North Carolina State University Athletics
Pack and Deacons Ready for Big Four Battle
9/24/1999 12:00:00 AM | Football
Former North Carolina head coach Mack Brown spent a lot of years talking about how important it was to win the 'State Championship' in football. Since Brown's departure to Texas, current Tar Heels coach Carl Torbush has repeated those words every time Carolina prepares for a game against an in-state opponent.
This weekend, NC State (3-1) will travel to Wake Forest (1-1) for an Atlantic Coast Conference tilt at Groves Stadium. Wolfpack coach Mike O'Cain and Wake's Jim Caldwell have said nothing about this being a battle for the 'State Championship.' They never do. Apparently, UNC is the only school that plays for such a title.
So what will be on the line in Winston-Salem? Let's start with the conference standings. Both clubs are 0-1 in the ACC after falling in their respective conference openers last week.
For NC State, a victory would be a perfect way to go into a bye week. 4-1 sounds a heck of a lot better than 3-2. Meanwhile, Wake Forest will play five of its next six games at home. The Deacons are hoping to take advantage of this generous stretch in their schedule.
Then of course, there are the customary bragging rights that are earned through defeating a backyard rival.
"Anytime you play a team from North Carolina it's going to be a rival game," said Pack wide receiver Chris Coleman. "Wake Forest isn't as highly touted as Carolina, but we're going to approach it as if they're Florida State. It's a big game for our state."
It's also a big game because the Wolfpack can't afford to drop to 0-2 in the conference standings.
"I would say this is bigger than the Texas game or any of the others we've played before," Coleman said. "This would be our first conference win if we were to beat Wake Forest. We got Florida State out of the way and hopefully we can win the rest of our conference games."
Saturday's contest will pit the ACC's 9th ranked offense (NC State) against the league's lowest ranked defensive unit (Wake Forest). Deacons coach Jim Caldwell has been cautioning his players not to put much stock in the Wolfpack's offensive statistics.
'They're probably one of the most difficult teams to prepare for because they do so many different things and they do them so well," Caldwell said.
Caldwell, now in his seventh year at Wake Forest, is also leery of NC State quarterback Jamie Barnette, who has had is share of problems this season. "If you blitz (Barnette) too much, he makes plays. He's probably as effective when he moves and scrambles as he is standing in the pocket. He makes the offense go."
Jamie Barnette's namesake at Wake Forest is also very dangerous-especially when he plays against NC State. Deacons wide receiver Jammie Deese (is spelled with two m's) has averaged 9.3 catches and 121 yards receiving in his previous three outings vs. the Pack.
While Deese is worth keeping an eye on, the NC State defense will likely focus most of its attention on running back Morgan Kane, who leads the ACC in rushing (138 ypg).
"He (Kane) is definitely an explosive guy," said NC State linebacker Sheldon Kee. "He totes the ball real hard, he's durable and is a very tough guy."
Kane's success is directly attributable to a new offensive philosophy at Wake Forest. The Deacons have nearly three times as many rushing attempts as passing attempts in their first two games.
They'll try to grind it out against an improved NC State defense that has not yielded many yards on the ground. Through four games, the Pack has only allowed its opponents to rush for an average of 97.5 yards.
This will be the 93rd meeting in a rivalry that dates all the way back to 1895. NC State holds a 56-30-6 advantage in the series.
