We originally posted this entry on Saturday and asked our readers to share their thoughts regarding Saturday’s spring football game. The response from the community has been awesome and our comments section includes a lot of insightful commentary.
Attendance for the day was estimated at 15,000 and the format changed from past years. ‘”The atmosphere was festive. A red-clad crowd of 14,800 showed up. Many former players came back. The band, cheerleaders and dance team helped generate a game-type buzz” (N&O) The Wolfpacker explained the following:
This year’s spring contest debuted a new format that was much more like a regular game. The teams were divided just about evenly with defensive and offensive starters gracing both rosters, as opposed to the first-string offense vs. the first-string defense format used in recent years by former coach Chuck Amato. This year’s spring game skipped over kickoffs and punts, but otherwise followed the regular football rules.
You can see some of the action yourself by simply clicking here.
Additionally:
* this entry at the N&O’s ACCNow shares great observations from the day.
* The newspaper’s more formal recap – included in its print edition – can be found by clicking here.
* Of course, we are big fans of the perspective of our friends at Section Six.
* The Wolfpacker had a quick summary that indicates the running game looked good but “the quarterback play left plenty to be desired.”
It is hard to tell ‘who is whom’ in scrimmages. This is the list of players that started on Saturday.
* Remember that DeMario Pressley did not play because of injury.
* It is nice to see Julian Williams and Jeraill McCuller starting on the offensive line. The redshirt sophomores have had two years to develop physically and emotionally and will be called upon to make the difference this year on a line that has a solid core with Curtis Crouch and Luke Lathan serving as anchors.
* We must mention that freshman, Jimmaul Simmons returned an interception 100 yards for the White.
Perhaps the most important component of the weekend was the turnout of 200-250 former NC State football players that responded to Coach O’Brien’s invitation to please come back for the weekend and get re-attached to the program. (We say “re-attached” because many of the alums felt shut-out from the program by the style in which Chuck Amato chose to run things.) The N&O focused on this topic with a nice article calling O’Brien the “Head of the Family”. This article is full of interesting comments. The following is just a tease from the piece:
Soon after O’Brien was hired, he asked to have lunch with members of the media and didn’t dish out any sarcasm with the sandwiches. He also met with former State players to hear their concerns, their suggestions.
At times, the Murphy Football Center seemed to be Amato’s private domain and reserved for his players, past and present. O’Brien has opened the doors. Plaques have placed on the outside back wall at the concourse level, honoring each of the former NCSU head coaches, including Amato.
“I like his style, his approach,” said former All-America receiver Torry Holt, an All-Pro receiver for the St. Louis Rams. “He’s in control. Now, we all want to see the product he puts on the field.”
Holt was one of the former players who turned out Friday night at the Vaughn Towers reception, munching on chicken wings, seeing old teammates, retelling old stories. Everyone agreed such an event had never been held under any Wolfpack coach.
“I’ve been told this is long overdue,” O’Brien said in addressing the group. “It’s a phenomenal first start. We’d like to make it a tradition and make it better.”
Lastly, if you want more spring reports from around the country, this link will take you there..
