For most folks this year, Springtime in the world of the Wolfpack has been all about N.C. State basketball. Baseball, too - but I canāt talk about them without getting upset in light of last weekendās Stanford debacle. In the background, Dave Doerenās squad has quietly, methodically improved. They picked up several key additions on the defensive side of the ball and retained a wealth of offensive talent. Without the Spring game to serve as that āmile markerā of the football calendar, the...
about 2 months agoĀ ā¢Ā 6 min read
One of the best leaders Iāve ever worked for has a powerful saying: āIn the absence of information, people go negative.ā Itās been quiet of late with N.C. State basketball. The quiet is creating some uneasiness. We had news every day for weeks starting on the 9th of March. Coaching search ebbs and flows. Assistant coaching moves being made. Lists of transfer portal targets put together. Then, seemingly nothing. Add in State losing its the first ābig nameā portal target, and I get it. Many...
3 months agoĀ ā¢Ā 6 min read
It feels like Will Wadeās press conference was years ago. After a two week span of non stop tidbits, leaks, and flight tracking, I was accustomed to getting news every five seconds. It feels like things have dramatically slowed down since Wade's raucous intro last Tuesday.Donāt let the perceived silence fool you. The Will Wade era in Raleigh is off and running. Good things do take time, but a ton of groundwork has been laid for State to do tremendous things - and faster than you might think....
4 months agoĀ ā¢Ā 7 min read
āNumbers never lie, after all: they simply tell different stories depending on the math of the tellers.ā - Luis Alberto Urrea The coaching bio of D.J Eliot on GoPack.com tells a story of a defensive coordinator with a wealth of experience. Coaches and fans at Kentucky, Colorado, and Kansas have a...different perspective. What is true? We're going to try and answer that, first with some numbers. I pulled six key measures to look at how Eliotās defenses performed: FEI - Overall defensive...
6 months agoĀ ā¢Ā 9 min read
When someone decides to become a fan of a college football team, they are putting their emotional wellbeing into the hands of others. It comes with the territory of fandom. Highs and lows of all shapes and sizes are inevitable in a game played by teenagers and twenty year olds. There's no shortage of creativity in how these results come to be - that's what makes college sports special - but over time, it's obvious that all losses are not the same. Some losses occur when the opponent has a...
7 months agoĀ ā¢Ā 8 min read
On the Prowl šŗ An NC State Newsletter Eastern Carolina v.s. N.C. State Location: Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, Annapolis, Maryland (š¤¢) Kickoff time: 5:45 ET Television Network: ESPN Vegas Line: Pack -6 Weather: Spotty showers, 46 at kickoff, getting colder Who else could it be? Growing up a State fan in eastern North Carolina is not for the faint of heart. You get enough ragging from Duke and UNC fans. Then thereās this other group of people. Theyāre wearing purple a lot of the time,...
7 months agoĀ ā¢Ā 7 min read
Happy Tuesday folks. We are officially in the dumbest part of the football calendar. Programs like State are scrambling, trying to figure out how to manage: Coaching turnover Current players transferring out New players in the transfer portal that would like to transfer in National signing day for high school recruits Bowl practices and preparation Itās a lot of stuff. Coaches make a lot of money for this, but this is a recipe for peak stress for staffs across the country. Thankfully, weāve...
7 months agoĀ ā¢Ā 1 min read
This is the 11th year in a row that State has concluded its regular season with a matchup against the Tar Heels. The setup serves as a double edged sword: one team walks away jubilant, the other is crushed. Having a historic season? What better way to tank it than by losing to your most hated opponent. Are you 3-8 and need a jolt to finish the year? Beat that team up the road and folks will be happy. Saturday was an incredibly uncomfortable roller coaster: a defensive battle that crescendoed...
7 months agoĀ ā¢Ā 8 min read
"Losses like that hurt more than blowouts.ā Couldnāt agree more with you, Dave. Another painful, coin flip loss. Another incredible come back performance marred by costly mistakes both from the people playing the game, and the people coaching it. Wake, Syracuse, Georgia Tech. Each contest unique, but with similar characteristics: Self inflicted adversity - typically via turnovers A heavy dose of flukiness Getting down early in the game Some form of furious, inspired comeback on the backs of...
8 months agoĀ ā¢Ā 7 min read