Out of all the hellacious stats accumulated during a speechless loss at Cincinnati, the most outspoken one has become a microcosm for why Tom O’Brien could end up losing his job — N.C . State’s rushing performance against the Bearcats was the worst effort from any Atlantic Coast Conference team since 2001.
In his fifth year, O’Brien, the same man who spent his first five seasons at Boston College producing three All-American linemen, has seen an underperforming offensive line and a depleted defensive line turn State into a glorified version of Duke.
And if Duke didn’t lead State in total offense, total defense, rushing offense, rushing defense, time of possession and almost every other stat reflecting line play, that statement would be perfectly accurate.
However, before the escalating fire gets fueled any further, we pause to remember that the frustration is not flaming up because the Pack’s defense looked like lost puppies on Thursday night.
The issue at hand is how O’Brien’s successful past hasn’t translated into Wolfpack wins.
The Tom O’Brien era at N.C . State is not buried and dead, but the “program-builder” image Lee Fowler had in December of 2006 is currently being given its Last Rites. In 10 years at BC, O’Brien turned a wayward program into a winner – the Eagles entered 2011 with an opportunity to notch a 13th consecutive winning season.
That’s when we know O’Brien’s tenure with BC and his first 54 games with the Pack are officially beginning to trend apart from each other.
It’s Tom O’Brien’s fifth year at NCSU , the season he was supposed to churn out a 9-3 record to show the program had turned the corner without Lord Voldemort – I mean, Russell Wilson – masking an average offensive line while making up for a suspect pass defense. Sure, a steady dose of two- and three-star recruits has dictated the overall talent level of his teams, but O’Brien pulled Boston College out of the rubble doing the exact same thing.
In the pro sports city of Boston, the collegiate program was built upon cornerstones of any championship football team – solid line play on both sides of the ball. In O’Brien’s first six years, he produced three linemen selected in the first round of the NFL draft.
Even in the years following his departure, O’Brien’s fundamental principal has carried on in the form of four more linemen being drafted in the first round.
But at State, a program that produced five first round draft picks in the seven years prior to O’Brien’s arrival, both the professional and collegiate comparisons have little correlation.
When O’Brien arrived in Chestnut Hill 15 years ago, the program had just endured a damaging gambling scandal. Despite running in place during 1997 and 1998, O’Brien went 29-25 in his first 54 games. By the time his fifth year had been completed, the program was already reaping significant benefits – winning seasons and a bright future.
The bright future translated into eight consecutive bowl victories and BC products (Marc Columbo , William Green, Matt Ryan, and several other) paying major dividends for NFL teams.
In his fifth season in Raleigh, O’Brien’s offensive line makes James Washington look like a peewee running back who gets swarmed under the milli-second he receives a handoff . In two games against FBS opponents, N.C . State has averaged 1.5 yards per rush and ranks 116th nationally in sacks allowed.
Much more than four games with little to cheer for, O’Brien has spent his first 54 games in Raleigh compiling a 27-27 record with seven of those victories over FCS teams. He has never won against a division opponent on the road (0-11), is 8-16 on the road, and has a 4-17 record against division opponents.
For everyone at home keeping score, that’s one win per season against the likes of Wake Forest, Clemson, Florida State, Maryland, and BC.
A 9-4 season with a talented quarterback has put a smoke screen on the facts, but the truth has become quite evident – for reasons unknown, this definitely isn’t Tom O’Brien at Boston College anymore.
This is Tom O’Brien at N.C . State.
