Category Archives: N.C. State

Featured stories, N.C. State, The skinny

Yow: Wolfpack program will be reviewed

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N.C. State’s loss to Duke Wednesday night highlighted the problems with the basketball program, which was why Thursday’s talk shows were full of discussions about the future of Wolfpack basketball.

Athletics director Debbie Yow, in her first year with the program, told The Fan’s Adam Gold and Joe Ovies that the program would be reviewed at the end of the season.  Yow said “our focus” is to give full support to the team as the season unfolds.

“After the end of the season, when all the games are played, there will be a review, of course,” she said.

Speculation about Lowe’s future is now reaching such proportions that it was a strong topic of conversation Thursday afternoon on Taylor Zarzour’s show, which is now based out of WFNZ in Charlotte. Charlotte is hardly a big N.C. State town, so the fact that this was a center of conversation says how widespread the unhappiness is with Wolfpack fans.

Yow, of course, is an experienced administrator who knows how to say the right thing. But the fact that she is openly saying there will be a review is telling. Do you think Duke athletics director Kevin White is going around saying Mike Krzyzewski “will be reviewed” after the season.

Of course not. As noted here earlier, Lowe could be driving this team toward a losing season, and that won’t wash with Wolfpack fans – or Yow.

Duke, N.C. State, The skinny

NCSU, Duke heading two different directions

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N.C. State and Duke were two teams going in separate directions Wednesday at the RBC Center, as the Blue Devils rolled to a 92-78 victory over a Wolfpack team that still struggles to play defense.

Duke’s depth was evident, and the play of sophomore Andre Dawkins was particularly impressive. Dawkins skipped his senior year of high school to enroll a year early last season after Gerald Henderson left for the pros, but he had little impact on the championship year as Duke favored a big lineup. Dawkins averaged just 4.4 points and with Kyrie Irving coming in and Seth Curry eligible, you expected him to get swept aside this season.

Instead, he appears to be solidifying a spot in the starting rotation as Curry’s defensive woes are highlighted in the rugged conference play. Dawkins played 23 minutes and scored eight points at the RBC Center, and as you watched the game, he clearly seemed comfortable on the court. Irving’s situation is hard to predict – and you can’t blame his family for being cautious with an NBA future ahead – and so there are minutes to be had in the backcourt. Dawkins looks like he can hold the job, and that gives Duke real depth there with Curry available for sharp-shooting duties.

Last year, Duke used its loss at N.C. State to redefine itself and become a halfcourt, grind-it-out team. This year, the Devils are heading toward more balance as players like Dawkins exert themselves.

N.C. State is spiraling down a different path. Losing to Duke is no reason for shame, but the Wolfpack now faces a huge game Sunday at the RBC Center against Miami. The Hurricanes are 12-5 overall and 1-2 in the league and a team State should beat. But the Pack can’t take anything for granted.

“There are still a lot of games left,” coach Sidney Lowe said after the game, according to The News & Observer. “But we need a run. We need a nice run. It’s not a panic situation. But too many of those [losses], and yeah, it will be.”

Games at Clemson and UNC follow the Miami game, and State’s 11-7, 1-3 record could soon take a beating.

Featured stories, N.C. State, The skinny

N.C. State could be facing losing season

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N.C. State’s basketball season could quickly spiral downward if Saturday’s 84-71 loss at Florida State was any indication. The Wolfpack was picked for fourth in the ACC this year in preseason, but that looks like a vast misjudgment by the media based on early results. It is now conceivable that State could have a losing season, and you can’t imagine that athletics director Debbie Yow would judge Sidney Lowe favorably in that situation.

The Pack was never in the game at Tallahassee as a season-long indifference toward defense continued. “That was probably the worst defense I’ve seen us play in a long time,” Lowe told The News & Observer. “It really hurt us.”

Florida State shot 69 percent from the floor in the second half. For the game, the Seminoles never trailed, outscored State 20-8 on points off turnovers and held the Wolfpack to 19 first-half points.

Even more amazing was that State did not score a single point on a fast break, while FSU scored 11.

The stretch ahead could be gruesome for the Wolfpack. Duke visits the 19th, followed by Miami, at Clemson, at UNC, Virginia Tech and at Duke. State has some young talent, but this season could get even uglier fast.

N.C. State, The skinny

Coaches responsible for State’s defensive lapses

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It’s only the first ACC game, but N.C. State’s efforts Tuesday night in a 75-66 loss at Boston College continued what has been a recurring theme with the program in recent seasons.


“We just didn’t defend,” Lowe told the Associated Press after the game. “We had a three-point lead and I just think we relaxed a little bit. Going in, we talked about limiting their threes, but I think we just suffered from a lack of concentration on the defensive end.”


When you break this quote down, you start to see some problems. First, Lowe said, “We talked about limiting their threes,” which translates into, “The coaches told them what to do.”


However, he concluded, “We just suffered from a lack of concentration on the defensive end.” In other words, the players did not do what they were told. So the blame is subtly shifted from coaches to players.


Another way of looking at this would be to shift the blame from the players to the coaches. For example, why didn’t the coaching staff have them better prepared? Why didn’t the coaches have players on the floor who could play the necessary defense?


Ultimately, N.C. State has to play better defense to win in the ACC. And the responsibilty for that rests with Lowe and his staff.

N.C. State, The skinny

A little better ballhandling and State would have beaten Syracuse

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N.C. State sophomore Scott Wood and freshman Lorenzo Brown made late-game ballhandling errors that led to turnovers and stopped any chance of the Wolfpack coming back in a 65-59 loss at Syracuse.

But actually the game was lost midway through the second half. With State up 56-53, Syracuse employed full court pressure and the Pack got discombobulated. Three turnovers and a shot-clock violation later, Syracuse ended a 10-3 run to take a 57-56 lead.

State led once more on a basket by freshman C.J. Leslie to make it 58-57 but the Pack never scored another bucket the rest of the way – in other words, they went nine minutes with only one basket.

After Syracuse went up 59-58, the Wolfpack had a chance to take lead, but Leslie, who had penetrated the defense, threw a weak pass back out that was picked off. Later, Wood had a chance with an open three with 45 seconds left that would have put the Pack up but missed. Then he missed a harder three from further out 20 seconds later that would have tied it.

The Wolfpack committed 17 turnovers that resulted in 26 points for Syracuse whereas the Orange turned it over only five times leading to just four points for State.

N.C. State, The skinny

Long punt return earns State’s Graham ACC Specialist of the Week award

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T.J. Graham, the junior N.C. State wide receiver, has been honored as the Atlantic Coast Conference Football Specialist of the week.

Graham had a milestone afternoon for the Wolfpack. He gave State its first lead of the game with an 87-yard punt return a minute into the fourth quarter. That return tied for the third-longest punt return in school history.

Graham also returned five kickoffs for 100 yards, giving him a new school record for career kickoff-return yards with 2,073. He finished the game with 188 yards in total return yardage.

Duke, N.C. State, The skinny

Taylor burned Carolina last Saturday – Is it Wilson’s turn this Saturday?

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Last week weekend, North Carolina, playing on its home field, was burned by Virginia Tech quarterback Tyrod Taylor. This weekend, Carolina, 6-4, plays at home against a quarterback that can scramble and run like Taylor but who has a better arm. Does that spell disaster for the Tar Heels against rival N.C. State?

Well, if they turn the ball over like they did last week, yes. “If you turn the ball over six times and don’t create turnovers, that’s a killer,” UNC coach Butch Davis said. “You can’t win that way.”

Especially against State. Davis said that on film State’s Nate Irving looks like the best linebacker the Heels have faced. Plus, State quarterback Russell Wilson extends plays with his legs but he also throws very well, he said. In comparing Wilson with VT’s Taylor, Davis said that Wilson’s accuracy in throwing down the field and his arm strength is the difference.

“They’ve played very well this season,” Davis said of the Wolfpack. “In my personal opinion, against somebody in this big of a rivalry game, I don’t know how much records actually matter… There’s an awful lot of the kids that play the game and alumni that are around each other, they know each other and they see each other on a daily basis and so it’s obviously going to carry an enormous amount of significance.”

The Wolfpack, 7-3, has a chance to play for the ACC title if they can win out. So, this is more than a rivalry game. As CapitalSports’ Dane Huffman pointed out, that fact isn’t lost on N.C. State coach Tom O’Brien. But then he said this:

“There’s not any more on the line than any time we play North Carolina,” O’Brien said. “It’s a game that’s very special and very important to our school. … There’s no added significance one way or another. Now the bonus is if we win, we keep going.”

As Davis said, “it’s a game that everybody associated with this program wants to win very badly.”

N.C. State, The skinny, UNC

Not a good day for Wolfpack as they lose and have to root for Heels to win… and they do

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A couple of offensive errors wasted a good defensive effort by N.C. State and the Pack fell at Clemson and then had to cheer on the Tar Heels to a 37-35 victory at Florida State.

N.C. State’s Mustafa Greene, who earlier had scored, fumbled on his own 22 and that led to the Tiger’s first touchdown. Then, QB Russell Wilson threw an interception in the end zone on third down from the 6. Clemson scored in the fourth quarter to take a 14-13 win.

State needed the Heels, who survived mental errors themselves, to win so the Wolfpack could stay in the chase for the division title.

The Heels trailed at the half 28-21 despite QB T.J. Yates’ 67-yard touchdown pass to Dwight Jones. But Carolina controlled the third quarter, outscoring the Seminoles 10-0 to take a 31-28 advantage.

UNC held the lead until a bad snap on a punt and a bad decision by the punter C.J. Feagles. With less than six minutes to go and the Heels up 34-28, senior snapper Mark House hiked it well over Feagles head and it rolled all the way to the three-yard-line where Feagles kicked it through the end zone, thinking it would be a safety. Instead, it was a penalty on him and half the distance to the goal.

FSU went in from the one and a half to take the 35-34 lead.

Carolina, without its top three tailbacks, drove all the way down the field to set up a 22-yard go-ahead kick by Casey Barth.

A short kickoff, combined with a long return by FSU put the Seminoles in position to kick a field goal for the win with seven seconds left. But the 40-yard attempt by Dustin Hopkins sailed right and the Heels won.

It was the first time the Heels have ever won at Florida State. Yates threw for 437 yards to set a single-game UNC record.

UNC and N.C. State have identical 6-3 overall and 3-2 conference records. The Heels are two games behind Virginia Tech in the Coastal Division with two to play while the Wolfpack is only a half game behind Florida State in the Atlantic Division.

N.C. State, The skinny

O’Brien gives Pack players a few days off before preparing for FSU

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After losing in overtime at rival East Carolina, and with no game this weekend, NC State coach Tom O’Brien figured his players needed a little time off.

“We will get on the football field for the tomorrow for the first time since saturday,” O’Brien said Wednesday. “I gave the fellas a few days off. They’re tired and we need to try to get back both mentally and physically.”

The Wolfpack hosts Florida State Thursday, Oct. 28 in a primetime ESPN game that could put the season back on track or continue to bring the Pack down to earth.

State, 5-2, got off to a 4-0 start before losing heartbreakers to Virginia Tech at home and ECU on the road.

“I think we are a much more competitive football team than we’ve been the past three years,” O’Brien said. “That’s due a lot to the young kids growing up and getting much more experience. But the biggest thing is we haven’t suffered the devastating injuries we have the last two years.”

He said not only is the team healthier overall but deeper since the players who had to step in over the last couple of years now have more experience.

Florida State is 6-1 and atop the Atlantic Division with a 4-0 mark. The winner of this game would be the favorite to take the division.

“We have a huge challenge but thank God we have some time to rest,” O’Brien said. “Hopefully we can regroup and have a great night next Thursday night.”

N.C. State, The skinny

State’s Wilson named an ACC football player of the week

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NC State redshirt-junior quarterback Russell Wilson, Florida State senior offensive guard Rodney Hudson and Georgia Tech sophomore defensive end Izaan Cross headline a list of six players recognized as the Atlantic Coast Conference Football Players of the Week, announced Monday by the ACC. Wilson threw for 333 yards and three touchdowns, his sixth career 300-yard game, as the Wolfpack topped Cincinnati, 30-19.

Hudson helped the Seminoles accumulate 427 yards of total offense and tallied 10 knockdown blocks as FSU defeated BYU, 34-10. Cross recorded five tackles, forced a fumble and was part of a defensive line that held North Carolina scoreless in the fourth quarter, earning the Yellow Jackets their first conference victory of the season, 30-24.

Joining Russell as an honoree was teammate Mustafa Greene, who was named rookie of the week. Cross and Scott Blair, this week’s specialist of the week, represented Georgia Tech, while Virginia Tech’s Rashad Carmichael was tabbed defensive back of the week.