Wilson's emergence lifts Wolfpack
Nov 22, 2008
Don’t be distracted by the debate sure to erupt over the decision by North Carolina coach Butch Davis to pull Cameron Sexton, 5-2 as a starter, in favor of T.J. Yates, the long-sidelined man he had replaced. The real quarterback story as N.C. State easily handled the Tar Heels 41-10 at chilly Kenan Stadium was the continued emergence of Wolfpack freshman Russell Wilson as the ACC's best signalcaller as the season winds down.
When this football season began, most observers considered Cullen Harper of Clemson the ACC’s top quarterback and its likely Player of the Year. Sometimes Wake Forest’s Riley Skinner entered the conversation, and less frequently Duke's Thaddeus Lewis, yet another upperclassman. Those calling the roll of top quarterbacks paid little attention to events in Raleigh, where five players contended in preseason for the starting spot under center.
As the 2008 regular season enters its final week, the terms of debate have shifted entirely. Harper, Skinner and Lewis have enjoyed good but not exceptional years. Maryland’s Chris Turner and Boston College’s Chris Crane have successfully led their teams to winning records. But the question now is whether anyone can match Wilson’s combination of poise, skill and efficiency in lifting N.C. State from also-ran to a dangerous foe within a victory of bowl eligibility.
Wilson sets a steady, low-key tone for his 5-6 team, winners of three straight. “As a quarterback you’ve got to be calm, you’ve got to give the team confidence offensively and defensively,” Wilson said. “But especially offensively. Going into the huddle, that’s what I try to do, give them confidence that we’re going to make a play. One play at a time, get first downs, get touchdowns.”
Teammates get the message. The redshirt freshman has now thrown for two touchdowns in five straight games, most at N.C. State since Philip Rivers in 2003, when he was a senior.
“Russell, he’s on the up all day long,” said receiver Owen Spencer, who caught one touchdown pass against UNC and dropped another. “He sets a very positive, upbeat tone,” agreed Andre Brown. The senior running back gained a game-high 86 yards. “He’s very confident when he comes into the huddle, so I’d say the tone is poised. When he’s rattled, we’re rattled. When he’s poised, it’s all good.”
The Wolfpack improved this season as they grew accustomed to a new defense installed during the spring, as the offensive line solidified, and as injured players regained their health. Wilson is included in the ranks of the recovered -- he missed most of the season opener against South Carolina with a concussion and sat out the South Florida game with a shoulder injury. Both of those contests resulted in defeat.
Wilson completed 17 of 28 passes (61 percent) for 279 yards and two touchdowns against UNC. “He played very well, but that didn't come as a surprise,” said Davis, the Tar Heel coach. Wilson also rushed for 57 yards on 11 carrries, displaying the same nifty footwork he brings to his play at second base on the N.C. State baseball squad.
Some yardage came on called plays; some resulted from scrambles. Even when Wilson was not credited with yardage gained, his ability to repeatedly evade the defensive rush, to roll out and buy time, left pursuers frustrated. “It's a complete problem for a defense when a quarterback can extend plays,” Davis said. Combined with the dominating performance of N.C. State’s offensive line, Wilson’s elusiveness led the Tar Heel defensive line to “quit” late in the game, according to Pack running back Jamelle Eugene.
UNC’s Davis likened Wilson's combination of a strong arm and quick feet to former Virginia Tech quarterback Michael Vick (as a player, not as a person). Others conjured memories of Florida State’s Charlie Ward, Clemson’s Woodrow Dantzler, or Georgia Tech’s Joe Hamilton.
The comparison with Hamilton is apt, since the former Yellow Jacket was at times a model of error-free efficiency. Against North Carolina Wilson established a new N.C. State standard by extending his run of consecutive passes thrown without an interception to 203. That surpassed the previous mark set by Jamie Burnette, who threw 179 passes for N.C. State in 1998 without a pick.
Wilson’s streak also exceeds the best recorded at Clemson (165, Harper from 2005-07), Georgia Tech (161 by Hamilton in 1997 and 1998), and North Carolina (154 by Oscar Davenport in 1996 and 1997). The ACC mark is 270, set by Florida State’s Drew Weatherford last season.
N.C. State head coach Tom O’Brien and offensive coordinator Dana Bible stress error-free play “all the time,” Wilson said. “The chances of you winning when you don’t turn the ball over, or barely turn the ball over ever, is definitely a lot higher. We did a great job of making them turn the ball over.”
The Tar Heels entered the game ranked eighth nationally in turnover margin, but lost the ball six times against N.C. State, three on interceptions and three on fumbles. The Wolfpack did not give the ball away. “Certainly, the offensive scheme, you have to give Dana Bible a lot of credit, coming up with a scheme that would be us or nobody,” O’Brien said. “Anytime you get six turnovers to zero, you should win a football game, that's pretty standard.”
O’Brien’s second win over North Carolina in two tries gave his team a season sweep of its in-state ACC rivals and East Carolina, the first such run by any team since N.C. State in 1986, Dick Sheridan’s first year as head coach. Along with bragging rights came a chance to tweak those at UNC who frequently call their school THE state university. “What it speaks to is we’re the best football program in the state without question,” O’Brien said. “We are the state university and we expect to be here.”
And, expected or not, the presence of Russell Wilson at the offensive helm has made that possible.
