NC State vs. Maryland Depth Chart

Depth Chart Notables

-Before this past Saturday's game, the coaching staff decided to lift Jarvis Byrd's redshirt, due to the desperate need in the secondary. He is backing up C.J. Wilson at the Boundary Corner slot.

-This past Saturday, Bobby Floyd got moved to a new position, backing up Audie Cole at the linebacker position. As a result, Brandan Bishop is starting at the Free Safety position with Justin Byers backing him up.

-Dwayne Maddox will be starting at Middle Linebacker again this week for the injured Ray Michel.

-Redshirt Sophomore Henry Lawson has moved into the 2-deep chart, backing up Julian Williams at Left Guard. This is due to the injury that R.J. Mattes suffered in the Florida State game. Andy Barbee moved into Mattes' starting role at Right Guard and Zach Allen moved from Left to Right Guard to back up Barbee.

Wolfpack In The NFL: Week 8

John McCargo had seen action as a reserve in 5 games going into week 8, but it wasn't until yesterday that the former NC State defensive tackle accumulated his first stats of the season. McCargo had 5 tackles (3 solo) in the Bills 10-31 loss to the Texans. The 5 tackles were a career high for McCargo and his first recorded tackle since week 17 of the 2007 season.

Philip Rivers led the Chargers to a much needed win over the Raiders yesterday. Rivers completed 16 of 25 passes for 249 yards. He also threw one touchdown and one interception, in the 24-16 victory.

Rivers has thrown for 2,036 yards (4th in NFL) and 11 touchdowns. He also boasts a 95.9 QB Rating (10th in NFL).

After recording 4 tackles through the first 5 games, Marcus Hudson has picked up the pace, recording 11 tackles in the past two games. Hudson recorded 4 tackles yesterday in the 49ers 14-18 loss to the Colts.

Hudson has 15 tackles this season.

Jerricho Cotchery was back to full strength yesterday, playing for the first time in 3 weeks. Cotchery recorded 3 receptions for 70 yards in the Jets 25-30 loss to the Dolphins.

Cotchery has 27 receptions for 430 yards and 1 touchdown this season.

Steven Hauschka had his most productive game of the 2009 season, accounting for 12 of the Ravens 30 points. He connected on field goals from 43, 35 and 31 yards in the Ravens 30-7 win over the Broncos, who entered the game undefeated.

Mario Williams was questionable heading into yesterdays game versus the Bills with a lingering shoulder injury. While Williams was active in the contest, he didn't record any stats in the box score.

Williams has 24 tackles (6 for loss), 3 sacks, and 1 forced fumble this season.

Torry Holt had a quiet game in the Jaguars 13-30 loss to the Titans yesterday, reeling in 2 catches for 17 yards.

Holt has 29 receptions for 424 yards this season.

Stephen Tulloch posted his lowest tackle total of the season in the Titans 30-13 win over the Jags yesterday, recording only 1 tackle.

Tulloch has 57 tackles (3 for loss) and 1 sack this season.


Manny Lawson had 4 tackles (3 solo) in the 49ers 14-18 loss to the Colts.

Lawson has 36 tackles (4.5 for loss), 1.5 sacks and 1 forced fumble this season.

Tank Tyler had 2 tackles in his second game as a member of the Panthers yesterday, as Carolina defeated the Cardinals 34-21.

Tyler has 25 tackles (1 for loss) this season.

Adrian Wilson had 5 tackles (4 solo) and 1 tackle for loss in the Cardinals 21-34 loss to the Panthers.

Wilson has 31 tackles (7.5 for loss), .5 sacks, 1 forced fumble and 1 interception this season.

After sitting out in week 6 against the Patriots because of a concussion, LeRoy Harris returned to action yesterday as a reserve in the Titans 30-13 win over the Jags.

Sean Locklear remains inactive with an ankle injury.

NC State Commits: Week 11 Recap

Thomas Teal (DT) - Marlboro County (10-0) remained undefeated on Friday night, defeating Camden 14-7 in a low scoring battle. Defensive Tackle Thomas Teal, weighing in at 325 pounds, got his shot as the goal line running back on Friday, scoring all of Marlboro County's points. Teal ran one in from 8 yards out in the second quarter and then ran one in from 3 yards out with less than three minutes left in the game to secure the victory. The Bulldogs finished the regular season as the #5 team in the state of South Carolina and as the Region Champions.

Tony Creecy (WR) - Northern Durham didn't pose much of a threat for Southern Durham (9-1) on Friday night, with the Spartans running away with a 42-13 victory. Tony Creecy had 4 receptions for 90 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Creecy has 579 yards receiving and 7 touchdowns.

Tyler Brosius (QB) - Tuscola (8-1-1) won their 7th straight game on Friday night, defeating East Henderson 24-6. Quarterback Tyler Brosius was completed 12 of 22 passes for 221 yards and three touchdowns in the contest. The Mountaineers will face off against Franklin this upcoming Friday to determine the Conference Champions.

Brosius has thrown for 2,113 yards and 22 touchdowns.

Robert Crisp (OT) and Pete Singer (S) - Athens Drive (7-3) ran all over the Apex Cougars on Friday night, accumulating 396 rushing yards in a 49-28 victory. Pete Singer mainly gets attention for his defensive abilities, but on Friday night he reeled in catches for 32 yards.

D.J. Green (S) - The Westside Seminoles (8-1) came into Friday night's showdown versus Thomas County Central as the #1 team in the state of Georgia with an undefeated record. Unfortunately, Westside would go on to lose to TCC 18-27, and as a result they failed to win the Region Championship. D.J. Green had an interception in the game.


Torian Box (OT) - North Clayton (8-1) pulled of their second straight shutout, beating Jonesboro 35-0 on Friday night. The Eagles are ranked #14 in the state of Georgia.

Logan Winkles (FB) - Upson-Lee (2-7) almost made it two wins in-a-row, but they couldn't finish against Harris County, losing 20-21.

Dontae Johnson (S) - The Pennington School crushed Academy of the New Church 45-10 and improved to 6-2 on the year.

Tobais Palmer (RB) - Georgia Military College didn't play this week. They currently have a 5-3 record. Palmer has rushed for 465 yards and 9 touchdowns in 7 games this season. He has averaged 7.9 yards per carry.

Heartbreak in Tallahassee, Wolfpack Falls 45-42

Russell Wilson threw for a career-high five touchdowns and a career-high 349 yards but it wasn't enough to hold off the Seminoles as the Pack fell 45-42. It may have been the best offensive performance put on by the Wolfpack so far this season but again, it was the inability of the defense to get a stop that lead to the loss. Although Wilson and company racked up 538 yards of total offense, the most since 2004, the defense was only able to force three punts all game, allowing FSU to score on 7 of their 12 drives.

The Wolfpack defense has been punished so far this ACC season as they now fall to 0-4 in the conference. The Pack has been criticized for their soft secondary, but yesterday it was their inability to stop the run that allowed the Noles to take home the victory as they tallied 278 yards on the ground, 186 of it coming from sophomore Jermaine Thomas.

The game was a back and forth shootout with both offenses clicking on all cylinders. Wilson's career night coupled with Toney Baker's 112 yards on the ground and Owen Spencer's 165 yard receiving day kept the Pack within striking distance as they matched FSU, touchdown for touchdown all game long. With 3 minutes left in the game, the Pack took their first lead of the game, 42-38 and it looked like O'Brien's squad were going sneak out of Tallahassee with their first conference victory. Unfortunately, Christian Ponder, FSU's junior signal caller, marched the Noles down the field in under two minutes to punch in the game winning score.

It seemed as if NC State has been forced to play catch up all season long as the defense hasn't been able to find any answers. Opponents are scoring at an average of 44 points per game against the Pack, a league high. It has been disappointing to say the least for those who felt the Wolfpack were the ACC favorites coming into the season. The offense has been as billed, electric, consistent and unstoppable at times, however it's been the defense that has held back the Pack. With ten players already lost for the season, one of which being star LB Nate Irving, the Wolfpack has been trying to fill holes and plug gaps in what has turned into a patchwork defense. Tom O'Brien has had nowhere to turn. With seven different combination in the secondary already looked at, nobody seems to be taking the reigns. Freshman Jarvis Byrd was shown his first game action of the season yesterday and will look to break into the ever morphing rotation.

With the Pack now sitting at 3-5 and 0-4 in the ACC, it's back to Raleigh to take on Maryland in what will be a battle for the basement. If the Wolfpack can win they can move out of sole possession of last place, tying themselves with the Terps, probably not the stakes Pack fans were hoping for this late in the season, but with only four weeks remaining in the regular season, State will try to get back on track any way they can.

GAME PREVIEW: NC State vs. Florida State

NC STATE WOLFPACK VS. FLORIDA STATE SEMINOLES

Kickoff: 12 Noon
Location: Tallahassee, FL
Television: Raycom
Records: Wolfpack (3-4, 0-3 ACC) , Noles (3-4, 1-3 ACC)

Coming off of their bye week, the Wolfpack is looking to turn around their season, as they take on the Florida State Seminoles. The Pack has struggled on both sides of the ball the past few weeks, but they have taken their off week to get back to the fundamentals. "We just had to get back to the basics, get back to doing the little things right." Said DeAndre Morgan who will start opposite freshman CJ Wilson this week in the NC State secondary. It's been the little things that have haunted the Pack thus far during ACC play. Missed tackles and costly penalties have been much more prominent than they were early in the season, however, those are not the only problems.

The injuries are starting to really mount up for Tom O'Briens squad. Ten players have now been lost for the season, and now Ray Michel, the veteran of the linebacker corps, will be sitting out with an injured ankle. Top punt returner and budding wideout TJ Graham will also be inactive due to an injured leg. The increasing amount of injuries do not bode well for a Wolfpack team looking to turn the corner, but if anyone knows something about post-bye week hot streaks, it's the Pack. After a bye week last season, Tom O'Brien and his men reeled off four consecutive wins, qualifying them for a bowl and making people pay attention to a team that looked to be all but finished after week 8.

If a 2008-esque turnaround is in store, it will have to start this weekend in Tallahassee. To do this, the Wolfpack front line is going to need to turn up the heat on Seminole quarterback Christian Ponder, who looked unstoppable last week against UNC. Ponder put up a very impressive 395 yard, 3 touchdown performance against a defense who has been, for the most part, very good this season.

For NC State, the defense has made it hard for the offense to get it rolling. Playing from behind most of the time during ACC play, Russell Wilson hasn't had the luxury of selling the play action to buy time. Playing from behind has also prevented RB Toney Baker from controlling the game with the run. The result has been an offense that has been forced to throw, creating a one dimensional offensive attack. It will be important this week for the Pack to strike early and be able to control the tempo. The past 3 match-ups have all been played at the opponents pace, something the Wolfpack can ill afford if they want to fly out of the sunshine state with a victory.

This week they face one of the best passing offenses in the conference. Christian Ponder is leading the league with 2,176 yards and has also tossed 12 touchdowns. He is a smart quarterback who doesn't take big risks often, but when he does he has the receivers to bail him out. Bert Reed, a 5'11", 165 pound wideout, leads the Noles with 438 receiving yards and is their go to possession receiver. Opposite Reed is their deep threat Rod Owens, who has already made a 98 yard house-call this season.

On the ground the Noles aren't much to be seen. Ty Jones is their leading rusher with just 228 yards and 4 touchdowns, meaning the Pack will have to stop the air attack, something they have not been able to do over the past 3 weeks.

Dead Heat*
Over the last 8 games, the Pack and the Noles are dead even in their W-L records, with all of those games being decided by 10 points or less. The average margin of victory in those last 8? 6.5 points.

Homecoming*
There are 17 players on the NC State roster that hail from the sunshine state, 13 of which are on the 2-deep, and six of which are starting.

Late Season Success*
Over the first two seasons of Tom O'Brien's reign, the Pack has gone 4-10 combined over their first 7 games, however, they made it a habit of turning it around late in the season. Over the final 5 games the past two seasons, the Pack has gone a combined 7-3. Last season, they lost their first 4 ACC games, only to finish .500 in the league at 4-4. They hope that these numbers are an indication of what is to come.

NC State vs. FSU Injury Report, Graham and Michel Out

OUT FOR FSU
T.J. Graham, WR/RET – leg
Ray Michel, LB - ankle
Jesse Riley, DB - knee

Dwayne Maddox will start at middle linebacker in place of Michel; Clem Johnson, Jamelle Eugene and Donald Bowens will return punts/kicks.

OUT FOR SEASON
Mario Carter, TE - knee
Ryan Cheek, LB - hip
Denzelle Good, OL - shoulder
Nate Irving, LB - leg
Colby Jackson, FB - knee
Everett Proctor, QB – shoulder
Jeff Rieskamp, DE – sports hernia
Rashard Smith, CB - knee
Javon Walker, S – knee
James Washington, HB - knee

Information provided by NC State Media Relations

Shrine Bowl Rosters Announced

The rosters were released today for the 73rd annual Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas that will be played on December 19th. Three NC State commits were selected to the prestigious game. Robert Crisp (OT) and Tyler Brosius (QB) will be representing North Carolina and Thomas Teal (DT) will be representing South Carolina.

There are also numerous NC State prospects on both teams that hold offers from the Wolfpack. David Amerson (S) and Ethan Farmer (DT) will be representing North Carolina and Justin Parker (LB) and Mustafa Greene (RB) will be representing South Carolina.

The Wolfpack Nation should be proud of Crisp, Brosius and Teal for receiving this honor.