Wolfpack Sees Hope in Setting Back Pirates

I thought it would take a positive transformation of some proportion for this N.C. State football team to go to Greenville and beat East Carolina. That was not because I thought the Pirates were world-beaters, but because I really didn't think State was very good.

I think East Carolina felt the same thing. The Pirates kept hearing all week about how they were going to beat like a drum a depleted State team that had shown very little this season.

However, during State's bye week, it did seem that a transformation of sorts was taking place. The Wolfpack was talking about a new beginning, a fresh start – and they meant it. The dismal 1-5 was in the past. The final six games would be a new season. The break obviously gave State a chance to recharge and maybe gain a little confidence, to realize they weren't as bad as they had looked. State did a little healing, not just physically but mentally.

Well, the score was 34-20, it's a new season and the Wolfpack is 1-0. It's always been thought that games against State and Carolina and other ACC opponents mean more to East Carolina than to the opponent. It wasn't like that on Saturday. Right from the start, State was the more-ready football team, a more refreshed football team, certainly, than East Carolina, which had played breath-taking thrillers in the heart of Texas in two of the previous three weeks.

Maybe ECU was tired – and I think they were a little – but maybe, too, they had been reading the many press clippings, the ones that said that just by stepping on the turf at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium, they were going to win the game. But this game meant something to State. They played with a nothing-to-lose sense of urgency, sent the Pirates reeling early. when ECU fought back as they had during their three-game win streak, the Wolfpack buckled up and wouldn't fold. It was a different Wolfpack team.

It's just one game, but for first-year coach Tom O'Brien, it's like fresh rain in the midst of this drought. "I think that the win meant a lot to them, and it meant a lot to our staff. I'm just really happy for these kids."

But while State is 1-0 in its "new season," they probably won't be favored in any of their next five games. It's still a team that can't run the ball and, let's face it, East Carolina's defense this season has been as leaky as a busted water pipe. State was the sixth team to score 30 or more as quarterback Daniel Evans had a career game against the Pirates' sieve-like defense. State's defense, though, did prove that it could play tough against an offense that knew how to put points on the board.

State has given itself and its fans a ray of hope. You win one and who knows? Rebuilding is usually painful, almost never easy, but State has taken a short step, and Tom O'Brien's resume says that will lead to future bigger steps.

Meanwhile, East Carolina has to regroup. The loss only hurt their pride, not their chances to win the Conference USA championship, which I think they have an excellent chance of doing. Their next four games are against four conference foes, none of whom have winning records. Even the Pirates porous defense may stop UAB, Memphis, Marshall and Tulane. Yes, the Pirates lost a big battle, but there's a championship prize that could be awaiting them.

However, on a beautiful weekend, the Pirates are left to ponder this gloomy thought: At home, they couldn't beat a bitter rival that hadn't tasted victory over a major college team in 12 straight games. They can say what they want, but it hurts.