This is weird. Tom O’Brien’s BC teams are still rather familiar to me. It also creates a sense of confidence because Pitt owned BC in the years leading up to their departure from the Big East. I’m simplifying, but most of the time it was simply that O’Brien’s BC teams were so devoted to stopping the run that they struggled mightily when it came time for Pitt and a strong passing game.

That’s no longer the case for Pitt, which is a run-first team now. O’Brien left BC for NC State and he has not deviated from his approach. Focus on the lines and look to run. So, there will be a lot of similarities to the way both coaches want to have the game go.

What is different for an O’Brien team is the presence of Russell Wilson at QB. An athletic dual-threat QB that can run with the ball. This year, Wilson has run a lot less. Whether it is a conscious effort by Wilson and the coaching staff to keep him from getting hurt or to be a more traditional QB is not clear. Wilson also does not throw interceptions. Something that makes a coach drool.

The NC St. offensive line, though, has had trouble. Trouble staying healthy. The offensive line will go to its 4th different starting group in game four.

Heading into Saturday’s game against Pittsburgh, the status of left tackle Jake Vermiglio (lower leg), safety Clem Johnson (thigh) and corner Rashard Smith, who was on crutches last Saturday with an ankle injury, are still uncertain and expect to be updated in Thursday’s injury report.

“We really haven’t gotten the continuity at the two most important positions on our team, especially the last two weeks,” said O’Brien. “The only thing we have gained is we’ve gotten some young guys in the football game, which is down the road stuff, but for immediately getting better as a football team, with your fourth different offensive line, and your fourth different secondary, that’s not a good situation to be in.”

The left side of the offensive line is where the problems have been. Vermiglio injured his calf in the season opener against South Carolina, and that forced Julian Williams to slide over from guard. Williams, who had the flu last week, is back and is listed as the starter at left guard on the depth chart for Pitt. When Williams caught the flu last week, Andrew Wallace became the third player this season to start at left tackle.

Given how little Pitt likes to rotate players on the O-line, I can’t begin to imagine Coach Wannstedt’s reaction if he was dealing with that.

Additionally, just as they get one WR, Donald Bowens, back from injury, they lose Owen Spencer (concussion). Oh, and Jamelle Eugene their second leading rusher from last year (2008 leading rusher Andre Brown was a senior), has missed the last two games.

On defense, NC State will offer Pitt great temptation to throw. The Wolfpack secondary is both young and injured.

Meanwhile, N.C. State’s secondary is inexperienced and battling injuries. Freshman starting cornerback Rashard Smith left Saturday’s game with a sprained ankle in the first half.

Another freshman, Brandan Bishop, started at free safety because senior Clem Johnson had a thigh injury. N.C. State’s other starting safety, Earl Wolff, is a redshirt freshman.

“We just played Gardner-Webb and we just played Murray State,” Wolff said. “Pittsburgh is a little better team, so we have to practice better and practice harder.”

They did get back another starting cornerback in DeAndre Morgan from an ankle sprain.

Now, both teams are expecting old-school football. The players say the things you expect — even if they seem to be focusing on the wrong guys.

The prospect of meeting a Pittsburgh team that’s expected to try to overpower N.C. State on Saturday brought a twinkle to middle linebacker Ray Michel’s eye.

“Taking on the big, 260-pound fullback (Henry Hynoski) is something I’m looking forward to,” said Michel, who’s tied for the Wolfpack’s team lead with 22 tackles.

Delighting in an opportunity to play “old-school football,” N.C. State coach Tom O’Brien also was revved up during his weekly news conference Monday about Saturday’s 3:30 p.m. game with Pittsburgh at Carter-Finley Stadium.

Michel is about 30 pounds lighter than Hyno. Hey, if you want to knock heads with the guy who’s doing a lot of blocking, great. Hopefully while he’s doing that, Dion Lewis will be scooting right past.

I’m still just trying to picture the stoic and occasionally somnambulistic O’Brien  “revved up.” Last time I saw that, was when he was whining about the treatment of his team by opposing fans when BC was bolting the Big East.

It is an interesting thing with Greg Cross. In a way he is an ink blot by which Dave Wannstedt gets judged.

A JUCO transfer brought in to provide more competition and depth at QB. Specifically, a dual threat QB with some major wheels. A player obviously and even acknowledged to be used in the “Wildcat” formation.

Instead, he spends the year doing very little. As Coach Wannstedt and his disdain for offensive “gimmick” plays appears to have overruled his own ideas from the offseason when Cross was recruited.

Given Cross’ obvious athleticism and the vital TD he did score against Iowa last year, he looms large in Pitt fans imagination (including my own) as to what he might have been able to do if used.

Excuses such as the game flow, and that he didn’t know the offense well-enough were offered. Most didn’t buy it, because when you bring in a JUCO, there is an expectation that they are to be plugged in. Not molded over time since they are already on a shortened clock for eligibility.

Crosswas moved to WR after it became obvious that he would never see the field as a QB. Of course, Pitt has depth and experience at the position, so naturally he is buried there.

Everyone wants to somehow see Cross get on the field.

Q: Do you think with the lack of depth and the lack of height at defensive back that maybe Greg Cross should be moved to that position?

ZEISE: I don’t think with two safeties who are 6-foot-3 or taller there is a lack of height at that position, which is where he’d be moved to and I’m not sure how Greg Cross became the Michael Jordan of Pitt’s team. Quarterbacks struggle? Cross is the answer!!! Bad receivers? Cross!!! Need help at tight end? Cross!!! Defensive backs stink? Cross!!! Look, he is a good athlete, it is ridiculous they couldn’t find a role for him in the offense as a change of pace quarterback in certain formations. I get it and agree with it. But as we’ve found out this training camp — being a good athlete and making a transition to new position and being ready to play at a Division I level are two completely different things.

The hindsight of looking back on this, says that Coach Wannstedt’s recruitment of Cross was a mistake based on a trend not fully embraced or understood by Wannstedt.

In the late-90s lots of businesses saw the internet taking off and decided they should have a website. They had no plan or idea how to use it, though. So they bought their domain and slapped a poor looking site that maybe reprinted a brochure and offered nothing but a phone number and address for people to contact for prices on products and services. Then let it languished and wondered what the fuss about it was.

Eventually, someone else in the business or someone else helped make the business owner understand ways to make it work for the company.

That seems to be the way Wannstedt is. He knew he was supposed to look at this, but he had no clue what to do with it. So even as he acknowledged the need and idea at times, it left most wondering if he actually would be able to reconcile it with his own conservative approach to offense. The guy who should have explained it and made it useful was Matt Cavanaugh — who also never grasped the concept.

Now Wannstedt appears to have an offensive coordinator in Cignetti that can make him understand the usefulness and how to use a dual threat QB beyond simply considering it a “gimmick.” (I must admit, however, a bit of concern that we may be overstating Cignetti’s abilities simply because he gets the college game so much more than Cavanaugh).

This is vital since Pitt has made another commitment to using a QB that moves and does not just drop back or hand-off. The verbal from Anthony Gonzalez, was big news last week. A dual-threat, 3- or 4-star QB recruit from Bethlehem, and the second-best QB recruit in Pennsylvania.

A kid loaded with potential (Insider subs) who turned down offers from schools like Mizzou and Oregon, that have previously demonstrated an ability to utilize dual threat QBs in their offensive system.

The thing that stands out about this kid is his competitiveness and football savvy. Some guys are just football players regardless of where you line them up and Gonzalez is one of them. As a passer he is going to have a lot of refining to do in terms of his throwing mechanics. He must tighten up his release and get rid of the ball in a compact manner that eliminates wasted motion. This will be a big part of his development, but as far as football players go, he is one of the better ones we have seen in this class because he just makes plays and gets things done despite being very raw. Excellent prospect that could end up being a very productive and exciting player at the next level in an offense that accentuates his strengths.

[Emphasis added.]

That is what will be watched over the next few years.