The Wolfpack wants to avoid the growing pains that came at times with its defense, and steps in the right direction were made during the spring.

By the spring game, it was the defense that dominated.

"The secondary has grown up a lot, and they showed that," coach Tom O'Brien said. "The defense jumps back ahead."

That might have been just the right formula for the Wolfpack as it heads into a 2012 season that's bound to come with heightened interest after bowl victories the past two seasons.

Getting the defense in order was one of the priorities for the spring because the coaching staff saw what some young defensive linemen could do in emergency situations last fall. ...More