2011 NC State Wolfpack Football: NC State @ Cincinnati

Prior to the season, North Carolina State head coach Tom O’Brien made the controversial decision to move Mike Glennon to the starting quarterback spot after Russell Wilson wouldn’t commit to the team due to his budding pro baseball career. Wilson is now the king of Madison, Wisconsin while his former team struggles to find itself this season.

After opening with a closer-than-expected 43-21 win over Liberty, the Wolfpack lost to the team that almost everybody had pegged as the worst team in the ACC Atlantic, a 34-27 loss to Wake Forest. A 35-13 win over a brand-new South Alabama program probably does not instill confidence in the team from Raleigh.

Cincinnati opened the season with a whipping of Austin Peay. The 72-10 score had a lot of pundits predicting they would knock off Tennessee the following week, but the Volunteers easily won in Knoxville, 45-23. Last week, the Bearcats beat hapless Akron 59-14 to make this a battle of 2-1 teams.

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The Bearcats are fourth in the nation in scoring, but that’s more a function of their first and third opponents than their offensive prowess. In a surprise twist, the Bearcats have transitioned from a pass-heavy attack under former head coach Brian Kelly to a run-first team under current boss Butch Jones. Cincinnati is 15th in the nation in rushing offense with 239 yards per game, while the Bearcats are only 84 thpassing at 194 ypg.

Cincy signal caller Zach Collaros has been very efficient, completing 43 of 69 passes for 521 yards and a sparkling 7-to-0 TD/INT ratio. His receiving corps includes DJ Woods (15 receptions, 232 yards, and one touchdown), Anthony McClung (11 catches, 123 yards, three touchdowns) and Kenbrell Thompkins (9, 104, and 1 TD). On the ground, 12 different Bearcats have at least one carry on the season, including the two quarterbacks that have seen game action. Isaiah Pead is the primary running back, a devastating speed merchant with 27 carries for 257 yards, for a stunning 9.5 yards per carry and four touchdowns.

Glennon has actually been quite serviceable. It would be unfair to pin NC State’s struggles on him. He’s 59-of-92 to this point in the season for 745 yards and an 8-to-1 TD/INT ratio. TJ Graham has been outstanding at wide receiver for the Pack, with 12 receptions for 252 yards and two scores, while Tobias Palmer adds a threat on the other side of the field, with 13 receptions for 170 yards and one touchdown. Curtis Underwood and James Washington have almost all of NCSU’s carries, with Underwood getting 36 carries for 220 yards and a touchdown and Washington collecting 43 carries for 170 yards and three trips to the end zone.

Neither team has distinguished itself defensively. While the Bearcats have an outstanding +12 turnover differential, again, that can be partially attributed to the level of competition in the first and third games. To wit, they gave up only 277 yards to Austin Peay and 349 to Akron, but surrendered 531 to Tennessee, including over 400 passing yards. The Bearcats are very balanced on defense, with 11 players reaching double-digit totals in tackles but none with over 20.

The Wolfpack also have 11 defensive players with double-digit tackles, but safety Earl Wolff has clearly established himself as the leader of the defense with 28 tackles. That said, pass defense is a huge issue for NC State this year. The roster from Raleigh, North Carolina, is giving up 271 yards per game through the air, in addition to over 100 yards per game on the ground. The outstanding defenders that were recruited to Raleigh by former coach Chuck Amato are long gone, and O’Brien has yet to come close to putting together a defense as strong as some of the defenses that Amato fielded.

That defense will get a test Thursday night. If it can’t come through, an already tenuous season will become even more difficult to bear for Tom O’Brien and company.

NC State Wolfpack @ Cincinnati Bearcats Football Preview