North Carolina State University Athletics
Behind The Scenes With Tony Haynes: It's Just One
10/1/2001 12:00:00 AM | Pack Athletics
Oct. 1, 2001
By Tony Haynes
As always, the home lockerroom was hot and steamy as NC State's disappointed football players sat listening to their head coach following Saturday's gut-wrenching 17-9 loss to archrival North Carolina. It is in moments like these when head coaches earn their money, the right message following an excruciating loss can often set the tone for the rest of the season.
Chuck Amato knew what had to be said: "It's just one loss."
He's right. The Wolfpack's record isn't 2-8 or 2-5 now, it's 2-1. The conference mark is 0-1. One defeat-or win-in the third game does not a season make.
"I told them, 'hey men, we're now added to the total of teams in the ACC who have one loss,'" Amato said follow his lockerroom talk. "We're just like Clemson, we're just like Florida State and we're just like the University of North Carolina. If we want to win the conference championship we can't stub our toe again. We have to put this one behind us as quickly as we can. That's not easy, but we have to. Hey, it hurts me like it hurts all those thousands of fans that are graduates of this university because I'm a graduate of this university too. I feel for the fans and these young men, but we've got to go on. We can't dwell on it, the fans can but we can't."
The only thing NC State lost on Saturday, other than the game of course, are bragging rights. It did not lose the ACC Championship, nor did it have its season ruined.
Perhaps the Pack can take a cue from the Heels, who have made a Lazarus-like recovery from an 0-3 start. Even the most die-hard members of the ABC Club would have to acknowledge the fact that North Carolina has done a remarkable job of coming back from Deadsville, USA.
It's become rather obvious that in order to get well, NC State's improved defense will need more help from the Pack offense, which has had too many 'three and out' possessions the last two weeks. 'Three and outs' cost field position and force the defense to spend an inordinate amount of time on the field.
Against the Tar Heels, the Wolfpack had a total of six possessions of 'three and out,' a high number for a unit that put up first downs and points in bunches last season.
"I kept thinking that we were about to make something happen," said Pack quarterback Philip Rivers, who passed for 306 yards and one touchdown in the face of a fierce UNC pass rush. "As a loss, it's a tough loss just like any. I can't stand to lose and I know everybody on our team would say the same. It's one of those things that we can let bother us for a few days, but we've got to move on. We've still got eight to go and hopefully nine to go."
The offense Rivers is conducting this season is a carbon copy of the scheme he ran so effectively last season. Plus, 99 percent of the calls that are being made from the sidelines are identical to what was being called a year ago.
So what's the biggest difference? You need not consult with Vince Lombardi to come up with the answer to that question. Every time NC State played last season, with perhaps the lone exception being the game against Florida State, Koren Robinson was the best player on the football field. And for that reason, he was obviously a lot better than most of the defensive backs that were trying to cover him. And on those few occasions when Robinson wasn't making a lot of catches, he was drawing extra attention, which in turn provided opportunities for others to make big plays.
With Bryan Peterson leading the way, the Wolfpack has a nice group of young wide receivers who will continue to get better, but at this point in their careers, none of those players are capable of dominating a football game in the way Robinson could.
Amato's offensive staff is sharp. These are the same guys who came up with the game plans and strategies that worked so well last season. Former offensive coordinator Norm Chow was also a part of that mix, but he was not the sole author of the playbook. "The NC State offense" is the result of a collaboration involving many coaches.
Chow, now the offensive coordinator at Southern California, obviously misses the "NC State offense." Through four games this season, his Trojans rank 96th in the nation in scoring offense with an average of just 16.25 points per game.
The Pack will have a chance to get back on track this Saturday against an improved Wake Forest team. A win won't come easy, but if NC State does emerge victorious, it will be right back in the thick of the conference race. Certainly, one loss to North Carolina didn't knock the Wolfpack out of contention.
