North Carolina State University Athletics
Behind The Scenes With Tony Haynes: Wolfpack Produces Avalanche
11/4/2001 12:00:00 AM | Pack Athletics
Nov. 4, 2001
By Tony Haynes
Duke's hard luck Blue Devils figured things couldn't get much worse. When you think about it, what could possibly be more humiliating than a 20-game losing streak?
How about standing at the foot of a mountain during an avalanche.
Not long after Duke kicked off to open its football game against NC State on Saturday, the boulders came rolling down from the hilltops of Wallace Wade Stadium. One right after the other, they came, and by the time the dust had settled the Wolfpack owned a 49-0 lead. And it wasn't even halftime yet.
Each time they looked at the scoreboard, players on both sidelines wore expressions of amazement. Red Clad NC State fans, who turned Wallace Wade into Carter-Finley west, had no time to even sit down during a first half that defied all logic.
After going three and out on its first possession of the game, the Wolfpack proceeded to score the next five times it touched the ball. Four of those five touchdowns came as the direct result of Duke mistakes.
A fake punt attempt that backfired led to NC State's first score, a short 28-yard drive in seven plays. On the ensuing kickoff, Duke fumbled. Three plays and 18 yards later, the Wolfpack was in the end zone again. Later, Levar Fisher did his best Ray Robinson impression by weaving his way down the field after picking up another Blue Devil fumble. The 52-yard return made it 35-0. It also ignited a party on the NC State sideline. Not only is Fisher the spiritual leader of this Wolfpack team, he is extremely popular with his teammates and coaches. By the end of the day, he would tie Damien Covington's school record for career tackles.
Moments after Fisher's return, freshman cornerback Marcus Hudson would have his day in the sun, returning a D. Bryant interception 100 yards for another six points.
With his team up 42-0, NC State head coach Chuck Amato started seeking out position coaches to talk about substitutions. How much more should the starters play? It was a question that Amato's former boss, Florida State's Bobby Bowden, has been forced to ask himself many times. But this is NC State, the Cardiac Pack. In Amato's two years as coach, one-sided wins had been few and far between. Trying to figure out who would play and how much was indeed a new problem. But it was also a nice problem to have.
In the end, Wolfpack starters probably spent more time on the field in the second half than Amato would have liked. Duke deserves credit for making it that way. After being buried by that first half avalanche, the Blue Devils got off the mat and played with energy and intensity after intermission, outscoring the Pack 24-7.
Proving once again that, as Amato likes to say, "stats are for losers," Duke outgained NC State 517 yards to 382. The Blue Devils also ran twice as many plays as the Wolfpack (98-48). And how about time of possession? Duke had the ball for nearly 40 of the 60 minutes.
Bryant passed for 400 yards while Rivers was 13-of-22 for just 151 yards. But here's the catch: Rivers had four touchdown passes and zero interceptions. Bryant's one interception was turned into a defensive touchdown.
A touchdown that was part of a first half avalanche.
