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Pack Seniors Expected More

By Langdon Morris

Nov 22, 2007

Darrell Blackman signed with N.C. State as a Parade All-America running back who was sold on the “winning tradition” he saw in former coach Chuck Amato.

In 2003, the year before his freshman season, he watched N.C. State destroy Kansas 56-26 in the Tangerine Bowl and arrived with the expectation that he would be a part of that winning tradition.

Now, going into his last game in Carter-Finley Stadium, Blackman admits his four seasons at State weren’t what he expected.

“I expected a whole lot more success,” Blackman said. “Because they had success before I got here with Philip Rivers, Jerricho Cotchery and all those guys, I was thinking it was going to be the same way.”

Instead, Blackman and the Pack suffered a 3-9 season in 2006 that sent Amato packing for Florida. State is now 5-6, needing a win over Maryland to ensure bowl eligibility.

Though State went to four straight bowl games between 2000-2003, the Pack has been to only one bowl game, the Meineke Car Care Bowl in 2005, in the past three seasons.

According to Blackman, the program’s downward spiral was based on poor position play, rather than coaching.

“We had a little slack off at some key positions when I got here and we had to rebuild, and I think we’re still doing that now,” Blackman said.

Despite the program’s recent struggles, Blackman said he and the other seniors want to leave the program better than when they arrived. And nothing would make that goal a reality more than a senior day win over Maryland that could potentially send the Pack to a bowl game.

“It’s real important, not only for me, but for the rest of the team because of all of the things we’ve been through, the downfalls we’ve had this year and the past years and some of the close games that we’ve lost,” Blackman said. “And then fighting back this year after starting 1-5, and being in the race to be bowl eligible, that would be real big. That would set the mark for next year’s team and the teams to come.”

According to coach Tom O’Brien, a win over Maryland would complete the Pack’s “new season,” and set a trend of winning ways he hopes to continue in future seasons at N.C. State. A loss would not discredit the season’s turnaround, O’Brien said.

“I think we’ve already defined our season the second half, coming back, but it certainly can go a long way to proving we are a good enough football team to be 5-1 and come all the way back from the hole we were in,” O’Brien said.

Despite the outcome of Saturday’s game, O’Brien said he is proud of the accomplishments of his seniors. Though this is his first season, he said he has seen growth among his team leaders throughout the year.

“I’m grateful that they’ve given us the effort they have,” O’Brien said. “There was a point in the season where they could have just packed it in and said ‘It’s over.’ But at that point I think a lot of them got a little tougher, and got a little more dedicated and a little bit more concentration and focus and led the way.”