North Carolina State University Athletics
Unbeaten Wolfpack Prepares For Trip To Death Valley
10/3/2000 12:00:00 AM | Football
Moments after his team had disposed of Georgia Tech in overtime back on September 21, NC State coach Chuck Amato knew the Pack's next game would be against a nationally ranked opponent. But little did he know at the time that Clemson would be ranked as high as 5th in the polls by game week.
"They're 5-0 and the biggest struggle they've had is the coin toss: deciding should they call heads or call tails, and which way is the wind blowing when they flip that coin," said Amato. "They have whipped five teams, big time. They've dominated people."
In fact, "dominate" may be too mild a word to describe what the Tigers have done to their first five opponents. Clemson's closest game to this point was a rout, 31-10 at Virginia. Led by multi-purpose quarterback Woodrow Dantzler, the Tigers rank fourth in the nation in scoring (47.6 ppg.), and they have already scored more than 50-points three times.
And if that's not enough for you, consider the fact that they lead the nation in total defense, yielding a measly 199.2 yards per game.
"Everybody talks about Clemson's offense, but they're pretty salty on defense too," Amato said. "They're awfully fast and quick."
And similar to their offense, the Tigers' defense employs a fast-paced, attacking style. The quickest of the quick is linebacker Keith Adams, who may be well on his way to repeating as the ACC Defensive Player of the Year. The 5'11, 220 pound junior leads the team with 10 tackles for loss and six sacks this year.
A gambling, blitzing style has paid dividends for a unit that is forcing turnovers in bunches. And when the Tigers force a mistake, they cash in: Clemson has an amazing 76-16 advantage in the category of "points off turnovers" this year.
Clemson's rapid rise in the national polls has been remarkable, especially when you take into consideration that the Tigers were just 3-8 two short years ago.
"I think it shows that they had players," said Amato. "You don't do all this without players. It also shows that Tommy Bowden has put together quite a staff down there, and they coach 'em and they teach 'em."
