Freshman Wilson to make his debut as Wolfpack's QB

Credit: AP File Photo

Russell Wilson, from Richmond, Va., will start at quarterback for N.C. State.

By: By John Delong | JOURNAL REPORTER
Published: August 28, 2008

How good is Russell Wilson?

How good is N.C. State?

Wolfpack fans and the rest of the country will find out at the same time tonight when State opens its season at South Carolina.

The game will be televised nationally by ESPN, with kickoff set for 8:01.

Wilson, a redshirt freshman, will make his debut as State's starting quarterback, after emerging from a five-man battle in preseason practice. He was the star of spring practice while senior Daniel Evans recovered from shoulder surgery, and he ultimately beat out Evans -- who has started 17 games in his career.

Coach Tom O'Brien has been high on Wilson, a 5-11, 191-pounder from Richmond, Va., all along. He has gone so far as to change parts of the offense to feature Wilson's running ability. The Pack was predominantly a passing team last year with Evans.

"Obviously he did things well enough that we think he's the guy we have to have under center to win the football game right now," O'Brien told reporters earlier this week. "It's just a situation where we need what he brings to the table right now."

O'Brien has been quick to acknowledge that Wilson will be under pressure in a hostile setting, with Williams-Brice Stadium known for its electric atmosphere. A sellout crowd of 80,250 will be on hand.

"It's going to be unlike anything he's ever experienced," O'Brien said. "But as I've said before, you might as well go on and get it over, get it out of the way and go on from there. You never know how somebody is going to react. Maybe it's going to make him 10 times better. We are going to find out."

O'Brien also said he expects Evans to play at least one series in the first half, as State will substitute liberally to help everyone get over the opening-night jitters.

"Everybody we take to Columbia is going to play," O'Brien said. "Doesn't matter if it's quarterback, fullback, defensive back -- everybody is going to have to play. You have so many young kids there that are going to be hyperventilating somewhere. So we'll have to give them time to blow in the bag and get back to normal."

The Wolfpack, which finished 5-7 last season, will be without several players that it was counting on. Wide receiver Donald Bowens and safety Javon Walker were ruled out for the season last week because of injuries. Tailback Jamelle Eugene, the leading rusher last season and the projected starter, will miss tonight's game with an ankle injury. And guard Curtis Crouch, a two-year starter who dropped to second team on the depth chart during the preseason, will not make the trip for what is being called a "coach's decision."

Andre Brown, a workhorse at times who has been plagued by injuries and inconsistency, will start at tailback in place of Eugene. Curtis Underwood is listed as Brown's backup, meaning that Toney Baker has not fully rounded back into shape after another arthroscopic knee surgery earlier this month.

O'Brien hopes that between Wilson and Brown, the Wolfpack will be able to establish a running game tonight.

"We were last in the conference last year in rushing offense, second to last in rushing defense, and last in turnovers," O'Brien said. "That's a triple disaster right there. We have to rush the ball better this season."

South Carolina, which lost its last five games to finish 6-6 last season, will also be unveiling a new starting quarterback. Junior Tommy Beecher, who has completed a mere 16 passes in his career, got the nod from Coach Steve Spurrier earlier this month.

Much like O'Brien is with Wilson, Spurrier is taking a cautiously optimistic approach to starting Beecher.

"In preseason practice, we did scrimmage quite a bit for the first-team quarterback," Spurrier said at his weekly news conference. "He made some mistakes in some practices but improved as we went. He hasn't played in a lot of games. We have to wait and see when live action starts this Thursday. Hopefully our offensive line will have their best year. The success of the offense depends on the guys up front."

Spurrier has been unusually low-key about this game.

"You don't know what you've got until you go play," Spurrier said. "We're trying to stay under the radar with not talking too big. We'll let our play on the field do the talking that needs to be said. I don't know if we have a good team right now or an average team. I don't know yet. We'll have to wait until Thursday."

O'Brien said he welcomed the chance to open the season on national television -- and opposite the Democratic National Convention.

"I think it's important for the program," O'Brien said. "It's important that we go and we play hard and we play smart. You only get so many chances to do this. That's one thing about being able to play on Thursday night. Especially this Thursday night, because it's the first one. Everybody that doesn't want to watch politics can watch football."

■ John Delong can be reached at jdelong@wsjournal.com.