North Carolina State University Athletics
Wolfpack Looks For Repeat Against SMU
9/20/2001 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 20, 2001
By Tony Haynes
Rarely does one singular play make the difference in a football game, but in NC State's 41-0 thrashing of SMU last season at Carter-Finley Stadium, the opening play from scrimmage painted a very clear picture of what was to come.
Playing in just his third college game, Wolfpack quarterback Philip Rivers retreated in the pocket and zinged a 46-yard strike into the hands of speedy wide receiver Koren Robinson, who had sprinted past two Mustang defenders. One play later, Rivers would find Robinson again-this time on a 22-yard scoring toss that looked oh so easy.
The route was on.
And while NC State's offense excelled, the Pack's defense dominated. In piling up 10 quarterback sacks, the Wolfpack held SMU to just 176 total yards. For an NC State team that always seemed to win the hard way, this one was surprisingly easy.
"I just think that we came out with the attitude that we had something to prove because we didn't play up to our potential in our first game against Arkansas State," recalled Wolfpack linebacker Dantonio Burnette. "I think we came out against SMU and played hard. We just went out there and had a good game."
And while NC State would go on to post an 8-4 record that would include a win over Minnesota in the MicronPC.com Bowl, SMU's year would go from bad to worse. The Mustangs culminated a 3-9 campaign by falling to rival Texas Christian, 62-7.
The new season has brought similar pain for the Mustangs (0-2), who are coming off back-to-back losses to Louisiana Tech (36-6) and TCU (38-10). Still, as college football watchers have already noticed this year, nothing is ever guaranteed in this unprecedented era of parity. NC State (1-0), which hasn't played since whipping Indiana 35-14 on September 6, will be leery of upset possibilities when it tangles with the Mustangs at Gerald J. Ford Stadium in Dallas on Saturday night.
So far this season, SMU has been done in by its own mistakes. Of the 74 points the Mustangs have surrendered in two games, 51 came as the direct result of turnovers. SMU's first two opponents have scored a total of four defensive touchdowns.
"I don't think we'll go out there and not take them seriously," Burnette said. "The mistakes that they've made have really cost them the first two games. They've also had some bad luck. We don't need to go in there and underestimate them because it could come back to haunt us. You've got to play all phases of the game because they have real good special teams. That's something we've been working on this week because they can get out and block punts, which can turn a game around real easily."
But perhaps no team in college football has become more proficient at blocking punts than NC State. In it's opening night triumph in Raleigh, the Pack grabbed the early momentum by blocking a pair of Indiana punts. And two of State's three blocked punts during the regular season last year came against SMU.
But other than its success blocking kicks, NC State's overall execution in the kicking game was far from flawless against the Hoosiers on Sept. 6. Along with muffing a few extra point attempts, the Pack gave up huge chunks of yardage with its kick off coverage team, a unit that consists of several young and inexperienced players.
"We have the right people on that team," said NC State head coach Chuck Amato. "We've got some youngsters that can run fast and they're excited about going down there, which is very important. We've taught 'em step A, now we're going to chapter B."
Amato was pleased with the Wolfpack's defensive effort against Indiana. The Hoosiers, who returned eight starters from an offensive unit that led the Big Ten in rushing last season, were held scoreless for the first 55 minutes of that game two weeks ago.
In SMU, NC State will be facing an opponent that has really struggled on the offensive side of the ball. Through two games, the Mustangs have mustered an average of only 217 yards of total offense, a figure that ranks 109th in this week's NCAA statistics.
"They've made mistakes that have turned their games around," Amato said. "If they stop that, they will be dangerous. They'll be ready like everybody else is. Hopefully we'll go out there and play hard. That's all we can ask them to do. Who's to say it would be an upset (if SMU wins)? We've only played one game. We may be 1-10 when it's all over and they may be 9-2."
This will mark the third time NC State and SMU have met. Back in 1968, the Mustangs downed the Pack in Dallas, 35-14.
Other NC State Notes:
Tailback Ray Robinson is eighth on the school's career rushing list with 2,117 yards, 11th in all purpose yardage (2,800) and sixth in rushing TDs (21).....in just 12 career regular season games, Rivers is already ninth among Pack career passing yardage leaders (3,297) and fifth in career TD passes (28)....Over his last five games wide receiver Bryan Peterson has 22 catches for 275 yards....Linebacker Levar Fisher is now sixth on the school's career tackle list (357).
