North Carolina State University Athletics
Spring Football: Eight Down, Seven to Go
3/27/2001 12:00:00 AM | Football
By Tony Haynes
If Chuck Amato had his druthers, NC State would get 40 workouts in during the spring. But unfortunately, NC State's feisty football coach will have to settle for just 15 practices as mandated by the NCAA.
To this point, the Wolfpack's spring work has been fairly routine and uneventful. There have been no major injuries to speak of, and many of the key players who were somewhat hobbled at the beginning are being held out anyway. Between now and the first week of April, Amato will put his squad through seven more practices including the annual spring scrimmage at Carter-Finley Stadium on April 7 (3:30 p.m.).
With Clayton White now graduated and reigning ACC Defensive Player of the Year Levar Fisher recovering from off-season shoulder surgery, the coaching staff is taking a look at some different combinations at the linebacker positions. One possible change involves Brian Jamison, who has made a successful transition from pass rushing defensive end to inside linebacker. Redshirt sophomore Quenton Allen, who was listed as a safety last season, is also getting some work at White's old strong-side linebacker spot.
The Pack is also looking to replace strong safety Adrian Wilson, who elected to give up his final year of eligibility in order to make himself available for next month's NFL Draft. Freshman J.J. Jones and junior Julius Patterson are taking turns trying to fill the void left by a second team All-ACC selection.
Shoring up a defense that ranked 8th in the ACC against the run (191.1 ypg) last year is a major priority this spring.
"We're not going to be a great football team until we can play defense," Amato said. "I had the opportunity to go through this when I was down at Florida State. We won a lot of games my first few years down there where the score was 53-48 and the fans loved it. But they never won any championships that way. Now they're playing phenomenal defense. We've got to work hard to get good defensive players."
Amato and his staff worked hard to do just that by signing some talented young prospects during the February signing period. Three highly thought of junior college defensive linemen--Shawn Price, Terrance Chapman and Terrance Martin--were also added to the mix, but those players won't be available until preseason practice begins in early August.
"On paper, they can help us because they've got some speed," Amato said of the junior college additions. "We've also signed some good young players who can run, but it's going to take a while for them to get seasoned. But maybe they'll be more skilled than what we have."
Defensive end Corey Smith, who registered 12 tackles for loss and five sacks last season, has returned to spring workouts after missing a few days with a slightly pulled hamstring. Fisher, who led the nation in tackles last fall, has just recently begun to do a few things on the side.
"He's doing fine," Amato said. "He's starting to lift some weights and run some. We're not going to put him out there this spring. The worst thing that could happen would be for us to put him out there and some walk on falls on his leg and breaks it."
On offense, quarterback Philip Rivers is getting used to life without Koren Robinson. After making 110 catches for 1,914 yards and 15 touchdowns in two spectacular college seasons, the first team All-ACC pick also declared himself eligible for the NFL Draft. Last year, the Rivers to Robinson combination lit up the scoreboard and allowed the Pack to put up more than 31 points per game.
This spring, Rivers, who was named ACC Rookie of the Year after throwing for 3,054 yards and 25 touchdowns as a freshman, has been spreading the ball around to a number of different targets. In a scrimmage last weekend, walk on Jeremy Mebane led all of the receivers with seven receptions for 118 yards. Willie Wright made six grabs for 64 yards and sophomore Andy Bertrand caught four balls for 75 yards. Troy Graham, who sat out last season as a partial qualifier, made the only touchdown reception in the scrimmage.
"Bertrand and Troy Graham are going to have to step it up," Amato said. "Also, a lot of young men we signed this year will have a big opportunity."
Among those youngsters is Tramain Hall, who's slated to see time at the slot back position that's been vacated by departing senior Erik Leak. Hall, who is already enrolled in school after graduating in December, has been limited this spring by some back problems. But on those few occasions when he's been out on the field, Hall has shown why most of the recruiting experts had him ranked as one of the nation's best high school players.
"It didn't take Philip long to find Tramain," Amato said. "He has an explosion and an acceleration that we haven't had. He's a youngster and he's got a lot to learn, but he's got the tools to be an exciting player for us."
