O'Brien deserves credit, too

RALEIGH — Butch Davis deserves every ounce of credit he has received for his reclamation project at UNC, but he's not the only Triangle coach earning his keep.

Tom O'Brien is proving once again there are few better in the business at keeping a team together and improving as the season progresses.

N.C. State has won two straight ACC games after starting 0-4 in the conference. At 2-6 overall, it could have given up the ghost. The Pack certainly had every excuse, from injuries to a challenging schedule. The team didn't and O'Brien deserves credit for that.

Last season, O'Brien's first in Raleigh, he cajoled five wins out of a team that started 1-5. He's doing it again this season. State's 4-6 with a puncher's chance at 6-6 and bowl game. UNC, and Davis, is next with Miami coming to Carter-Finley in two Saturdays.

O'Brien hasn't used injuries or the litany of missing bodies from recruiting classes gone awry as an excuse, but where would State be with a healthy Russell Wilson for every game?

The Wolfpack is 3-3 in games Wilson has legitimately started and played — concussion-free. Add linebacker Nate Iriving, who was huge again on Saturday, into the injury wish-list and State's right up at the top of the competitive, yet-muddled ACC.

The No. 1 identifiable area of improvement for State under O'Brien is with turnovers, and in general, not beating themselves.

Under Chuck Amato, N.C. State turned the ball over 23 times in 2005 and 24 in 2006.

Before O'Brien's first season, I skeptically asked him how do you reverse luck, which is essentially what turnovers are, the bounces of the game.

"You coach it," was O'Brien response.

State proceeded to turn the ball over 32 times in 2007. Coaching? Ha.

Yet, the '08 season is 10-games deep and State has turned the ball over 15 times — five fumbles and 10 interceptions, nine of those interceptions were by Harrison Beck and Daniel Evans. Wilson hasn't thrown a pick in six games and only one in six ACC games.

State probably won't win out but the '08 season already qualifies as progress. Going forward, the Pack has a quarterback and, almost as importantly, the players have a read on their coach. Players don't care about the previous coaching stop. Sure it looks nice the media guide — and we make a big deal about it — but players care about their team and this season.

O'Brien understands that and keeps his team's attention — and motivated — even when very little goes his way. Tennessee or any other big name school may not come calling for O'Brien but that doesn't mean he isn't Davis' equal.