The Wolfpack forced Liberty into seven turnovers in the season opener, which was noteworthy for two reasons: Liberty has long been a pesky bunch, beating Ball State in 2010 and hanging tight with West Virginia in 2009, and seven takeaways is a lot of takeaways. But it seemed to be an outlier, this opportunistic approach, after N.C. State forced only one turnover against its next three F.B.S. opponents, Wake Forest, Cincinnati and Georgia Tech. That the Wolfpack lost each game is not surprising. In fact, N.C. State lost each game in which it forced fewer than three turnovers; in each of this year’s five defeats, the Wolfpack forced gained only a single takeaway.
Five takeaways in five losses, 34 takeaways in the eight wins, 39 overall. Only one other team in college football forced more in 2011, Oklahoma State, and no team was so utterly dependent on forcing turnovers to win ballgames.
The Wolfpack got rolling in early October, forcing Central Michigan into five turnovers in a 38-24 win, the program’s first against F.B.S. competition. A week later, Virginia turned the ball over four times in a 28-14 loss at home to the Wolfpack.
Three more turnovers against North Carolina, when the defense pitched a shutout, and four more against Clemson two weeks later — wins that sandwiched a 14-10 loss in Chestnut Hill to Boston College. N.C. State had five takeaways in the comeback against Maryland, including three in that memorable fourth quarter.
The story didn’t change in bowl play, when Louisville turned the ball over three times in a 31-24 N.C. State win. Over their last three games, all wins, the Wolfpack forced 12 turnovers, a total that alone would have tied them with Duke for 116th in the country in total takeaways.
So turnovers were the story — turnovers of the pleasant variety — for N.C. State in 2011, and like Oklahoma State, it’s hard to imagine the Wolfpack tasting the success they did without a defense capable of landing takeaways at such a high rate. The numbers prove this point: 0-5 when forcing one turnover, 8-0 when forcing two or more turnovers.
Unlike the Cowboys, however, the N.C. State defense didn’t have the advantage of playing in concert with one of the nation’s most prolific offenses. Then again, N.C. State played an A.C.C. slate complete with two F.C.S. teams, while Oklahoma State took home the Big 12 title. Now we’re traveling down the rabbit hole.
Like relief pitchers, it’s hard to gauge how one year’s success, when it comes to turnovers, will translate to the following season. Sixteen teams forced at least 30 turnovers in 2010, for example; only five duplicated that feat this fall. And some, like Boston College, Army and Ohio State, suffered precipitous drops in turnovers gained.
Then again, N.C. State forced 29 turnovers last fall, so it wasn’t as if the defense’s penchant for takeaways was a one-year wonder — it was no flash in the pan, based on how the defense has played over the last two seasons. And there’s reason to think that trend will continue in 2012, seeing that the Wolfpack return both all-American cornerback David Amerson and free safety Brandan Bishop.
Do it again and this opportunism becomes a trend. Once is a fluke; twice is a sign; three times is a trend. And imagine if N.C. State can combine a strong passing game, a bend-but-don’t-break defense and a solid return game with an actual running game? If that occurs, you can see why the Wolfpack are viewed as an A.C.C. contender in 2012.
Season grade: B+ It would have been easy, and predictable, for N.C. State to fold up shop before the year even began. Russell Wilson was gone, replaced by Mike Glennon, and negativity — most aimed at Tom O’Brien — ruled the day. That the Wolfpack persevered, to a degree, was a great sign for O’Brien and the program. You’d like to see more consistency, however. N.C. State beat Virginia, 28-14, and followed that up with a 34-0 loss in Tallahassee to Florida State. A week after shutting out U.N.C. and a week before stomping on Clemson, the Wolfpack lost at Boston College. The year closed strong, but any hopes at an A.C.C. title hinges on the program’s ability to put together a three-month season; just playing well in November won’t win the Atlantic division.
High point In terms of the best win, nothing comes close to a 37-13 victory over Clemson on Nov. 19. As West Virginia proved later on, it was possible to go to town on the Clemson defense. The memory most will take from the year, however, was the fourth quarter against Maryland.
Low point Get blown out by Cincinnati and Florida State, both on the road, or lay an egg on the road against Boston College? Each were painful in their own way.
Offensive M.V.P. Glennon threw for at least two touchdowns in six straight games in September and October, a stretch that had N.C. State fans sighing in relief — there is life after Wilson. But the junior’s best stretch came over the year’s final three games, against Clemson, Maryland and Louisville, when Glennon combined to complete 76 passes in 117 attempts for 823 yards and 11 touchdowns. For the way he played as a first-year starter, Glennon’s an easy pick.
Defensive M.V.P. It’s Amerson, and by a fairly healthy margin. He intercepted 13 passes, a new A.C.C. record and one shy of a 43-year-old F.B.S. record. Those sort of numbers typically make you the most valuable defense player on your own team. What about second place? There’s no way that designation can’t be shared between linebackers Audie Cole and Terrell Manning. They played the same position. Cole led the team in tackles, but Manning led the team in tackles for loss. They tied for the team lead in sacks. Manning did so in 11 games, but doesn’t that reflect better on Cole?
Stock watch N.C. State’s trending right now, and it’s easy to see why. The Wolfpack bring back Glennon, who will be neck-and-neck with Clemson’s Tajh Boyd as the league’s best quarterback heading into the fall. There’s that ball-hawking secondary, of course, led by Amerson, and N.C. State returns four of its five leading tacklers overall. But the Wolfpack must develop a complimentary ground game to go with Glennon; for the fourth time in five years, N.C. State ranked in the bottom third of the A.C.C. in rushing. That’s holding the offense back, and until the ground game develops the Wolfpack won’t be the sort of complete team that can win an A.C.C. championship.
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