news-record.com

RALEIGH -- Heading into his second season as N.C. State's football coach, Tom O'Brien knows where the Wolfpack needs to improve. Getting improvement from that area is a bit more complicated.

"We have to be much better up front," he said. "Anything we can do to be a better offensive line, we have to do."

"Anything" apparently includes moving two defensive linemen to offense and immediately plugging them in as starters, while putting one of them at the most demanding position on the offensive line. It may sound a bit risky, but that's what the Wolfpack coaching staff did when it moved defensive tackles John Bedics and Ted Larsen to the offensive line, putting Bedics at guard and Larsen at center.

"It was an experiment and, hopefully, this one works out the way we think it is," O'Brien said.

If it does, then the Wolfpack may very well surprise the skeptics who picked State to finish last in the ACC Atlantic Division. If it doesn't &ellipses; well, State learned all too well last season what can happen when an offensive line struggles.

In 2007, the Wolfpack running game was woeful, managing an average of barely 89 yards a game. In the ACC, only Duke put up worse numbers. It wasn't for a lack of trying, either. State averaged nearly 30 carries per game, yet a stable of running backs widely regarded as one of the most talented in the league averaged just 3.02 yards per attempt.

That was still usually often a better alternative than passing. The Wolfpack line gave up 28 sacks and State's quarterbacks made a bevy of mistakes under pressure, throwing 23 interceptions, tied for third most in the country.

Clearly then, there is plenty of room for improvement. Can Bedics and Larsen be the key ingredients in an offensive line upgrade for the Wolfpack?

Listen to O'Brien discuss the move of Larsen to center and you don't exactly come away filled with confidence.

Was O'Brien concerned about putting someone so inexperienced at the position that has the most responsibilities on the offensive line?

"Absolutely," he said. "You're involved in all the calls. Other than the quarterback, you touch the ball every time, and you've got to get it to the quarterback."

What then, made O'Brien think Larsen could handle such an important position.

"We really didn't know," he said. "We were in a position where we had to do something."

Bear in mind, though, that O'Brien is a glass half-empty sort of guy, even by football coach's standards. It also helps to remember that O'Brien and his offensive line coach, Don Horton, have sterling reputations for molding blockers into NFL prospects. While they may have felt forced into moving Bedics and Larsen to the offensive line, a forced move isn't necessarily a bad one.

The common theme sounded by the Wolfpack coaching staff is that Bedics and Larsen bring athleticism and toughness from their former roles as defensive tackles. Even more critical is Larsen's reputation as a quick learner.

"Teddy's a smart individual," said State guard Curtis Crouch. "I'll talk to him sometimes, when he does something like step on my feet. I'll talk to him and he'll just get it right the next play after. I think he's going to come around real easily during the season."

The first important obstacle was passed when Bedics and Larsen came around quickly to the idea that they were turning into protectors after years of playing as attackers.

"I was kind of honored," Larsen said of his switch to center, "because it's the head of the offensive line. They're putting a lot of trust in me by moving me here."

If Larsen and Bedics can reward the trust of their coaches with solid play, the Wolfpack could reward its fans with a better season than expected.