RALEIGH Will Grier Jersey , N.C. (AP) — A month into the season, No. 23 North Carolina State is moving the chains on third down and extending drives better than almost any team in the country.The Wolfpack’s third-down conversion rate ranks third in the Bowl Subdivision ranks entering Saturday’s visit from Boston College in a pivotal Atlantic Coast Conference division matchup. Yet, listening to offensive coordinator Eli Drinkwitz, there’s nothing special about what the offense is doing to earn the third-down success that has helped the Wolfpack get off to a 4-0 start.“They’re not magic plays,” Drinkwitz said. “It’s just our guys are executing better than we have in the past. I mean, that’s really it.“Everybody’s got good football plays. Coaches all over the country are good football coaches and know how to get it on a whiteboard. But on a whiteboard doesn’t matter. It’s what players can execute on the football field, and our coaches have done a really good job of making sure their guys execute. And that’s the secret.”Drinkwitz makes it sound ordinary, but the Wolfpack’s production hasn’t been.N.C. State (4-0, 1-0 ACC) is converting 59.3 percent of its third downs this season (32 of 54), which trails only No. 12 UCF (62 percent) and top-ranked Alabama (59.7 percent) nationally. It’s easily the best mark of sixth-year coach Dave Doeren’s tenure.Consider it the next sign of growth for an offense that entered the season facing high expectations with the return of quarterback Ryan Finley — who flirted with entering the NFL draft in the offseason — and a trio of big-bodied receivers led by another pro prospect in Kelvin Harmon.There were some hiccups expected as the Wolfpack adjusted to life with big-play running back Nyheim Hines and do-everything threat Jaylen Samuels now in the NFL. But N.C. State’s third-down conversion rate is a big leap from last year’s 45-percent mark.Doeren points to several reasons. It starts with the position coaches in their weekly preparation that goes into the game plan, which is then implemented in practice to an offense armed with experience through much of the unit.The work has shown with an offensive line that has surrendered two sacks through four games, with the blocking help of running backs. That has kept Finley upright and looking downfield. And N.C. State has multiple wideouts capable of big output, preventing defenses from keying in on one guy on those critical plays.It also helps that the Wolfpack averaged better than six yards on first downs through the past two wins against Marshall and Virginia, minimizing the third-and-really-long situations that typically lead to punts.As center Garrett Bradbury put it: “It’s everyone on offense. It’s you doing your job and trusting the other 10 will do theirs.”“We have a lot of guys returning http://www.panthersfootballauthentic.com/christian-miller-jersey-authentic , a lot of veteran players,” Bradbury said. “So I think with experience, you execute more, you don’t mess up on the little things. And it’s understanding your responsibility.”N.C. State’s third-down success will be of particular concern for Boston College coach Steve Addazio. The Eagles (4-1, 1-0) have struggled to get off the field the past two weeks, allowing Purdue and Temple to convert a combined 16 of 33 third downs (48 percent).“It kind of breaks your back a little bit because we get tired out there and the pass rushers start to wear down and get tired,” Addazio said after last weekend’s 45-35 win against the Owls. “If we could just get off the field a little bit better, I think the momentum would really swirl. So that’s a critical deal for us right now. That’s something I feel like we’ve got to get on top of, without a doubt.” RENTON, Wash. (AP) — After four straight weeks of playing tight, one-score games decided in the fourth quarter, Pete Carroll enjoyed spending a Monday reviewing a rare comfortable victory.“It was a little different than the games we’ve been playing in,” Carroll said. “It was nice to see us get out ahead and hang onto it and work with the lead and play in that fashion.”Seattle’s blowout win over San Francisco on Sunday only strengthened what is becoming another late playoff push by the Seahawks, and after a day in which they got results that helped in trying to get back to the playoffs after missing last season. Seattle is currently in command of one of the wild-card spots in the NFC and its hopes were strengthened by Carolina and Minnesota suffering losses. Seattle holds the tiebreaker over Carolina and can have that in place over Minnesota with a win at home next Monday night against the Vikings.The only teams Seattle (7-5) could end up in wild-card contention with that it won’t face head-to-head are Washington and Philadelphia. But if the Seahawks continue winning Jordan Scarlett Jersey , it won’t matter. They’ll be in the postseason.“These are must-win games for us. Every week, we approach it like that,” Seattle left tackle Duane Brown said after the win. “We approach every week like a playoff game and that’s the kind of intensity guys came out with from kickoff on.”Seattle’s current roll is reviving memories of 2015, when it was 4-5 after nine games. But this time, success is coming a different way. That season, the Seahawks leaned on the passing arm of quarterback Russell Wilson as he threw for 24 touchdowns and just one interception over the final seven games as Seattle went 6-1 down the stretch and made the postseason. Wilson averaged 272 yards passing and 31 pass attempts per game during that stretch.So far, it’s been balance and efficiency that’s defined Seattle’s offensive performance during its current three-game win streak, although his overall numbers aren’t that dissimilar. Wilson has eight touchdown passes and no interceptions during the stretch, averaging about 250 yards passing. But there’s been no fall-off with Seattle’s run game of late, meaning Wilson isn’t being forced to carry the offense.In Sunday’s 43-16 win over San Francisco, Wilson attempted just six passes in the first half. He threw for touchdowns on three of them. Seattle will take that kind of efficiency — even with reduced numbers — all the time.“I think that the development of the pass protection has been really obvious and Russ has taken advantage of that,” Carroll said, noting Wilson’s movement on a 52-yard TD pass to Tyler Lockett on Sunday. “That’s why he’s been able to be more effective getting the second looks and sliding up in the pocket and hitting Tyler on the big play was a perfect example of that. Really good protection, he gets to move to give one more beat to get Tyler a chance to get behind him and deliver the throw. I just think it’s connected with what’s going on up front David Montgomery Jersey , but his overall command of what we’re trying to get done communication-wise has really helped the other guys play well.”Seattle did come out of the win over the 49ers with one major injury concern after guard D.J. Fluker suffered a hamstring strain. Carroll said Fluker had a “grade 1” strain and would likely miss a couple of weeks. When Fluker was unable play last month against the Rams, it was Jordan Simmons who stepped in to start.“He seems to be moving in the right direction to be a really, really viable option for us,” Carroll said of Simmons. “He doesn’t get that much practice time, so when he does get the practice time like he did in the Rams week, he did a very good job with it. So, we’re going to count on him playing and see how that goes.”NOTES: Seattle waived LB Emmanuel Ellerbee on Monday, clearing a roster spot for LB Mychal Kendricks after his suspension was lifted. Kendricks has been practicing with the Seahawks for the past two weeks, but next Monday against Minnesota will be the first time he’s eligible to play. He could end up moving into a prominent role with K.J. Wright still out due to knee troubles, although Austin Calitro has played well. Carroll said he believes Kendricks could play a significant amount of snaps, if needed. … Carroll expects RB Chris Carson (finger), FB Tre Madden (chest) and DT Shamar Stephen (foot) to be able to play next Monday. Carson suffered a dislocated finger in the win over San Francisco, while Madden and Stephen were both inactive.