Here comes O’Brien
We haven’t heard much from Tom O’Brien since he left Boston College six years ago to become head football coach at North Carolina State. The Wolfpack have gone only 33-30 in his tenure, including just 18-22 in the sub-par ACC.
The fans turned on him last year when he pushed out QB Russell Wilson, who became an All-American at Wisconsin.
But that should change this year. NC State is ranked 25th nationally in the preseason and boasts a fine quarterback ( Mike Glennon) and running back (James Washington ) and one of the top secondaries in the nation.
Getting personal
As Andover’s Bill O’Brien tries to find his niche as Penn State’s new football coach in the wake of the child sex abuse scandal involving Jerry Sandusky, he has begun making some changes.
One that he announced two weeks ago was that Penn State jerseys will feature players’ last names for the first time in history. The players seem excited by the move but the change is getting mixed reviews from fans.
“It’s a new era at Penn State in many ways,” explained O’Brien. “I want people to recognize the fact that these are kids that are special ... and have gone through some rough times over the last year and they’ve stuck with us.”
Statewide vote coming
The MIAA Board of Directors last week gave unanimous approval to hold the vote for a statewide football playoff system on Oct. 16 at Assabet Valley Regional High School in Marlboro.
-Compiled by Dave Dyer
