Injuries shuffle Wolfpack's offensive line

For most of the season, continuity on the offensive line has been one of N.C. State's strengths.

That changes today, however, as N.C. State (3-5, 0-4 ACC) plays host to Maryland (2-6, 1-3) at 1 p.m. at Carter-Finley Stadium.

In each of the past five games, the Wolfpack has started the same five players on the interior offensive line. But with redshirt freshman starting right guard R.J. Mattes suffering a season-ending knee injury last week at Florida State, senior Andy Barbee will replace him today.

The Wolfpack also will move Zach Allen from left guard to right guard to back up Barbee and will move Henry Lawson into the backup left guard spot vacated by Allen. The continuity, which coach Tom O'Brien craves, as a former offensive line coach, has been disrupted.

"It's like the five fingers, like a glove." O'Brien said. "The more they work in concert with each other the better they get."

This is a dangerous week to be shuffling personnel on the offensive line. Maryland, which has lost 75 percent of its games inside and outside ACC play, hasn't done many things well this season.

But the Terrapins are tied for the ACC lead with 22 sacks in eight games. Maryland middle linebacker Alex Wujciak leads the ACC with 11 tackles per game, and strong-side linebacker Adrian Moten has five sacks.

Wujciak and Moten are succeeding in a pressure package created by first-year defensive coordinator Don Brown, who spent the previous five years as the head coach at Massachusetts.

Brown and O'Brien matched wits in 2004, when O'Brien's Boston College team defeated Massachusetts 29-7. More recently, Maryland held Virginia and Duke to 20 and 17 points, respectively, before the Terrapins' open date last week.

O'Brien said the Terrapins will blitz more than any team N.C. State has faced.

"They've actually gotten better on defense the last two weeks, and then they've had an open week to prepare," O'Brien said. "It might look like 50 guys are coming at us."

Starting defensive tackles A.J. Francis and Travis Ivey weigh 640 pounds combined, and O'Brien said they combine with Wujciak to make the Terrapins formidable up the middle.

But Barbee, who already has started two games at left guard, said he's ready.

"I feel really good about it," Barbee said. "We started watching film Sunday on them. We've got to get to the point where we know what they're going to do sometimes before they do. We've had a lot of time to practice this. It's a challenge, but it's fine."

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