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New season, new secondary.

After going 1-5, N.C. State coach Tom O'Brien encouraged his team to think of the second half of the season as a fresh start. Then he went out and put some fresh bodies in the Wolfpack's defensive backfield.

"The whole secondary got changed," O'Brien said.

DeJuan Morgan moved from strong safety to free safety, opening a spot for redshirt freshman Javon Walker in the starting lineup. Jeremy Gray moved up to the No. 1 spot at one cornerback, ahead of two-year starter Jimmy Sutton. The only starter who remained the same was cornerback DeAndre Morgan, and the redshirt freshman only moved into the lineup four games ago.

The changes have paid off, as the new starters have started picking off passes -- two in the last two games after making one interception in the first six -- provided stronger run support and given a renewed pass rush time to get to the quarterback. It's no coincidence that State is 2-0 since the changes were made.

"We kept searching through the first six games, as we were coaching," O'Brien said, "trying to get the best guys that could execute the schemes that we wanted to play."

That meant finding players who were more comfortable playing the zone-oriented defenses run by first-year coordinator Mike Archer and sitting the ones who were stuck in the bump-and-run era of the previous coaching regime.

"Now you've got to read the tight end, the tackle, you've got know when to come up and support (the run)," Gray said. "It's a lot more complicated."

And more successful of late.

OUT OF THE CELLAR? Maryland sophomore quarterback Chris Turner has drawn attention this season for his rise from the third-string to starter and for his uncanny resemblance to the lead character in the movie "Napoleon Dynamite."

But there's an even more interesting nugget in his bio.

Turner's father, John, was the original drummer in the '80s hair band, Ratt. Yes, the guys that gave us "Round and Round" and "Lay it Down."

Sadly, John Turner has long since left the band. No word on whether the Terrapins are recruiting either of Tommy Lee's sons.

MISSING PERSON? Injuries and suspensions have put a serious dent in the depth of the UNC secondary, forcing former running back Richie Rich on to the field as a defensive back against Wake Forest. But that doesn't mean the Tar Heels will go back to some formerly familiar faces there.

Quentin Person, a senior who started 11 games at cornerback the previous two seasons has essentially been relegated to special teams. Cooter Arnold, who played significant snaps at safety as a sophomore last season, was suspended earlier this year and has moved back to the offensive side of the ball.

"They're probably going to stay in the same roles that they're already in," said UNC coach Butch Davis.

RUMOR MILL: With the Arkansas Razorbacks fan base already writing off its current coach, Houston Nutt, and salivating over its favorite son, Butch Davis, it's inevitable that some of the rumors and speculation have reached freshman H-back Zack Pianalto, a native of Springdale, Ark.

"The past week or so, it's been pretty heavy, people commenting, 'Are you going to come back to Arkansas when he comes back?' " Pianalto said. "I'm like, 'Well, it's not a done deal yet.' I think he's really happy here and we have something special going here."

Contact Jim Young at 373-7016 or jyoung@news-record.com