With Wake Forest set to hit Carter-Finley Stadium Saturday, talk has fluttered around football circles of the state championship.
“You mean high school?” redshirt freshmanquarterback Russell Wilson asked the media Monday.
No, instead the football team has the chance to sweep the state’s Division-I schools this season, with wins already against East Carolina and Duke. With the Pack set to face Wake Forest and North Carolina in successive weeks, Wolfpack fans could have bragging rights throughout the state.
But according to coach Tom O’Brien, he and the players aren’t focused on trash talk.
“[The players] are aware of it because obviously it’s been said by a lot of people to them,” O’Brien said. “Now when we get [to the end] we can talk about it, but it doesn’t do any good until we actually do it.”
O’Brien and Wilson, along with redshirt sophomore linebacker Nate Irving spoke to the media Monday. Here are some of the highlights.
Secondary improves tackling
O’Brien has labeled the Pack’s defensive secondary as the weak spot in the past couple of weeks. So with the bye last week, O’Brien challenged the secondary to make better tackles.
“That’s where our bugaboo has been all season,” O’Brien said. “We were letting three or four yard runs turn into 12 and 15 yards runs.”
On Saturday, Duke tested the secondary in a different way. The Blue Devils pounded the sidelines with screens, forcing State’s cornerbacks to make quick tackles. But luckily for the Pack, cornerbacks redshirt graduate Jeremy Gray and redshirt sophomore DeAndre Morgan passed the test, combining for 31 tackles on the day.
“We were able to get them down for the most part and limit the long damage they did,” O’Brien said.
Irving still not at full health, but playing
Star linebacker Nate Irving returned to the field Saturday and sits on top of the depth chart for the Pack’s game against Wake Forest. He grabbed 10 tackles against Duke — though none for a loss — and the Pack’s coaches and players commented Saturday about the calming presence he brings to the field.
Since it was his first full game since Sept. 13, Irving said he felt a bit rusty.
“I haven’t been able to watch [game film] yet, but I can only say I’ve got to get better,” Irving said. “I felt I was a little bit rusty — dropping an interception, missing a couple of tackles, missing a couple of reads.”
O’Brien agreed, saying that the old Nate Irving still hasn’t fully returned.
“He’s not close to where he was when he got hurt in the East Carolina game,” O’Brien said. “If he continues to stay healthy, continues to play, then he has a couple of games to get back there.”
But Irving still had flashes of his former self Saturday, particularly on multiple goal line stands by the defense when he made thunderous hits to stop the runner dead in his tracks.
“Nate has a lot of shock and power to him,” O’Brien said. “When he hits you, he knocks you down and that’s where you are.”
Wilson playing it by the book
Wilson is sounding more and more like a polished quarterback every week. While he is nearing an N.C. State record with 142 straight passes without an interception, you won’t hear him take any of the credit for himself.
“I attribute it that to [offensive coordinator Dana] Bible, the offensive line and the running backs and the wide receivers ability and also the tight ends,” Wilson said. “I don’t really attribute it to myself.”
Sounds like a public relations dream. Wilson continued rattling off slices of humility, and of course making sure everyone knows the team is taking one game at a time.
“Each and every day we have to go 100 percent in practice, improve on our mistakes and improve on the things we’re doing well,” Wilson said.
