Pack not giving up

RALEIGH -- For those who think N.C. State's football players have nothing left to play for and no reason to be motivated, coach Tom O'Brien cites the example of senior middle linebacker Ray Michel.

The ankle Michel injured Oct. 17 was supposed to keep him out four to six weeks. He made it back in exactly four weeks for last week's 43-23 loss to Clemson.

But he's still hurting.

"He's gutting it out now and giving us everything he can," O'Brien said Monday at his weekly news conference.

O'Brien hopes Michel's teammates will do the same as the Wolfpack (4-6, 1-5 ACC) prepares to visit Virginia Tech (7-3, 4-2) at 3:30 p.m. Saturday (ESPNU). N.C. State's preseason goals of winning an ACC championship and even becoming bowl eligible are no longer within reach.

But players say they aren't giving up.

"As long as we're breathing, we've got something to play for," senior defensive end Willie Young said. "One another, first and foremost, more than anything else. Anything else, anything outside of the team, it doesn't matter right now. But we all have one another to play for."

If anything, O'Brien said, some of N.C. State's players performed with a bit too much enthusiasm in the loss to Clemson. He said they were too aggressive in some cases and got caught out of position.

Some players on defense - O'Brien mentioned sophomore outside linebacker Dwayne Maddox as one - overran plays and left cutback lanes open for Clemson running back C.J. Spiller.

Nonetheless, O'Brien saw encouraging things against the Tigers. Freshman Jarvis Byrd made his first start and demonstrated a tackling ability that N.C. State has been missing at cornerback.

Redshirt freshman backup quarterback Mike Glennon directed a touchdown drive in the closing seconds, demonstrating the ability to recognize blitzes and check down for a completion to a third receiver under pressure.

Sophomore Russell Wilson remains the starting quarterback. And O'Brien said he will continue to use N.C. State's veterans and best players rather than getting young players experience to build for the future.

"The seniors are playing really hard," O'Brien said. "It's their last year, and you would expect that. We just don't have enough of them at all positions to provide leadership in every place you're going. Two guys, [Alan-]Michael Cash and Leroy Burgess, probably played their best game of the year on Saturday. So a lot of guys are still competing and playing hard."

Junior wide receiver Owen Spencer said the players still want to show how much character and heart they have. If they win their final two games against the Hokies and North Carolina, they can finish with a .500 record.

"That would mean a lot for our program to finish .500," Spencer said, "and also just seeing the character we have and the way our coaching staff never gives up on us and the way our fans never give up on us ... that would be huge for us to go out and win our last two games."

Noon kickoffs on Nov. 28: All three games involving ACC schools from the Carolinas will kick off at noon on Nov. 28, the ACC announced Monday.

North Carolina at N.C. State (ESPN2), Wake Forest at Duke (WRAL, WFXI) and Clemson at South Carolina (ESPN) will be televised.

Toys for Tots gets big response: The Toys for Tots fundraiser at Carter-Finley Stadium last week netted $39,830 in cash and more than 4,000 toys for underprivileged children.

O'Brien said the response was "huge" and thanked Clemson's fans and coach Dabo Swinney for participating along with N.C. State's fans.