North Carolina State University Athletics
Weinke Has Rebounded from 'Six Pick' Day
9/14/1999 12:00:00 AM | Football
Chris Weinke's nightmare last year turned into a dream come true for NC State. Who would have expected the Pack to knock off Florida State 24-7? But then again, who would have guessed that Weinke would have thrown six interceptions?
Most coaches are fond of saying that FSU is virtually unbeatable when it is on top of its game. Only on those days when the Seminoles are making mistakes can they be ripe for an upset. And that's exactly what happened on September 12, 1998.
No one sitting in the Carter-Finley Stadium seats could have guessed what was on the horizon when Weinke, making just his second college start, hit Peter Warwick with a 74 yard touchdown pass on the first play from scrimmage.
On their second possession, the Seminoles drove all they way down to the NC State 5-yard line. A 14-0 FSU lead seemed imminent when Weinke forced a pass that was picked-off by cornerback Lloyd Harrison at the one.
"That was the biggest play of the ballgame," NC State coach Mike O'Cain said recently. "Without that interception, the other things that happened during that game may not have happened."
What happened next was a 99-yard touchdown drive by the Wolfpack. Not only did Harrison's pick result in a 14-point turnaround, it also rattled Weinke. After that, he threw five more costly interceptions.
"The key was keeping Florida State out of a rhythm," said NC State cornerback Tony Scott. "We wanted to take that away from them and make them play one play at a time as opposed to letting them get rolling in their hurry up offense."
In many cases, the coverages that Weinke thought he saw coming before the snap were a mirage. "We really only played about two or three different coverages," Scott said.
But they key was disguising what those coverages were. Weinke repeatedly threw into a crowd, a sign that he was not getting a good read on what NC State was doing.
On the day, cornerbacks Harrison and Anthony Cason had two interceptions apiece. Safeties Rodney Redd and Jason Perry accounted for the other two.
And what did Weinke do after that game? He threw 237 consecutive passes without an interception. The ACC record streak didn't come to an end until Florida State's opening game against Louisiana Tech this season.
