Andrew Wallace: 'Ready When Called Upon'

No matter where a player is on the depth chart, they have to approach each game with the mindset that they are going to step on the field. They have to be ready for anything. All week long they prepare themselves to play. While all of this may be true, no Redshirt Freshman expects the Junior starter in front of him to go down with a injury after just 14 plays in the first game of the season. Not to mention that the game was kicking off the college football season on ESPN on a Thursday night. Welcome to the world of Redshirt Freshman Andrew Wallace.

Junior Offensive Tackle Jake Vermiglio went down with a leg injury in the season opener against South Carolina after just 14 snaps. Andrew Wallace had some big shoes to fill in a hurry. He was rushed out onto the field under the bright lights to fill the void at Left Tackle, which is arguably the most important position on the Offensive Line, because it guards Russell Wilson's blindside.

Wallace had a little bit of a rocky start, picking up two quick penalties in a span of 4 plays. One of those penalties nullified a 45-yard strike down the middle of the field to Owen Spencer.

"Going into the game I wasn't really nervous," Wallace said. "There were two big mistakes by me. You learn from your mistakes and go out and get them next game. That's the way you have to look at it."

And that is exactly what Wallace did. He learned from his mistakes and went out and battled against Murray St. and earned the starting job at Left Tackle against Gardner Webb. Wallace gives a lot of the credit to the three Seniors on the Offensive Line, who have been encouraging leaders to follow.

"Once you get down they'll pull you up. It started in the summer. They would hold workouts out here," Wallace said. "They wanted everyone to be there. They really want this team to be the greatest."

When Vermiglio went down, Wallace took advantage of the opportunity presented to him and gained some valuable experience. In fact, in the 111 snaps that he has played thus far in the 2009 season, he has yet to give up a sack. Wallace looks back on his Redshirt year and can see how it is paying off in the present.

"My Redshirt year was real good. I got a lot of experience on the scout team," Wallace said." I really learned a lot going against guys like Alan-Michael Cash and Willie Young every day."

When deciding on a college, NC State was a logical choice for Wallace. Not only was Raleigh not to far from home (Charlotte, NC), but Wallace had grown up pulling for the Wolfpack. On top of fulfilling a dream of playing college football for the team that he had cheered for since childhood, Wallace saw the NC State coaching staff as the perfect fit to help him pursue even bigger dreams.

"NC State's been my school most my life. The coaches here are good," Wallace said. Coach Horton puts players in the league. So does Coach O'Brien, and that's what I'm looking for."

When you examine the fact that 3 of the 5 starters on the Offensive Line are Seniors, you begin to realize that Andrew Wallace and his roommate R.J. Mattes are the future of NC State's blocking committee. Andrew is right, Coach O'Brien does put players in the league, especially Offensive Linemen. Mattes and Wallace might be the building blocks, but you better believe that Coach O'Brien and his staff will surround them with big fellas that also believe that this staff can get them to the next level.