WRAL Sports Fan

North Carolina State University

O'Brien says Wolfpack's bowl hopes are still alive

By Tim Hall

Oct 6, 2011

It hasn't been good so far for the N.C. State Wolfpack (2-3, 0-2 ACC). But don't count on the team to throw in the towel.

Still without a win against an FBS team, N.C. State has to go 5-2 down the stretch just to become bowl eligible. But when asked if his team still has the confidence to do it, head coach Tom O'Brien responded without hesitation.

"Absolutely," O'Brien told Adam and Joe on 99.9 The Fan. "I think they're feeling enough things have gone wrong."

They certainly have from an injury perspective.

Even though starting defensive tackle J.R. Sweezy made his first appearance of the season against Georgia Tech and is in line to start this week, the Wolfpack still had fullback Taylor Gentry in at defensive tackle due to a lack of bodies. Then even he got hurt.

Gentry left the Georgia Tech game with a foot injury and will miss Saturday's game against Central Michigan. N.C. State is hoping it can hold on for a little longer.

"Then hopefully the cavalry will come in. We're kind of hanging on, waiting for the reinforcements to get healthy and get back," O'Brien said. "We were a pretty good football team on defense in preseason camp. We haven't been anything like that one game this year. We're looking at starting our sixth different defensive lineup in six games. We need to get some continuity on that side of the ball. We seem to be progressing and moving in the right direction on offense. If we can catch up on defense, we can have a great second half of the year."

O'Brien's Wolfpack teams aren't strangers to strong second half finishes. O'Brien is 10-6 in games played in November, including a perfect 4-0 in 2008. He's also 4-0 against rival North Carolina.

But if N.C. State is going to be able to pull off a late season push, it has to get back to the motto that O'Brien implemented when he became the coach — 'Don't talk about it. Be about it.'

And that message extends to the coaches as much as it does to the players.

"The emphasis is that we're all in it together. It's the coaches and the players," O'Brien said. "You can't talk and tell a kid to do it. You have to make it happen on the practice field. And if you make it happen there and it doesn't happen on the game field, then there has to be accountability."

Central Michigan and N.C. State will kick-off at 3:30 on Saturday with both schools looking to improve to 3-3.

American Idol winner Scotty McCreery will sing the national anthem before the game and there will be various breast cancer awareness themed promotions.