Despite preseason predictions of mediocrity, last fall N.C. State surprised the ACC and surged to a record of 8-4, including a thrilling 38-30 bowl victory over Minnesota.
The Wolfpack's success was the product of an explosive passing game, which ranked behind only the Florida State Seminoles as the ACC's most lethal air attack.
The engineer of State's dynamic offense returns in the form of quarterback Philip Rivers. Last year, despite competing as a true freshman, Rivers threw for 3,054 yards and 25 touchdowns, while posting an impressive passing rating of 126.9.
Not returning, however, are last season's two most accomplished wide receivers, sophomore Koren Robinson and Eric Leak.
Losing Robinson--the ninth overall pick in last spring's NFL draft--should be especially devastating. A spectacular talent, Robinson left school after only two years, leaving a huge void in the Wolfpack's pass attack, and forcing Rivers to adjust to life without his favorite target.
"Every year we're going to face adversity and changes," the sophomore quarterback said. "We hated he was gone, but there's nothing you can do about it."
As he enters his second season, Rivers already envisions significant changes from last year's offensive game plan.
"We can't depend on the big plays as much," Rivers said. "The offense as a whole is going to have to be more patient and have 10 to 15 play drives. It's going to be interesting going into the season."
With the departures of Robinson and Leak, one could expect Rivers to feel an increased responsibility to lead State's offensive unit. In order to compensate for an inexperienced receiving corps, the 19-year-old quarterback might develop a tendency to force throws or try to make plays single-handedly.
However, Wolfpack coach Chuck Amato dismissed this notion.
"He'll be patient because he's smart," Amato said.
Amato also expressed little concern regarding the capabilities of his team's returning wideouts. While acknowledging that replacing the incredibly talented Robinson is an impossibility, Amato thought the performance of his offensive line would be most critical to the offensive unit's success.
"Our offense is going to be as good as our ability to protect our quarterback," Amato said. "We're going to do the same things we did last year. We'll just hope that [the receivers] can pick up the slack, and we'll spread it all over the field."
The Wolfpack's performance in last Sunday's intra-squad scrimmage illustrated Amato's assertion that the offense would exhibit increased diversity. In passing for 337 yards against N.C. State's first-team defense, Rivers connected with five different receivers for touchdowns.
"I think we'll be better at the wide receiver spot," Rivers said. "We don't have Koren Robinson, but as a whole--tight ends, wide receivers and backs--we're going to be better."
Starting at tight end will be senior Willie Wright, who caught 32 balls last season. The sure-handed Wright will be particularly vital when State needs to convert on third downs.
"He's got great hands, he's smart and he knows the right routes," Rivers said. "We're on the same page."
At wide receiver, State will utilize a bevy of wide receivers. Many, however, will have little to no game experience. Returning veteran Brian Peterson is the only proven commodity.
Nonetheless, Rivers feels confident that he and the mostly unseasoned Wolfpack wideouts have clicked.
"Brian will be a junior this season and the other guys are in my class, so we're all close," the sophomore quarterback said. "As early as May we started passing drills, and I think from that point on we kind of meshed as a group. We understand each other, and I think that will help us down the road."
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