The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/49933
■ PACK PERSPECTIVE Pack Battled Back All Season And, In The End, Earned A Well-Deserved Bowl Bid BY TIM PEELER O ne game doesn't always make a season, but it can certainly reflect it. And nothing typified the uphill/downhill ride that head coach Tom O'Brien and his NC State football team had in 2011 more than the season-finale victory over Mary- land, in which the Wolfpack stormed back from a 41-14 second-half deficit to beat the Terrapins in front of a practically speechless Carter-Finley Stadium. The details of the second-biggest come- back in ACC history don't need to be re- counted, but the season-long theme must be emphasized: This year's edition of the Wolfpack was a second-half team. Except, of course, for the late-season win against Clemson, when the Pack was a second- quarter team, blitzing the seventh-ranked Tigers for 23 points in the second stanza. "At the end of the day, we got it done," said co-captain J.R. Sweezy, a fifth-year defensive tackle. "We did what we needed to do." The 2011 season wasn't so much a re- building year as it was a restructuring one. Offensive coordinator Dana Bible switched the scrambling Russell Wilson-infused of- fense to the drop-back passing style of Mike Glennon. Senior T.J. Graham developed into the kind of big-play receiver that Owen Spencer had been the previous four seasons. While inconsistent at times, the offense showed signs of explosiveness under Glen- non's guidance. The defense, decimated early on by in- juries, got stronger behind the improved play of the secondary, which found a true superstar in sophomore cornerback David Amerson, who leads all Football Bowl Sub- division players with 11 interceptions on the season. After losing the first two ACC games, it might have been easy for O'Brien and his staff to panic and make some drastic changes or perhaps start looking toward next year. O'Brien, however, remained steadfast. "This is who and what we are," he said going into to the second half of the season. "We have to find a way to make it work." And they did, finishing the regular season with a 7-5 overall record and a 4-4 ACC mark. "We probably weren't on anybody's ra- dar screen about seven games ago," O'Brien said. "What we were able to do is a tribute to the character of this football team." 78 ■ THE WOLFPACKER Fifth-year senior tight end George Bryan scored the go-ahead touchdown in NC State's come- from-behind win over Maryland that secured bowl eligibility and typified the 2011 season. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN O'Brien and his squad came into the sea- son hoping to build off last year's No. 25 final ranking following its victory over West Virginia in the Champs Sports Bowl. It sur- vived the negative vibes that came after Russell Wilson left the program and Glen- non took over the offense. It was harder, however, to overcome the early-season injury chaos, when multiple players, primarily from the defense, were missing from the lineup. Once those players started to return, the Wolfpack came back strong, winning at Virginia, beating North Carolina for the fifth year in a row and sur- prising eventual ACC champion Clemson. Other than the inexplicable outcome at Boston College, the Wolfpack finished the season strong, with a 4-2 record. It's the fourth time in O'Brien's five years in Ra- leigh that the team has finished with a sig- nificantly better record in the second half than the first. The reward, of course, is the Wolfpack's 26th bowl game in school history, a trip to the newly named Belk Bowl at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte. It's only the second time the Wolfpack has ever played a postseason contest in the Queen City. The first was a 14-0 victory over South Florida in 2005, when the game was called the Mei- neke Car Care Bowl. It's O'Brien's third bowl game in his five years with the Pack. It's also a great place for this team to land, while in-state ACC rivals North Carolina and Wake Forest head off to further locations. It's close for the fan base, it falls at a good time in the bowl lineup and it gives the coaching staff a presence in the host city for the Shrine Bowl, a key recruiting event. Being at home is particularly important this year while O'Brien and his staff try to strengthen their foothold in the state, and while their primary competition down the road is going through a major upheaval and soon-to-come sanctions. "To be able to play a game in our home state, just a couple hours down the road, is a great benefit for us," O'Brien said. "From a coaching standpoint, it's the start of next year." "There were ups and downs," Glennon said. "But for us to get to a bowl game — and hopefully we will win — it would be a great way to finish the year." And a great way to get an early start on next season, when the Pack hopes to begin the season on a roll and continue its trend under O'Brien of finishing strong. ■ You may contact Tim Peeler at tim_peeler@ncsu.edu.