[Edited on July 1, 2009 at 9:40 PM. Reason : .]

7/1/2009 9:22:02 PM

7/1/2009 9:31:47 PM

I'm pretty sure I read an article where they did surgery that morning to repair the broken leg so I would hope they know what is going on with it. It is a waiting game right now folks.

While nasty nate's wreck setback our D is still feel like we have capable players that can come in and make an impact. Manning seems like the most obvious candidate for the job going into the fall and I was just looking at his bio on gopack

Quote :

" A preseason All-American who recorded an impressive 219 tackles, five+ sacks, three interceptions, four forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, over three quarterback pressure, three passes broken up and one blocked kick as a senior at Scotland County HS for coach Mark Barnes ... Named conference defensive player of the year, all-conference and all-region after his senior year ... Selected to play in the Shrine Bowl ... A four-star prospect and the No. 6 weakside linebacker by Scout.com ... Rivals.com also ranks him as a four-star recruit and the No. 15 outside linebacker in the nation ... They also rank him as the No. 3 player in North Carolina and the No. 138 overall player in the nation ... Ranked the No. 33 outside linebacker by ESPN ... Rated as the No. 119 player in the nation by PrepStar Magazine ... Two-time most outstanding defensive player at Scotland HS ... Earned all-conference and all-region honors after collecting 130 tackles, three interceptions and three fumble recoveries as a junior ... Named second-team junior All-American after his junior season ... Also named all-conference after his sophomore season."

pretty good resume if you ask me

[Edited on July 1, 2009 at 9:46 PM. Reason : I]

7/1/2009 9:45:46 PM

Quote :

"over three quarterback pressure,"

...like...4?

7/1/2009 9:50:49 PM

Quote :

"219 tackles"

what the hell? was there two of him out there on every play?!

7/1/2009 10:03:01 PM

I think Manning has a ton of potential and upside, but I just can't see him going out there day one and being 100%. It's been a year and a half or so since he's played in a real game, so it'll take a few games for him to get some of the rust off.

7/1/2009 10:32:45 PM

I just purchased my season tickets for this season..about damn time!!! Get well soon N. Irving!! GO PACK!!

7/1/2009 11:16:02 PM

I think Manning will be a great one, I just don't think he'll be great this year. He'll hopefully contribute, but i'm not expecting much. Too much time off from the game.

The guys I think are gonna be big for us are Audi Cole and Sterling Lucas. Cole was a beast this spring according to TOB, and that carried over to the spring game. Lucas was good last year in a limited role and reportedly has tremendous instincts/footwork. A year in the weight room can only help.

7/2/2009 12:47:05 AM

Lucas looked great in the spring game and according to the coaches, is deserving of a starting spot. I'd love to see him in Irving's spot, but we'll see how the coaches deem the linebackers to be.

7/2/2009 2:18:17 AM

For people who haven't looked in the recruiting thread:

http://blogs.newsobserver.com/accnow/nc-state-football-loses-four-players

Quote :

"Dominique Ellis is transferring. Three players who signed with N.C. State in February – Tyson Chandler, Raynard Randolph and Bryan Underwood – will not enroll in the fall."

7/2/2009 11:43:59 AM

You never want to see guys not qualify, but at least it wasn't someone who we really might need next year (Byrd, Good, Ward, etc)

Not have the big guys will hurt depth, but we should be fine there barring a couple injuries. Cash is a stud, Burgess was good last year, and Sweezy and Mangeo were supposedly really solid this spring. If we have to, we can always slide Kuhn back inside. Then there's Brian Slay. I'm 99% sure Underwood would have redshirted anyway, considering the WR depth.

Anyone else think it's odd that 2/3 guys who didn't qualify, and all three of the guys we're still awaiting word on are D lineman?

7/2/2009 1:34:46 PM

any word on why Ellis is transferring. Odd that someone expected to starts transfers which leads me to believe its either personal or academic

7/2/2009 1:37:51 PM

Quote :

"but we should be fine there barring a couple injuries"

welllllllllll we are NC State...

7/2/2009 1:40:39 PM

^^ This is the response in the recruiting thread, taken from PP

Quote :

"""He did something stupid as hell!!! Thats all that needs to be said. TOB dont play. Dont care who you are. Just absolutely incredible to me, what goes through these kids heads. I also have to believe, that someone that has been missing from the depth chart all spring, will not be back also.""

[Edited on July 2, 2009 at 1:52 PM. Reason : ]

7/2/2009 1:51:21 PM

NC State's receivers looking for improvement in 2009

July 2, 2009 9:00 AM
Posted by ESPN.com's Heather Dinich

NC State receiver Jarvis Williams said he is still motivated by coach Tom O'Brien's postgame speech following the Wolfpack's loss to Rutgers in the Papajohns.com Bowl.

"He made a real good statement to focus on after the bowl game," Williams said, "That we got a taste of a real hard loss and we should never be used to losing. Losing games is over and out of our system. And we're going to turn this program around to a winning program."

They've certainly got the quarterback to do it.

But if NC State is going to start strong this fall and make a legitimate run at the Atlantic Division, the passing game is going to have to include more than Russell Wilson's feet. NC State's receivers are working hard this summer to make that happen, but with Donald Bowens not expected to return from last year's season-ending back injury until September or October, the bulk of the workload again falls on 2008 starters Williams and Owen Spencer. They're both redshirt juniors who became full-time starters last year and have the potential for breakout seasons.

"We'll be much better because Russell wasn't named the starting quarterback until right before the first game," said Spencer, who caught 31 passes for a team-high 691 yards and five touchdowns. "We'll have another year under our belts. It will strengthen our corps."

It's not like NC State's receivers weren't factors last year -- the Wolfpack were No. 3 in the ACC in passing offense with 206 yards per game, and Wilson was the ACC's first-team quarterback and rookie of the year. But none of them had started a game until last fall. And Spencer and Williams were working with five different quarterbacks a year ago. Now, the chemistry should be better, and they should be better at their pre-snap reads and understanding defenses.

At 6-foot-4, Williams is the Pack's tallest receiver, and it helps him with jump balls and intimidating smaller cornerbacks. He takes advantage of his old skills as a high school post player, but said he wants to be more aggressive and explosive this fall. He caught 26 passes for 432 yards and four touchdowns in 2008.

"I can do way better than that," he said. "We had a slow start with the season. It was a little up and down with the passing game. We didn't open it up until the end of the season. I expect for us to start off with the passing game strong from the beginning. That's where our downfall has been my whole career here, having a slow start and then working our way up, grinding for wins. That's why we changed our whole mindset this year. Start off fast, finish strong and get wins early."

Wilson's strength last year was his ability to scramble and use his feet to get out of trouble. His first instinct was to run, but O'Brien has said he's now looking for Wilson to work his way through his progressions before pulling the ball down. Wilson hasn't been around on seven on sevens, but he's in touch with his teammates.

"I tell him what's going on with the football team, and how the passing is going with Mike Glennon," Williams said. "Mike Glennon is holding his ground right now, he's doing a good job. Both of them have strong arms. Glennon, when you look at him, he resembles Matt Ryan a lot. His mechanics are familiar with Matt Ryan. He's coming along, he's a good athlete."

NC State's receivers are expecting to be catching balls from both quarterbacks this fall.

Catching them, though, is the key. Spencer said he is looking to be more consistent and not drop as many balls. If he does, he could be a big-play threat in the ACC. Spencer caught three passes of over 50 yards last fall. Of the team's 55 pass plays of 20 yards or more, Spencer was at the receiving end of 15 of them. He finished the season ranked seventh in the ACC in receiving yards per game with 53.2.

Spencer's average of 22.3 yards per catch set a Wolfpack single-season record and was the best among the ACC receiving yards leaders.

"Based on last season I think I can put up some big-time numbers this season," Spencer said. "That comes with preparation and focus and things like that. Whatever I put into it is going to show on the field."

Spencer said the Wolfpack have their "swagger back," and a lot of it can be attributed to the progress the offense made last year.

"We haven't really had our identity as a whole team," Spencer said. "We've had pretty good defenses in recent years, but offensively kind of went down the hole a little bit. Now I think we're becoming solid. We have a lot of returning starters on our team and a lot of proven players. Once you have that on your side, it raises a lot of eyebrows. Coming off our last four games of the regular season last year, that showed a lot of people we have a pretty good team once we get healthy. We're on the rise now. If we continue to stay healthy, we will play great ball."

7/2/2009 8:36:22 PM

Quote :

" I also have to believe, that someone that has been missing from the depth chart all spring, will not be back also."

i take it graham is who he is referring to?

7/2/2009 8:48:02 PM

I don't know, but that would hurt too...that's a lot of speed being lost if Graham is gone and Underwood isn't qualifying.

7/2/2009 9:06:00 PM

If you want a football fix you can watch a 2007 game between Oklahoma and Mizzou on Fox Sports South right now.

7/2/2009 9:40:58 PM

not sure where to put this:

Quote :

"Trooper Taylor was recently on Sports Call radio. He said Auburn fans should save their money and don't buy fireworks because Auburn will have all the fireworks they need in July. He was hinting at something very big in recruiting in July. Believing this to be hype, I decided to find out more. Two of my former coworkers have connections deep into the Auburn program. I made some calls and have confirmed for myself that the Auburn coaches do, in fact, have a huge event planned in July. It will truly be bigger than anything they (or any other school) have done so this year. Possibly ever. It's going to shake the very foundation of Bama v. Auburn recruiting. It could very possibly serve as the turning point in what has been complete domination since Saban arrived at UA. It is being called Stars and Stripes Weekend (recruiting stars and tiger stripes). On one weekend in July (the weekend of the 18th), no less than twelve very heavily recruited players will announce that they are committing to Auburn. Their commitment announcements have been coordinated by the Auburn staff to occur on this particular weekend. I say no less than twelve, because: 1)Ladarius Owens is not among those 12 and may make his decision and announce on July 4 or he may wait to the 18th. 2) Several other top recruits will be present and may decide to commit along with the 12 whose commitment announcements have already been coordinated. I have never seen anything like this. This is going to vault us into the top five in recruiting rankings and put us in the mix for tons of other players.""

7/2/2009 10:39:12 PM

^there's a general college football thread

7/2/2009 10:43:21 PM

what're the odds that is anywhere close to true?

7/2/2009 10:43:46 PM

^^ yeah, couldnt remember, didnt feel like searching long

7/2/2009 11:00:38 PM

A.J. Ferguson had 5 tackles and a sack against France in the IFAF Football Junior World Championships. we won 78-0. he also had 2 tackles in a 55-0 win over mexico. the "gold medal game" against canada is sunday.

7/2/2009 11:08:25 PM

oh wow, i didn't realize we were posting shutouts

goddamn

Quote :

"USA USA USA"

7/3/2009 8:01:02 AM

Even though i didnt like hearing about the 4 individuals leaving the program, I think it had a lot to do with O'brien getting rid of those who couldnt hack it. I feel much better about O'briens ability to recruit/develop solid 2nd and 3rd stringers then Amato's ability.

THis is tom's third year of having the guys buy into his system and the way he runs things and this will just be an opportunity for one of our many unknown backups to step up to the plate. O'birne will have us ready!

GO PACK!

7/3/2009 11:43:15 PM

^

Ellis "left the program".

The other 3 just didn't qualify and won't be enrolling in the fall. They haven't officially "left the program".

7/4/2009 1:03:03 AM

2010 commit Thomas Teal will be at the South Carolina game. I imagine other players within driving distance may be at the game too.

7/4/2009 11:21:18 PM

so what's this about tj graham being gone?

7/5/2009 12:10:53 PM

People are just being stupid and paranoid. TJ Graham will be on the field this Fall provided he brings up his academics. That is the only reason why he didn't participate in Spring practice.

7/5/2009 12:22:42 PM

AJ Ferguson w/ 1 tackle as the USA beats Canada 41-3


U-S-A U-S-A. We are the best at American Football.

7/5/2009 10:40:33 PM

It'd be nice if we could spread the sport across the world. It could prove worthwhile by getting more types of players in the game. There are some big guys in Sweden, Germany, and Russia that would make good linemen.

7/5/2009 10:54:34 PM

That's why the NFL is pushing for more games on foreign soil, like Tokyo and London. IIRC the Bills will be playing at least one home game in Canada every year from now on (if they don't ever just decide to move the team to Toronto permanently).

7/6/2009 1:49:11 AM

under 60 days. nice.

7/6/2009 9:13:50 AM

^ technically less than two gregorian months

7/6/2009 9:41:53 AM

Southern Pigskin posted their all-ACC team today, and we put 4 on the first team and 2 on the second team, an were labeled "program on the rise":

Quote :

"First-Team All-ACC QB – Russell Wilson, NC State RB – Jonathan Dwyer, Georgia Tech RB – Darren Evans, Virginia Tech WR – Jacoby Ford, Clemson WR – Owen Spencer, NC State WR – Demaryius Thomas, Georgia Tech TE – Greg Boone, Virginia Tech OT – Anthony Castonzo, Boston College OG – Rodney Hudson, Florida State C – Ryan McMahon, Florida State OG – Thomas Austin, Clemson OT – Kyle Jolly, North Carolina DE – Jason Worilds, Virginia Tech DT – Vince Oghobaasse, Duke DT – Marvin Austin, North Carolina DE – Willie Young, NC State LB – Quan Sturdivant, North Carolina LB – Alex Wujciak, Maryland LB – Nate Irving, NC State LB – Sean Spence, Miami CB – Ras-I Dowling, Virginia S – Morgan Burnett, Georgia Tech S – Kam Chancellor, Virginia Tech CB – Kendric Burney, North Carolina K – Matt Bosher, Miami P – Travis Baltz, Maryland KR – Torrey Smith, Maryland PR – Travis Benjamin, Miami AP – C.J. Spiller, Clemson Second-Team All-ACC QB – Riley Skinner, Wake Forest RB – Da’Rell Scott, Maryland RB – Graig Cooper, Miami WR – Rich Gunnell, Boston College WR – Aldarius Thompson, Miami WR – Taiwan Easterling, Florida State TE – Zack Pianalto, North Carolina OT – Jason Fox, Miami OG – Sergio Render, Virginia Tech C – Matt Tennant, Boston College OG – Cord Howard, Georgia Tech OT – Will Barker, Virginia DE – Derrick Morgan, Georgia Tech DT – Alan-Michael Cash, NC State DT – Boo Robinson, Wake Forest DE – Ricky Sapp, Clemson LB - Dakota Watson, Florida State LB – Vincent Rey, Duke LB – Cam Martin, Virginia Tech LB – Kavell Conner, Clemson CB – Stephen Virgil, Virginia Tech S – Deunta Williams, North Carolina S – Wes Davis, Boston College CB – Patrick Robinson, Florida State K – John Czajkowski, NC State P – Brent Bowden, Virginia Tech KR – T.J. Graham, NC State PR – Vic Hall, Virginia AP – Montell Harris, Boston College ACC Coach of the Year – Frank Beamer, Virginia Tech ACC Offensive Player of the Year – Jonathan Dwyer, GT ACC Defensive Player of the Year – Morgan Burnett, GT ACC Newcomer of the Year – Kyle Parker, Clemson Program on the Rise – NC State Program on the Decline – Boston College Thoughts The ACC has a few obvious positions of strength: running back, offensive line and linebacker. The running backs in the ACC are quite good, with Jonathan Dyer leading the way. The reigning ACC Offensive Player of the Year should challenge for the Doak Walker Award. We listed C.J. Spiller of Clemson as the all-purpose player simply because he does so much. This was not done because we didn’t feel he was good enough to be the first-team running back, but because he is such a dynamic talent. Considering his ability as a receiver and a return man, we felt putting Spiller at running back just wouldn’t do him justice."

http://www.southernpigskin.com/index.php/site/2009_all_acc_football_teams/

7/6/2009 1:59:34 PM

LB – Nate Irving, NC State

[Edited on July 6, 2009 at 2:03 PM. Reason : ll]

7/6/2009 2:03:13 PM

^^3 on the second team, actually.

7/6/2009 2:05:04 PM

my favorite part:

Quote :

"Program on the Rise – NC State Program on the Decline – Boston College"

7/6/2009 2:21:25 PM

^^right, somehow I overlooked Graham

^haha, yeah I enjoyed that too

[Edited on July 6, 2009 at 2:23 PM. Reason : .]

7/6/2009 2:22:48 PM

Didn't kyle Jolly leave UNC, or am i thinking of someone else?



[Edited on July 6, 2009 at 2:26 PM. Reason : a]

7/6/2009 2:25:34 PM

Probably thinking of Aaron Stahl

7/6/2009 2:54:42 PM

Whatever happened to Brandon Jeffries, the 5* Crest HS o-lineman who committed to Tennessee in 2002, but then decided to transfer to State? I don't remember what happened with him, and checking the past rosters on PP, it looks like he never made it here. Weird.

7/6/2009 2:55:36 PM

is there an update thread on the crown removal at CF?

7/7/2009 10:45:08 AM

^^Jeffries never made it to campus. He ended up at Cleveland Community and then went to Newbury College, D-II.

7/7/2009 10:50:03 AM

Question for the turfgrass people. What is that thing sticking out of the grass in the corner of the field in front of the student section? There is a guy in a red hat standing down below it.

7/7/2009 11:41:51 AM

sprinkler!

7/7/2009 11:43:32 AM

Is that really all that is? Also what's that thing in the middle of the field with the yellow bulb on it?

7/7/2009 11:44:49 AM

^^^ It's a water cannon, each corner has one and it's how the field will be water instead of having an inground irrigation system. The cannon can be removed and the hole is capped and covered for game day.

[Edited on July 7, 2009 at 11:46 AM. Reason : .]

7/7/2009 11:46:12 AM

Nice. Sounds like a pretty clean setup.

7/7/2009 11:54:06 AM

I am guessing that is some sort of water cannon in the center as well. not sure what the yellow cap is.

7/7/2009 11:56:12 AM