North Carolina State University Athletics
Another Big Game For NC State
11/4/1999 12:00:00 AM | Football
Maryland (5-3, 2-3 ACC) at NC State (5-4, 2-4 ACC)
Saturday 11/6, 12-noon
Carter-Finley Stadium (51,500)
By Tony Haynes
NC State's battle cry has seemingly been the same for the last four or five weeks: Win or else. This weekend, the Wolfpack will play a team that's in exactly the same situation. When they meet in an ACC football game at Carter-Finley Stadium on Saturday, Maryland and NC State will literally be fighting for their post-season lives.
"I think it's in that must win category," said Pack head coach Mike O'Cain. "We know we've got to win seven. We've won five and we've got three left. You can add up pretty quickly that we've got to win two out of three."
On top of everything else, Saturday is senior day and homecoming at NC State. 19 Wolfpack seniors, including quarterback Jamie Barnette and All-American cornerback Lloyd Harrison, will be playing their final home game at Carter-Finley Stadium.
"I'm sure it will be emotional for me," Harrison said. "It was pretty emotional last year when those guys were leaving me. I'm ready for it I think."
Harrison and the rest of the defense are also ready for a steady diet of Terps running back LaMont Jordan. With five 100 plus yard rushing performances this season, including a 227 yard outburst vs. Duke last week, Jordan is second only to Virginia's Thomas Jones in the ACC rushing race.
Most NC State fans don't need to be reminded about what Jones and Wake's Morgan Kane did to the Pack defense earlier this season.
"He's definitely in their class," Harrison responded, when asked to compare Jordan with Jones and Kane. "He actually does a lot of things better than those guys. He's a lot more powerful. Even if you're squared up, he can break the tackle."
Jordan is averaging 135.3 rushing yards per game.
Jordan's exploits this season have been complimented by the steady play of a redshirt freshman quarterback. Calvin McCall has already set Maryland freshman records for pass completions (80), passing yards (1,129), touchdown passes (5) and pass attempts (160).
"The dimension that McCall gives them is that he's a very good athlete," O'Cain said. "They get him out on the corners, sprint him out and bootleg him out of the pocket a little bit. He's not a classic drop-back passer, but he throws the ball very well. The key, as it has been in most weeks, is to confuse him some with the different looks we're giving. We want to put them in the position where they have to throw the ball. If we're not able to get them into second and long, and third and long situations, it's going to be a very long day for us."
Thanks to their ball-control offensive attack, the Terrapins lead the nation in turnover margin (plus 1.63).
Defensively, Maryland is only giving up 18.4 points per game, a figure that ranks it 20th nationally.
"I've seen them on TV a couple of times and it really did shock me how much they've improved," said Wolfpack offensive tackle Todd Boyle. "Those guys are getting a good pass rush and they're definitely containing the run of a lot of teams."
Maryland starts a veteran front four that features three seniors and a junior. All-ACC candidate Delbert Cowsette has fought off constant double teams to average 7.6 tackles per game.
NC State has won seven of the last eight games in this series and leads the overall series 27-24-1.
Last year, Jamie Barnette completed 22 of 39 passes for 241 yards and a touchdown as the Pack rallied from a 7-6 halftime deficit to post a 35-21 win in College Park.
