RALEIGH - The decision by N.C. State football coach Tom O'Brien to redshirt freshman quarterback Mike Glennon made sense on two fronts -- this season and the seasons ahead.

In one respect, the Wolfpack's demanding early schedule made the verdict on Glennon, announced Wednesday, easy.

When you open at South Carolina (a week from today), have to go to Clemson (Sept. 13) and then return home for a rivalry game against East Carolina, there's precious little room for on-the-job training. That's precisely the challenge Glennon would have faced had he been allowed to stay in the mix for a starting and/or playing role.

That Glennon is a smart youngster with the size and strong arm of former Pack star Philip Rivers is not in dispute. Between the lines Wednesday, O'Brien penned a clear message to the team and State fans: Glennon likely will be the future face of the program. It's exactly the same path O'Brien charted for quarterbacks at Boston College, one of whom turned out to be Matt Ryan.

But to have thrown Glennon into such a difficult early mix could have been catastrophic. There were risks, not the least of which would have been losses of confidence and sound health. That's what happened to Ronald Curry at North Carolina in 1998.

Rivers started his career in the 2000 season as a freshman in Carter-Finley Stadium against Arkansas State and was fortunate to escape with a double-overtime win. That's miles away from breaking in against the Gamecocks on national television in Columbia.

No doubt, game situations will arise in '08 when O'Brien and quarterbacks coach Dana Bible second-guess their decision. Glennon, come early November, could be picking apart the first-team defensive unit. That often happens with talented freshmen. The more they face top-line collegiate defensive units, the more comfortable they become reading coverages.

But the overriding motive for O'Brien is still program rehabilitation and damage control. This team will be deemed a success if it simply can overcome modest expectations. That would add up to six or so wins, a decent showing in the ACC and a possible bowl bid.

Daniel Evans, in his senior season, and redshirt freshman Russell Wilson will get their chances to depart and begin on positive notes, and both could play regularly. Given enough success, Wilson could lock Glennon into an understudy's role for '09 and beyond. Should that happen, O'Brien would be left with the best of two worlds entering his third season -- an established quarterback backed by a sub with winning potential.

South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier probably doesn't care one way or the other. He's a lot more concerned about how to score 35 points than with which quarterback his defense will face.

But from State's perspective, redshirting Glennon had as much to do with the first games of '09, '10 and beyond as the opener. It could backfire. If nothing else, it's a logical plan that should give Evans and Wilson a chance to excel while buying Glennon and the program time to improve.

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