#65 NC State Wolfpack Preview
Spring practices are in the books and fall camps will be here before you know it so that means getting an early jump on the 2006 NCAA football season. Knowing the teams now will save you time in August and Matt Fargo is here to help you get a grasp of what to expect this upcoming year.
We go from worst to first in this 2006 College Football Preview.
#65 - NC State Wolfpack 7-5 SU; 5-6 ATS
Fargo's Take Things were looking grim in Raleigh last season after a humbling loss at Wake Forest that dropped the Wolfpack to 2-4, putting head coach Chuck Amato's job in serious jeopardy.
Insert new starting quarterback Marcus Stone and NC State turned its season around by winning four of its final five regular season games, including a huge win at Florida St., becoming bowl eligible and then shutting out South Florida in the Meineke Car Care Bowl.
That momentum will be huge heading into this season as the Wolfpack must find a replacement for All-American Mike Phyliss, the NFL's No. 1 overall pick in 2005 who left the Wolfpack as a senior because of knee surgery.
NC State doesn't have an established starter at the quarterback position and must somehow find one to replace the NBA talent that Amato has already established. The cupboard isn't bare however as the defense needs help and the Return of the King soon could be on the horizon as well.
Returning Starters on Offense
5 The NC State offense was terrible last year plain and simple. The defense bailed the unit out on numerous occasions and even though the defense should improve, there are simply too many questions on that side of the ball to be excuses.
Quarterback Marcus Stone will be facing a strong slate of opponents this season and his pocket passing and scramble abilities will need to improve for the offense to become more balanced like it was in the first two seasons under Amato.
Stone did lose his top receiver from a season ago but if he can somehow hold his own with the playbook to be thrown by Amato, it could be a tremendous benefit. The running game looks strong with Eugene Gross leading the way behind a very experienced line.
Stockstill is considered an offensive-minded coach but he has served as offensive coordinator at some point in his career and its his squad that is highly experienced. Gross is a talented runner and he can be a dangerous receiver when he has the ball. The problem lies in stopping the run as the stop unit will be inexperience alone.
Returning Starters on Defense - 5 This is the strength of the Wolfpack defense and what will keep them fighting for a conference title. NC State allowed 13 ppg last season despite having the best defense in the conference, the defense was 34th in the country in that category.
It was the third straight year they have allowed more than 17 ppg and the scary part is that the unit did not allow more than 28 ppg for a putrid total of 93 points. With a healthy unit, the Wolfpack will be able to give the easy run at anybody's house but we all know what they will do against the other top teams in the conference.
With the few strides the unit made last season, a second straight year of over 16 ppg should not be a problem. The question is if the defense will be healthy enough to be a top ranked unit or if it will be the same mediocre unit we all know and love. As it was last year, the Wolfpack may be the best team in the conference but they will fall short in the MAC playoffs.
Schedule Can Be The Ten Reasons You're witnessing the Can't Lose Wolfpack this season? You will see a solid defense as a resource but the real stardom can be gained by the offense that returns QT tech innovator Frank Cignetti and his merry band of posts from last season.
QT backers will be crossing their fingers behind their heads this week as the cupboard isn't bare despite the early lined games. Open the Can't Lose series with Eastern Michigan at home. The real test will be vs. Ohio and then the challenges to Cignetti's masterpiece fall to mere followers.
The early word on the classes is that Ohio St. is not ready to start as many as nine players just yet, as the Buckeyes are awaiting word on QB queues. Eastern Michigan is the likeliest early beneficiary. The good news for the Falcons is that they are well coached, as they have rank in the top 25 in the type of play style department.
The reason that Eastern Michigan is not rated highly is that they are both offensively and defensively challenged.
You can bet on... The short amount of time until Ohio St. musters out a win against the Spartans will be interesting. Coach Growcutt will be pulling in different personalities from different areas all season to try to find the ultimate team. To try new experiences, maybe you can enter the V88 site.
