North Carolina State University Athletics
Wolfpack Tangles With Tech
10/28/1999 12:00:00 AM | Football
NC State (5-3, 2-3 ACC) at #7 Georgia Tech (5-1, 3-1 ACC)
3:30 p.m., Saturday, October 30, 1999
Bobby Dodd Stadium, 46,000 (sold out)
By Tony Haynes
Led by irrepressible quarterback Joe Hamilton, the Georgia Tech offense has churned out some eye-popping numbers this season. Heading into this weekend's game against NC State, the Yellow Jackets lead in the nation in total offense (516.5 ypg), and are 5th in scoring offense (40.5 pts per game).
So how does this Tech unit stack up when compared to some of the best offenses in ACC history?
"Over the years, we've faced a lot of good offenses here," said Wolfpack coach Mike O'Cain. "Duke's offense with coach Spurrier there was tough to defend at times. Virginia's offense over the years has been tough, particularly when they had (quarterback) Shawn Moore. Georgia Tech, back when they had (quarterback) Shawn Jones down there, was very tough to defend. None of those are any tougher than what we will face on Saturday. They (Georgia Tech) give you a little bit of everything and the key to them being able to do that is their quarterback. Joe (Hamilton) is an exceptional athlete. He can run option, he can run bootleg and he can drop back and throw the football."
At this point, Hamilton is certainly one of the top two or three candidates for the Heisman Trophy. The 5-10, 189 pound senior is the nation's leader in passing efficiency and he is number two in total offense.
Like NC State's Jamie Barnette, Hamilton wasn't considered to be a blue chip quarterback coming out of high school. But also like Barnette, he has overcome questions about his arm strength and size to put together a record-breaking career.
"He's an exciting player to watch and is a great competitor," Barnette said when asked about the obvious parallels between himself and Hamilton. "Both of us do whatever is needed to help our teams win, whether that's running the ball or passing it."
Fortunately for him, Barnette won't be asked to defend Hamilton and Tech's high-powered offensive attack on Saturday. That task will be left up to an NC State defense which is surrendering 366 yards per contest. Hamilton's mobility, in particular, is a major concern for the Wolfpack.
"That makes it a lot harder," said Pack defensive tackle Jeff Fisher. "You can beat an offensive lineman, but then it becomes an entirely different challenge all together trying to get him on the ground because he's so shifty. It just like trying to tackle a running back."
But there aren't a lot of running backs that can throw the football as well as Hamilton does.
NC State has almost resigned itself to the fact that it will need to score a lot of points to win this game since no one else has really stopped the Jackets this season.
"The key is making them take a long time to score," O'Cain said. "If you want me to sit here and say that we feel like we can stop their offense, I'm not going to do it. I don't think anyone can stop their offense. The key to having a chance to beat them is to slow their offense down and make them drive the ball 80-yards. Hopefully, they'll make a mistake somewhere in between."
And that may indeed be the chink in Georgia Tech's armor. Opposing teams may not be able to stop Tech, but the Jackets have shown that they are fully capable of stopping themselves. With nine lost fumbles and four interceptions this season, Georgia Tech is dead last in the ACC in turnover margin (-1.17).
Another potential trouble spot for Tech is defense. Through six games, the Jackets are yielding an average of 376 yards per contest, a figure that ranks them 7th in the ACC.
"I don't think people understand how many young people we have out there," said Tech coach George O'Leary. "They're making a great effort, it's just sometimes in the wrong direction. I do think they're going to be pretty good when they get their feet wet."
The loss of Matt Uremovich won't help matters. The sophomore linebacker, who was Georgia Tech's leading tackler with 51, will miss the rest of the season after being diagnosed with a contusion of the spinal cord.
Although the series dates back to 1918, this will be just the 19th meeting between the Wolfpack and Yellow Jackets. Georgia Tech has owned the upper hand of late, winning the last four in a row. Overall, Tech leads the series 11-7. The Pack's only victories in Atlanta came in 1988 and 1994.
For the record, Barnette and Hamilton have combined for 17,516 yards of total offense, 15,970 yards passing and 106 touchdown passes in their careers. Those incredible numbers account for the highest combined totals ever by opposing quarterbacks in an ACC game.
