Behind Wilson, North Carolina State can still be a factor in ACC race

By Lee Roberts  |   Thursday, November 13, 2008  |  Comments( 1 )

College Football
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The North Carolina State Wolfpack will not win the ACC and will not finish the season with a plus-.500 record. However, behind freshman QB Russell Wilson, this team is improving and has three opportunities left to spoil other clubs’ chances for an ACC championship.

Commentary: N.C. State coaches, players and fans are all disappointed in the 2008 season. With a 1-4 record in the ACC and a 3-6 mark overall, it has been a long fall in Raleigh. There has been one bright spot – the development of Wilson at the quarterback position. The redshirt freshman’s season started with a concussion against South Carolina, but it has steadily improved since he returned to the lineup.

Wilson’s progression as a quarterback has been remarkable. In his first season, he leads the ACC in passing efficiency and has only thrown one interception to go with 10 touchdowns. He has also rushed for two touchdowns. Unfortunately, most of those statistics were compiled in losing efforts.

The bad news for the Wolfpack is that they face three of the best teams in the conference to close the season out. Of course, that means N.C. State has a chance to directly impact the race for Tampa. With Wake Forest on tap this weekend and then UNC and Miami to follow, the Wolfpack will be motivated to make waves and set the stage for the future.

With three years of eligibility remaining for Wilson, the future is bright at N.C. State. Of course, a win over in-state rivals Wake Forest and UNC would go a long way to making the Wolfpack feel pretty good about the 2008 season.

Fan Pulse: Wolfpack fans are hopeful that Wilson can win rookie of the year in the ACC. He’ll have some stiff competition from Jacory Harris at Miami, but no one would argue about Wilson being deserving of the award.

Injury Watch: With linebacker Nate Irving back in the starting lineup, there are no major injury concerns for N.C. State this week.
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About Lee Roberts

Born in Richmond, Va, I moved south to UNC-Chapel Hill for college and received a degree in Journalism and Mass Communication. I currently live in Charlotte, NC and cover Auburn, LSU and the ...
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