The NC State Wolfpack are coming off of a successful 8-5 showing last year. They won their last three games of the season, including a surprising 37-13 win over the then-7th ranked Clemson Tigers. Be sure to follow the odds and get expert picks on the Wolfpack and much more this season at College Football Free Picks.
The Wolfpack heads into 2012 with some momentum thanks to the aforementioned win streak. They bring back 13 starters, but only 31 lettermen return from last year's team. They'll definitely have a harder time to compete for an ACC Title as both Florida State and Clemson round out the stacked Atlantic Division.
Offense
This NC State team scored 28.2 points and 345 yards of offense per game last season. They return seven starters on offense and are expecting even better numbers this year.
Senior QB Mike Glennon is as good as it gets when it comes to signal-callers as he posted monster numbers completing 62.5% of his passes for 3,054 yards with 31 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. With him at center again, good things are coming for NC State - at least on the offensive side of the ball.
NC State's running game wasn't very productive last season. This year they return senior James Washington and sophomore Tony Creecy to the backfield and both should see significant playing time.
The Wolfpack lose three of their top four receivers and they only have senior WR Tobais Palmer as the proven playmaker from outside. They'll have their work cut out for them as sophomore Bryan Underwood and junior Quintin Payton step into starting roles. Mario Carter will replace Second-Team All ACC TE George Bryan at tight end.
The offensive line played horrendously last season. NC State's ground game was abysmal and this unit allowed a whopping 34 sacks last year. But with four starters and 112 career starts returning up front, head coach Tom O' Brien called this year's O-line as the best he's had in six years with the program.
Defense
The Wolfpack were pretty good defensively last season as they allowed 24.7 points and 355 total yards/game. However, it's likely to see a drop in production from this unit in 2012 as they lose their best player and four of their top seven tacklers.
They lose JR Sweezy and Markus Kuhn to the NFL, but welcome back three D-linemen with some starting experience, including senior DE Brian Slay and sophomore DE Art Norman. They also add in Colorado transfer Forrest West and highly touted JUCO transfer in Deylan Buntyn.
Their biggest area of concern on the defensive side of the ball is at linebacker, where they lose their #1, #4, #7 and #9 tacklers. What might hurt the most is the loss of second-team All-ACC LB Audie Cole and second-team All-ACC LB Terrell Manning.
The starting secondary remains intact and should be the strength of this defense. First-team All-Ameerican corner David Amerson returns along with corner back CJ Wilson, strong safety Earl Wolff and free safety Brandon Bishop.
ACC Atlantic Division Prediction - 4th Place
While Glennon still figures to be one of the top quarterbacks in the land, he just doesn't have the help around him to match his gaudy 2011 numbers. Their offensive line while experienced, played horrible last year, and it's doubtful they can make a substantial improvement in the running game. Their defense has some concerns as well as their front seven are questionable, especially at linebacker. They have three winnable games to look forward to, but road trips to Clemson, North Carolina, Maryland and Miami will all be very difficult games to win. As such, a fourth-place finish in the Atlantic Division is where they will likely fall in 2012.
The Wolfpack heads into 2012 with some momentum thanks to the aforementioned win streak. They bring back 13 starters, but only 31 lettermen return from last year's team. They'll definitely have a harder time to compete for an ACC Title as both Florida State and Clemson round out the stacked Atlantic Division.
Offense
This NC State team scored 28.2 points and 345 yards of offense per game last season. They return seven starters on offense and are expecting even better numbers this year.
Senior QB Mike Glennon is as good as it gets when it comes to signal-callers as he posted monster numbers completing 62.5% of his passes for 3,054 yards with 31 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. With him at center again, good things are coming for NC State - at least on the offensive side of the ball.
NC State's running game wasn't very productive last season. This year they return senior James Washington and sophomore Tony Creecy to the backfield and both should see significant playing time.
The Wolfpack lose three of their top four receivers and they only have senior WR Tobais Palmer as the proven playmaker from outside. They'll have their work cut out for them as sophomore Bryan Underwood and junior Quintin Payton step into starting roles. Mario Carter will replace Second-Team All ACC TE George Bryan at tight end.
The offensive line played horrendously last season. NC State's ground game was abysmal and this unit allowed a whopping 34 sacks last year. But with four starters and 112 career starts returning up front, head coach Tom O' Brien called this year's O-line as the best he's had in six years with the program.
Defense
The Wolfpack were pretty good defensively last season as they allowed 24.7 points and 355 total yards/game. However, it's likely to see a drop in production from this unit in 2012 as they lose their best player and four of their top seven tacklers.
They lose JR Sweezy and Markus Kuhn to the NFL, but welcome back three D-linemen with some starting experience, including senior DE Brian Slay and sophomore DE Art Norman. They also add in Colorado transfer Forrest West and highly touted JUCO transfer in Deylan Buntyn.
Their biggest area of concern on the defensive side of the ball is at linebacker, where they lose their #1, #4, #7 and #9 tacklers. What might hurt the most is the loss of second-team All-ACC LB Audie Cole and second-team All-ACC LB Terrell Manning.
The starting secondary remains intact and should be the strength of this defense. First-team All-Ameerican corner David Amerson returns along with corner back CJ Wilson, strong safety Earl Wolff and free safety Brandon Bishop.
ACC Atlantic Division Prediction - 4th Place
While Glennon still figures to be one of the top quarterbacks in the land, he just doesn't have the help around him to match his gaudy 2011 numbers. Their offensive line while experienced, played horrible last year, and it's doubtful they can make a substantial improvement in the running game. Their defense has some concerns as well as their front seven are questionable, especially at linebacker. They have three winnable games to look forward to, but road trips to Clemson, North Carolina, Maryland and Miami will all be very difficult games to win. As such, a fourth-place finish in the Atlantic Division is where they will likely fall in 2012.
About the Author:
Jack Jones is an expert handicappers who writes and provides his picks for Betfirms.com. You can head there now to read even more about the NC State Wolfpacks' upcoming season.
No comments:
Post a Comment