2011 NC State Wolfpack Football: NC State vs Liberty

Just what will life look like in Raleigh, North Carolina, without Russell Wilson to fling the pigskin and dash with derring-do all over the football field?

The time for waiting is over. Anxious football fans will get to see just how far one of the ACC’s more snake-bitten programs has come in the offseason.

The North Carolina State Wolfpack lost second-team all-ACC quarterback Russell Wilson to Wisconsin when head coach Tom O’Brien essentially dismissed him from the team due to uncertainty about Wilson’s future. Wilson was a high pick in the Major League Baseball draft, and never could communicate with the level of clarity O’Brien wanted. New signal caller Mike Glennon comes into the season as the clear starter despite only 13 pass attempts last year. Glennon is the brother of former Virginia Tech quarterback Sean Glennon and came into the program very highly touted. O’Brien seems very confident in his decision to jettison Wilson. It’s a gamble. Making the decision even riskier is that almost all of Wilson’s receivers are gone. Amazingly, considering the fact that the Wolfpack lost their top four receivers in terms of yardage, three of the top four receivers this fall are going to be seniors. T.J. Graham is the top returning receiver, and he has only 25 receptions for 316 yards to his credit. Mustafa Greene returns to lead the Wolfpack running game. He led the team with 597 yards last season on 134 carries.

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The Wolfpack defense should be the strength of the team. NCSU returns eight starters and a ton of productivity from a unit that was one of the top defenses in the ACC last year. The secondary is young but talented. Safety Earl Wolff led the team in tackles (95), while the other safety, Brendan Bishop, made 66 stops and grabbed 4 interceptions. Cornerback David Amerson made 57 tackles while his counterpart, Jarvis Byrd, is the only starter without significant experience.

Liberty has been quite successful under head coach Danny Rocco, who is 40-16 in 5 years, with four Big South championships (won or shared). Last year, the Flames scored their first-ever victory over an FBS opponent when they knocked off Ball State, 27-23, in Muncie, Indiana. The prior year, they made a respectable showing at West Virginia in a 33-20 loss. Last year, Liberty was 8-3 overall and 5-1 in the Big South, outscoring opponents 401-222. They rushed for 1,881 yards while holding opponents to 1,273, and outpassed opponents by an even wider margin. Senior quarterback Mike Brown is the two-time Big South Offensive Player of the Year and led the nation in total yards last year. He’s a dual-threat player who led his team in both passing and rushing (2,956 yards and 854 yards, respectively). His favorite target returns for his senior season. Chris Summers, an All-American candidate, had 1,081 yards and 15 TDs despite missing the final game with an injury suffered in the second-to-last game. While the Flames should be set on offense, they lose a number of key players on defense, including the team leaders on each of the three levels of defense, so this game should feature strength against strength (NCSU’s defense versus Liberty’s offense) and weakness against weakness (NCSU’s offense against Liberty’s defense).

NC State Wolfpack vs Liberty Flames Football Preview