Reader beware!

The What Critics? technical staff is monkeying with the blog layout this weekend, so you may run across some pages that look a bit off. Fear not, the dust should be settled by Monday.

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Reading list: 8/19

When things are slow at What Critics?, we like to see what our fellow bloggers and more professional media types have been up to. Here are a few items that caught our attention this week:

• There were lots of great reactions to NCAA president-elect Mark Emmert’s recently announced plans to redesign the NBA age limit. Two of our favorite reads were from Deadspin and Rush the Court.
• Tar Heel Fan offers opinion on why Tennessee backed out of an upcoming home-and-home football series. [link]
• Shakin’ The Southland posted a fantastic analysis of rushing options from the pistol — a formation expected to be featured frequently in the Tiger offense this season. [link]
• FSU blog Scalp ‘Em predicts the Noles’ results. Spoiler alert: they’re picking against State. [link]
• Unsurprisingly, Clemson blog Block C has similar feelings about the Tiger’s game in Raleigh. [link]
• Over at the N&O’s ACC Now, Ken Tysiac reports that What Critics? blogfather Chuck Amato dropped in on Wolfpack practice today. [link]
• Backing the Pack has given the once-over to Cincinnati’s very scary offense. Death Machine! [link]
• Riddick & Reynolds gives brief profile of Debbie Yow’s recent hires, including senior associate AD, Chris Kingston. [link]

Dissecting the depth chart, pt. V: DL

The fifth entry in our eight-part positional breakdown focuses on the Wolfpack’s rebuilt defensive line. Last week, we discussed quarterbacks, running backs, receivers and the o-line. Tomorrow we’ll talk linebackers, with the secondary and special teams due up later this week.

ETHAN HYMAN - EHYMAN@NEWSOBSERVER.COM

Pos	Player	Ht/Wt	Class	Starts	Notes
Projected Starters
DE	M. Lemon	6-4, 267	RS Sr	1	Started last yr. v. Clem.
DT	B. Slay	6-3, 290	So	0	Saw 115 snaps in ’09
DT	N. Mageo	6-3, 285	Sr	0	Played from scrim. in all 12 last yr.
DE	D. Akinniyi	6-4, 255	RS Sr	0	Started 34 at Northeastern
Reserves
DE	A. Augustin	6-2, 260	RS Sr	1	Played in all but one gm. of career
DE	D. Cato-Bishop	6-4, 281	Fr	0	Five sacks in spring
DT	M. Kuhn	6-4, 303	RS Sr	3	Missed last yr
DE	J. Rieskamp	6-3, 235	RS Jr	2	Missed last yr & spring

The 2009 Wolfpack defense was, by all accounts, not very good. It was the squad’s inability to stop the pass that drew the most contention from pundits and fans — and deservedly so.

State allowed 222 yards per game through the air last year year (9th in the conference) and 7.91 yards per attempt (10th). Interestingly, no defense in the conference saw fewer pass attempts than the Wolfpack’s (337) and no group allowed more accurate passing than that very same defense (62.6%).

It was the very inexperienced and very injured secondary that bore the brunt of the criticism last year, mostly because of statistics like those in the preceding paragraph. But it’s almost impossible to pin responsibility on a single player or unit. Without a reliable pass rush and without consistent rush defense, a team’s secondary is left exposed to well-protected QB and an unpredictable offensive gameplan. And that’s a combination that’s difficult to stop for any team.

Last season’s defensive line — built around seniors Shea McKeen, LeRoy Burgess, Alan-Michael Cash and Willie Young — ranked sixth in the conference in both rushing yards-per-game (139) and yards-per-attempt (3.93); not terrible numbers, but not enough to take the pressure off the weak-link secondary. The defense combined for just six recovered fumbles (last in the ACC), helping to drop the team’s turnover margin to -11 (also last). Getting into the backfield was also a difficult task for the front four. The unit combined for 2.0 sacks per game (5th in the ACC) and 5.4 TFL per game (8th). But both sacks and backfield tackles came in bunches (4 sacks, 10 TFL vs. FCS Murray St., 6 sacks, 8 TFL vs. WF).

Like so much of the last year’s team, the 2010 defensive line is brand spanking new. The consequences of a complete overhaul on a unit as tightly bound as the defensive line are manifold; hope, as always, springs eternal, but with so little experience, mental errors are sure to be a factor.

The new-look line is highlighted by three seniors with a sum of one start at the FBS level. DE Michael Lemon replaced Shea McKeen in the Clemson game last year, recording three tackles, one for a loss. Lemon played in all 12 games and was responsible for an interception that led to State’s only score in the South Carolina game. His counterpart on the other side of the line is end David Akinniyi, a redshirt senior who transfered from Northeastern when their program was shut down. Akinniyi was a three year starter at Northeastern at both defensive end and outside linebacker. He’s potentially the smallest member of the line, but should be the best athlete and a persistent pass-rushing threat. His ability to adjust to a higher level of competition is what will determine whether he gets the nod over RS Jr Jeff Rieskamp, who is recovering from a sports hernia that kept him out all of last season.

Up the middle are tackles Natanu Mageo and Brian Slay. Mageo played in all 12 contests in ’09 after transferring from junior college. He recorded 10 tackles last year, including three for a loss and a sack, and had an interception in the FSU game. Though a few pounds heavier than Mageo, sophomore Brian Slay, has likewise shown good skill at reaching the backfield. In ten games off the bench, he picked up eight QB hurries and a half dozen tackles for loss.

After a few weeks of practice, the aforementioned Rieskamp looks to be the only player battling for a starting spot — and it’s just as likely that he could be on the field early against Western Carolina as Lemon or Akinniyi.

Others expected to contribute include redshirt junior DT J.R. Sweezy (who started last year against Murray State), redshirt junior Markus Kuhn (started three games in ’08), redshirt senior DE Audi Augstin (started bowl game in ’08, has seen action in all but one game of his career) and pass-rushing redshirt freshman DE Darryl Cato-Bishop.

Dissecting the depth chart, pt. IV: OL

The fourth entry in our eight-part positional breakdown focuses on the Wolfpack’s rebuilt offensive line. Last week, we discussed quarterbacks, running backs and receivers. The d-line is up later today, with the rest of the defense and special teams following later this week.

Credit: ETHAN HYMAN - EHYMAN@NEWSOBSERVER.COM

Pos	Player	Ht/Wt	Class	Starts	Notes
Projected Starters
LT	Jake Vermiglio	6-6, 220	Jr	20	Started 3 as Tr Fr (’07), leg inj. (’09) missed two games
LG	Andrew Wallace	6-5, 299	RS So	2	Both starts in ’09 at LT
C	Camden Wentz	6-3, 290	So	0	Played in five games (’09), #13 C per Scout.com
RG	Zach Allen	6-3, 314	So	0	Played both G and T last season as reserve
RT	Mikel Overgaard	6-6, 280	RS Jr	0	Orig. walk-on TE at Wash St., transf. from JuCo in Utah
Reserves
C	Torian Box	6-3, 295	Fr	0	Played LG/RG/C in HS, #15 C per Rivals.com
OL	Tyson Chandler	6-6, 340	Fr	0	Converted DT, spent ’09 at Fork Union Military Academy
C	Wayne Crawford	6-3, 303	RS Jr	0	1 GP (’09), 6 GP (’08), converted DT
T	Robert Crisp	6-7, 299	Fr	0	Five-star recruit, top-5 tackle nationally, could win job
T	Duran Cristophe	6-6, 287	RS Fr	0	Three-star recruit (Scout.com/Rivals.com)
G	Gary Gregory	6-4, 325	RS Sr	0	4 GP (’09), missed spring practice
T	Sam Jones	6-7, 321	RS Fr	0	Played G and T at Hargrave in ’09
G	Henry Lawson	6-3, 290	RS Jr	0	Played line in two games (’08), 25 GP on ST
RG	R.J. Mattes	6-6, 303	RS So	8	Tore ACL v. FSU in ’09, expected back mid-September

—

The 2009 Wolfpack offensive line was built around several veteran players. LG Julian Williams, C Ted Larsen and RT Jeraill McCuller — all seniors — were, if nothing else, dependable, combining for just one missed start. But joined by sophomore LT Jake Vermiglio and RG R.J. Mattes and Andy Barbee, the group failed to improve much on middling 2008 numbers. Rushing offense in ’09 held steady at 120 ypg (87th nationally) and sacks allowed per game numbers increased to an even 2.0 (53rd).

With everyone from the preceding paragraph not named Vermiglio unavailable for the opener at Western Carolina, Tom O’Brien has no problem admitting that the arrangement of the line is, as of now, to be determined. Replacing three veteran starters on the line is never an easy task, but it’s made even more difficult when injuries and dismissals add to the the attrition. The very hush-hush booting of four-star guard Denzelle Good last week plus the injury to R.J. Mattes puts a lot of names in the hat for O’Brien.

The hinge on which the entire lineup swings is the recovery of sophomore right guard R.J. Mattes. Mattes, who went down with an ACL tear and missed the last four games of 2009, is expected back by the second or third game and should retake his starting role despite missing nearly a year.

But in the opener, expect to see a lot players rotated in. Unless much changes between now and September 4, the starting five should be what’s listed above. The guy probably getting the longest look in that game will be top recruit Robert Crisp. O’Brien and others have raved about his physical skills in camp, saying it’s the mental adjustments that he’s working on most. Expect Crisp to spend time on the field with both the first and second-team offense. With his primary position of left tackle occupied by the only experienced lineman in Vermiglio, little has been said about whether Crisp can make the move to the other side — but it’s a move that may be necessitated by O’Brien’s desire to line up the best five guys.