Well, that was fun. I couldn't go (family stuff) but I watched it on tv. Some impressions:
• About time we decided to commit to running the ball and let Graham do it. This is how we should have looked all year, no matter wh0 the opponent was. Give Mason the ball and let Graham option off of that. The only thing missing was more under center sets and use of an I formation with Howard at FB. Why P'naude doesn't want to do that is hard to fathom, but I'm guessing it has more to do with Collins then him. It's all that "look good for the recruits" stuff. Not to put too fine a point on it, but what looks good to recruits is winning.
• Given that they had the ball almost 10 minutes longer then we did, I thought the D did ok. They had a couple of drives where they were hard to stop - except where it counted, of course - but we also got our share of 3 and outs and we had 6 TFLs. They had a hard time stopping us as well. Neither D is ready for prime time yet.
• The color guy was a giant annoyance. "Tech's DL is smaller then NCState." Well, the team wearing dark colors always looks smaller, as any fool can tell you, and DLs are always smaller the OLs. Here's the comparative weights for the two starting DLs: NCSU: 315, 291, 256/Tech 225, 300, 300, 240. "Collins tells me that Tech has had trouble recruiting big DLs because they didn't want to be cut blocked." I bet that got Paul right up off the sofa. We've always had trouble recruiting big DLs. The only two AA interior DLs we've had in modern times were weird humans: Rock Pardoni (5'11', 250 and probably the fastest and surely the strongest DL, pound for pound, in Tech history) and Coleman Rudolph (6'5", 270 and originally recruited as a LB). And we've always had big DLs too; we would have had one this year expect for his untimely demise. "It's the fourth quarter. Tech's defense is worn down and will have a hard time stopping State." Yet, when the game was on the line, it was our offense that sustained a running drive that won the game and State's D that Mason ran through. I was just about ready to jump through the tv screen listening to that clown.
• James can throw the ball. He is still having problems picking up secondary WRs, but that's common with freshmen. That'll come around. Right now he reminds me of Nesbitt: good on long throws, so-so on short ones. His throws last night, however, were all pretty much on the money. Bodes well for next year.
Botton line: it was great to see us put it all together for once, even if it was against a relatively weak opponent. Congrats to the players and coaches!
Update: anybody know what's up with Hansen? Did he get hurt again? Minihan did a good job in relief, btw.