2011 NC State Wolfpack Football: NC State @ Cincinnati

The Cincinnati Bearcats are not going to have an easy 2011 college football season. The fact that they brought the hammer to the North Carolina State Wolfpack shows just how miserable the next two months are likely to be for one of the ACC’s most disappointing football programs.

Plainly put, North Carolina State showed that the loss to Wake Forest a few weeks ago was not a fluke. The Pack is just not very good, and the Tom O’Brien experiment doesn’t seem to be working. Under former head coach Chuck Amato, at least the Wolfpack had some talented players on defense. This Wolfpack defense is a mess. The defensive line can’t stop the run or provide an adequate pass rush. Yes, N.C. State is banged up, but the speed and talent just are not there. With the nation’s best offense coming to Raleigh next week in the form of Paul Johnson’s Georgia Tech option attack, the future seems likely to unravel for State.

Cincinnati was able to run – and pass – on the Wolfpack defense all night long this past Thursday. After a three-and-out on their first possession, the Bearcats scored on long touchdown drives on each of their next three possessions to jump out to a quick 21-0 lead before the Wolfpack could get on the board. N.C. State gave up over 500 yards of offense, 240 of which were on the ground. The Bearcats were able to establish the run early and dominated in the trenches, which opened up huge gaps in the secondary for Zach Collaros to exploit. They were able to pound away all game, attempting 46 rushes and getting over five yards per attempt. UC running back Isaiah Pead had 27 of those carries for 167 yards and a touchdown. Collaros had wide open receivers all night, it seemed, and was efficient in finding them, going 25-of-34 for 263 yards with two scores and one interception.

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The N.C.State offense isn’t much better than its defense. Quarterback Mike Glennon will get some blame for the lack of production in light of his two interceptions, but he was probably the lone bright spot on the field for the Wolfpack. Glennon was 25-of-36 for 334 yards with two touchdowns and two picks. He had zero support from the running game; leading rusher Curtis Underwood, Jr., had just 6 yards on 6 carries. James Washington was the second leading rusher, with minus-one yard on four carries. Yes, it was that bad. Glennon was constantly harassed by a defense that, because of the lack of a running threat from State, was able to pin its ears back all night. T.J. Graham had an outstanding night receiving the ball, with 176 yards on seven catches, but two of them were long receptions, one for 49 yards and the other for 87 yards.

Cincinnati dominated the game, but most of that is on North Carolina State, which appears to have a mess on its hands for this 2011 campaign. The defense is banged up and below average and the offensive line can’t block, so the early indications are that this will be a long year in Raleigh.

NC State Wolfpack @ Cincinnati Bearcats Football Recap