If good fortune doesn't come Tom O’Brien’s way this football season, he can’t blame the Raleigh Sports Club.
To initiate the organization’s 2011-12 schedule of guest speakers today at Highland United Methodist Church, the N.C. State football coach immediately was presented with a jumbo box of Lucky Charms cereal and a toy leprechaun.
Father O’Malley himself couldn’t have asked for a warmer Irish welcome.
With former Wolfpack star Claude (Hoot) Gibson among the audience of 200-to-300 people, O’Brien began with a summation of his restocked kicking corps. He eventually promised that fullback Taylor Gentry, a Raleigh Leesville Road High product, would get at least one carry during the season.
In 14 years as a head coach, O’Brien has never called a rush for one of his fullbacks.
During a question and answer period with the crowd, O’Brien fielded about a dozen queries — not one of which was about former quarterback Russell Wilson, who will make his Wisconsin debut tomorrow night. In other N.C. State news:
- O'Brien praised the preseason camp work of freshman placekicker Niklas Sade, who converted 14 of 16 field goal attempts in scrimmage situations. Among those was a 53-yarder, O'Brien said.
- Defensive lineman J.R. Sweezy’s foot injury was identified as a preseason low point. A team captain, Sweezy could miss the first four or five games.
- NCSU’s sports information department on Wednesday announced the pending debut of football game replay shows on Time Warner Cable’s Channel 24. “Wolfpack Look Back Football” is scheduled to air each Wednesday, starting Sept. 7, at 8 p.m. Sports talk radio host and former Wolfpack football player Mark Thomas will host the shows.
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a few observations
Thu, 09/01/2011 - 12:07 — SurferThis is great stuff, so I had to add a couple of notes of my own:
BC football
Wed, 08/31/2011 - 21:59 — tommy_56It is not accurate to say that TOB didn't ever give the ball to a fullback. When he was at BC, he had a linebacker named Brian Toal who he lined up at fullback in short yardage and goal-line situations. The locals called it "First and Toal". In fact, in the BC-NCSU game in 2006 at Carter-Finley (a game won by State on a last-second Daniel Evans-to-John Dunlap TD pass), the final sequence was set up by a failed 4th-and-short run by Toal (stopped by Tank Tyler). Sorry, Toots, you can look it up....
Except that Brian Toal
Wed, 08/31/2011 - 23:50 — TDiddytExcept that Brian Toal wasn't a fullback... and he either lined up as a single back or tailback when he did run the ball.
Sorry, Toots is correct. You are wrong.
cvility and intelligence
Wed, 08/31/2011 - 20:54 — uncleronSad that so many won't read between the lines of this for how noteworthy it is. Civility, curiosity and courtesy! Imagine.
Go Pack!!
Wed, 08/31/2011 - 18:45 — keihinGo Pack!!