contest to make sure he was over his concussion. Once Wilson came back, it was a whole new ballgame. NCST's offense exploded:

Opponent	NCST Yards Per pLay
BC	4.6
FSU	7.2
@ Maryland	4.8
@ Duke	6.4
Wake Forest	4.2
@ UNC	6.4
Miami (Fl)	6.5

Almost a 20% improvement over what they had been averaging before Wilson's comeback.

In fact, WIlson is on a streak of 249 passes without an interception, the longest such streak in the country.

With 15 returning starters, and a less than devastating level of injuries, the Wolfpack figure to be much better on offense and defense (where they were particularly hit hard by the injury bug). Their defensive line features 4 senior starters, including NFL prospects Willie Young Jr. and Alan-Michael Cash. In fact, NCST will have one of the most veteran lineups in the country on both sides of the ball, as they start 12 seniors, 5 juniors, 5 sophomores, and no freshmen.

South Carolina on the other hand faces far more uncertainty. Last year they had one of the best defenses in the country (15th by advanced metrics), and a terrible offense (75th by same).

On offense, the Gamecocks featured an average passing game behind QB's Chris Smelley and Stephen Garcia, throwing to senior Kenny McKinley and junior Jared Cook. The Cock's problem was in the run game, where only Auburn and Mississippi State were worse.

This year they lost RB Mike Davis, WR McKinley, TE Jared Cook, and both offensive tackles. That said, South Carolina's offense could be better with improved interior line play, provided that they don't have to slide one of their guards to tackle. Garcia takes over at QB and most feel that he is the most talented quarterback the Gamecocks have had in some time. If he can avoid off-field issues and not upset Steve Spurrier, he will have every opportunity to succeed at QB, seeing as the Gamecocks lost almost every major skill position player.

On the defensive side, the gamecocks were superb, as they had the league's 4th best overall defense (scroll down), 4th against the pass and 7th against the rush. As in the NC State game, the Gamecock defense repeatedly stopped their opponents, forcing turnovers and punts. The unit was visibly frustrated at times (see Florida) and sometimes lost their composure when the offense self destructed. They were hit hard by graduation, and rank 102nd in percentage of tackles returning. The Gamecocks lose 5 seniors in total, including NFL draft picks LB Jasper Brinkley and CB Captain Munnerlyn.

Their secondary will feature three underclassmen starters and Brinkley could be very difficult to replace, as there aren't many athletic 270lb linebackers available.

Last year the Gamecocks were favored by 10 and covered by a healthy margin in the end. This year, look for the Wolfpack to be the favorites by 3-7 points. Interesting Note: Carolina could be an underdog in as many as 8 of their 12 regular season games! That is a brutal schedule on par with those of Florida State, Miami, and Oklahoma.

If Carolina can find a running game and limit their turnovers, they can win this game. If no solution can be found for the ground attack, however, this one could get ugly quickly as the Wolfpack's defensive personnel are heavily skewed to playing the pass.