Tom Talks

Hurry up and wait

   I think the Panthers have talent. NFL teams tend to. But when does it manifest itself? When do the young players catch on? When does the offense begin to scare defensive coordinators instead of boring them? Winless Carolina scored seven points Sunday in a loss to Cincinnati.

    I really do believe there will come a time, this season, when the Panthers figure it out. But I have no idea when.

    Until then? We wait for moments such as the late 44-yard pass, a perfect pass, the rookie quarterback threw to the rookie receiver. We wait for Julius Peppers to come to town with the Chicago Bears. Some of us make the trip to New Orleans for the Saints game next week. 

    New Orleans is nice this time of year.

    If you've been there, you know what I mean.

   

Steve Smith's outfit as clean as yours

   Carolina's go-to receiver has been rookie David Gettis. Strange sight: Steve Smith's uniform. There's rain out there, mud, dirt. Yet none of it has stuck to him. His uniform is pristine. He has yet to go to the ground, has yet to catch a pass.

Panthers still in it

   The Bengals had every opportunity to end this game in the first half. But they consistently failed. As if they were more interested in yards than in points.

    Now, with 5 1/2 minutes to play, the Panthers are down 10-7. Carolina's last drive could be a catalyst for the next.

Clausen era begins slowly

   The rain is coming down hard and but fans are OK because there aren't enough of them at Bank of America Stadium to get wet. The crowd is sparse, obviously. The 85 fans for which Ochocinco bought dinner Saturday night apparently are not here.

    Carson Palmer was intercepted on Cincinnati's first drive and Jimmy Clausen fumbled a snap and lost the ball on Carolina's first drive.

    Carolina began its second drive at the Panther 4 and to protect Clausen the Panthers handed off three straight times and punted.

    Cincinnati with the ball at its 47. Here we go again.

    

N.C. State by 10, seven minutes to play

   Russell Wilson had a pass intercepted and returned for a touchdown. The TD enabled Georgia Tech to pull within three points at 31-28. What's N.C. State going to do?

    Score. Wilson led the Wolfpack to another touchdown. The man has thrown for 359 yards, a new career high. With seven minutes remaining, N.C. State leads the Yellow Jackets 38-28.

    

None if by air

   Another Wolfpack drive, another Wolfpack touchdown. This time, on third and goal from the six, quarterback Russell Wilson scored it himself. His poise, plus Dana Bible's brilliant play calling, are too much for Georgia Tech. N.C. State leads 31-14 with 4:01 remaining in the third quarter.

    Be interesting to see if the Yellow Jackets go to the air. They have yet to complete a pass.

Russell Wilson is still unstoppable

    Georgia Tech quarterback Joshua Nesbitt opened the second half by running for 61 yards. The Yellow Jackets quickly scored to cut N.C. State's lead to 17-14.

    So here comes Wolfpack quarterback Russell Wilson one more time. Wilson, who was 16 of 23 for 219 yards and a touchdown in the first half, led N.C. State 78 yards in nine plays for a touchdown. Offensive coordinator Dana Bible's play calling was brilliant. With 9:17 to play in the third quarter, N.C. State leads 24-14.

My Atlanta experience: Hello, goodbye

    I like most of the places to which I travel. I'm in Atlanta for the N.C. State-Georgia Tech game. I don't like Atlanta.

    I don't like the traffic and I can't find the charm. Thought about driving down from Charlotte Friday night but didn't want to be here. So I left at 6:15 this morning.

    Even though there are many perfectly good Marriotts in the vicinity, I'm driving back as soon as I finish my column.

   

Russell Wilson can't be stopped

   N.C. State quarterback Russell Wilson struggled against Central Florida in his lone previous road game before Saturday. But he has been outstanding at Georgia Tech.

    What the Wolfpack needs, he provides. He is absolutely poised in the pocket, scrambling and finding receivers and hitting third-down passes. There's a calm about him, as if he's impervious to whatever the Yellow Jackets do. At the end of the first half, underdog N.C. State leads 17-7. 

Auburn will wait

   Left Charlotte at 6:15 a.m. to drive to Atlanta and the N.C. State-Georgia Tech game. First decked out vehicle I saw on the way down was an SUV covered with Gamecock parapheralia. Big decals, small decals, flags -- the thing had it all. Flying, too. It even passed me. (Lots of people did; I left so early I didn't have to hurry.)

    First vehicle I saw pulled over by the Georgia Highway Patrol was the Gamecockmobile. Perhaps the officer leaning into the driver's side window was an Auburn fan. Perhaps he was a fan of drivers that don't exceed 90 mph.