The touch of a smile on the face of N.C. State football coach Tom O'Brien may have been a tipoff Saturday.
After a Wolfpack scrimmage at Carter-Finley Stadium, O'Brien looked and sounded generally pleased, saying, "I think we got better today. A lot of guys got better and individually improved.
"We played faster today, I think, on a lot of levels and that's what we were looking for. I'm happy with the progress we made this Saturday from last Saturday."
Again, there were no individual statistics released from the controlled scrimmage. O'Brien said the overall totals were: 38 rushes for 26 net yards; 23-of-48 passing for 234 yards for four interceptions and two touchdowns; 12 tackles for a loss for 47 yards; seven sacks for 35 yards.
The Pack was two-for-three on field goals, converting from 44 and 42 yards and missed a 42-yarder.
O'Brien said he was not concerned about the rushing total, noting the tackles for losses accounted for a chunk of the lost yardage and adding, "It's all about who's rushing and when they're rushing."
O'Brien didn't mention a lot of names but noted freshman wide receiver Hakeem Flowers "stood out" in the scrimmage and made some plays. He said backup quarterback Tyler Brosius was getting better and " taken some good strides forward."
O'Brien praised the play of the offensive line, saying, "As a whole it's performed at a better level than they have at any point since we've been here." He said quarterback Mike Glennon has not been sacked a lot, even though there have been 19 sacks in the two scrimmages.
O'Brien noted there had been a lot of changes among the front seven defensively during the spring, adding, "We're not anywhere close to being set with any type of rotation -- it's a lot of guys fighting for jobs."
Asked to name a couple of players who have been surprises in the spring, O'Brien mentioned defensive end Forrest West and defensive tackle A.J. Ferguson.
O'Brien, with another smile, said he heard associate head coach Jon Tenuta "say something good" on the field today about linebacker Rickey Dowdy -- a rarity. More seriously O'Brien said of Dowdy, a junior, "He needs to step up and play for us. It's his time to play."
O'Brien said there were no injuries at today's scrimmage.
A Raleigh native, Chip has worked at the N&O since 1979 and is the Canes beat writer. He can be reached at
Comments
Zzzz
Mon, 04/16/2012 - 12:20 — SurferYet another highly charged write up about, "all that is NCSU spring FB practice". Somebody wake me up when it's over. Can't wait to see what the next topic unfolds.
Next topic
Tue, 04/17/2012 - 20:56 — gvillegatrnc state grounds crew grows three different strand of grass in C-F.
Lol
Tue, 04/17/2012 - 21:41 — mad_maxAnd you two will read every single word of it!
Seriously though, I hate this boring time of the year (though, I'm glad it's warm again). Just waiting to hear what Calvin decides to do, and hoping that the weather isn't too bad Saturday for the spring game.
You'll call it hating
Wed, 04/18/2012 - 13:21 — gvillegatrBut it gripes my ass that you guys have bought into this Calvin name stuff. I'm not talking about him and his attitude or what not. Just the fact y'all find it so endearing to call him 'Calvin' now. That Adulterer sure makes one heck of a shepherd.
Eh
Wed, 04/18/2012 - 17:32 — mad_maxI'd rather call him by his actual name that was given to him at birth, instead of coming up with some lame, unoriginal, and undeserving nickname like "black falcon".
Anyways, I won't call you a hater on this one, but I will try to explain why I like the whole "Calvin" thing. Obviously, the name change - or whatever you want to call it - symoblizes the change in Leslie's attitude towards the team. The old Leslie (CJ) seemed to care only about himself and getting to the NBA. The new Leslie (Calvin) is all about winning and playing within the team's gameplan. You're more than free to think it's stupid that us fans care about the "Calvin" thing, but for us, it represents a whole lot of good stuff in just one word. Pretty cool I think.
I'd say more of a transformation throughout ...
Wed, 04/18/2012 - 21:10 — gvillegatrThe summer, fall and winter to the spring time. Meanwhile he was called Calvin from the time Gotfried was hired. So, yes, I do believe he finally got it, but it took all year to get "it."
The Black Falcon didn't really catch on as you may believe. Not even sure anyone on this site (folks like you and me) called him that all year. But whatever. Pretty petty on my part anyway ...