NC State Wolfpack

1999 had been billed as "the year of the quarterback" in the ACC. But so far, it's been the year of the incompletion. Now before we continue with this, I fully understand that it is much too early to start drawing conclusions.

It's certainly not unusual at this stage for defenses to be ahead of the offenses. And, as we all know, coaches like to say that teams usually make dramatic improvements between their first and second games.

That concludes my disclaimer.

The mass hysteria surrounding NC State's struggles on offense is no surprise. Even without Torry Holt, the Pack was expected to field its usual high-octane attack this season. The reason-Jamie Barnette. The senior from Roxboro has always possessed a natural gift for making plays, which is exactly why his many misfires early in the season have raised some eyebrows.

But if Jamie looks around, he'll find that he's not alone. In a winning effort at North Carolina on Saturday, Virginia's Dan Ellis connected on just 10 of 25 attempts. Three of his passes hit Tar Heel defensive backs right in the numbers. Those picks were described in certain circles as tremendous defensive plays. It was pretty obvious that Ellis was pre-determining where he would throw the ball prior to the snap. Why else would he have been throwing into triple coverage?

The two or three spectacular plays that were made by North Carolina's Ronald Curry overshadowed the fact that he was just 10 of 28 with two interceptions. Out of fairness, it is important to mention that the sophomore was running for his life most of the day. It's common knowledge by now that Virginia isn't fond of Curry, but what does his own offensive line have against him?

Georgia Tech's Joe Hamilton did not cooperate with the intent of this column because he had a good day. The Heisman trophy candidate connected on over 70% of his passes in Tech's lopsided win at Navy. No quarterback in the country orchestrates the offense he's been given better than Hamilton does. The ultimate test comes this week when the Jackets play at Florida State.

Quarterback is a difficult position to play, especially in an age when college defenses are more sophisticated than they've ever been. At least NC State fans can take comfort in the fact that Barnette has been around the block a time or two. He's been there and done that. More big plays and big days are just around the corner. Don't forget--this is the year of the quarterback.