North Carolina State University Athletics
Gary Hahn's Scouting Report
10/16/2002 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 16, 2002
#13 (AP) #10 (ESPN) NC STATE (7-0, 2-0) vs. DUKE (2-5, 0-3)
DATE: Saturday, October 19, 2002
TIME: Kickoff: 12:00 p.m. (EDT) at Carter-Finley Stadium, Raleigh, NC (51,500)
RADIO: Wolfpack Capitol Sports Network. AIRTIME: 11:00 a.m. (EDT)
TELEVISION: None
OPPONENT--Wake Forest took advantage of three turnovers by Duke and turned a close game into a 36-10 ACC rout at Groves Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
"The scoreboard isn't indicative of the game," said Duke coach Carl Franks, after his Blue Devils lost for the 20th consecutive time to an ACC opponent. Actually, Duke dominated the statistics and half the game.
Relying heavily on Alex Wade, a 6-1, 250-pound running back who gained 105 of his 165 yards in the first half, Duke rolled up 279 yards on 51 first-half plays compared to Wake Forest's 79 yards on 17 plays. But the Deacons led 14-0 before they even picked up a first down, thanks to a blocked field goal that Eric King returned 90 yards for a touchdown and linebacker Kellen Brantley's 29-yard interception return for a touchdown. Duke pulled to 14-10 late in the first half on Wade's 1-yard touchdown, but botched other scoring opportunities.
"It seems like every week, it's just the little things that get us - that's what is killing us right now," Wade said. "We're getting plenty of yards, but then when we get inside the 5-yard line, we don't put it in the end zone. Too many times we're getting stoned inside the 5 and we're forcing Garber to kick a field goal, and you can't do that the entire game. We need touchdowns."
Duke kicker Brent Garber missed a 31-yard attempt in the second quarter in addition to having his 22-yarder blocked in the first. Meanwhile, on the other side of the field, Wake Forest coach Jim Grobe was getting angry.
Grobe tore into the Deacons during the halftime break, training most of his verbal venom on an offense that managed only three first downs and controlled the ball for less than seven minutes. If Grobe was trying to fire up his players, he accomplished the job. The defense, led by end Calvin Pace, allowed only one first down on the Blue Devils' first five possessions of the second half as the Deacons outscored Duke 22-0 in the final 30-minutes. Pace finished the game with 13 tackles, two sacks and blocked the first quarter field goal attempt that King returned for a touchdown.
The Deacons finally took charge on the second possession of the third quarter, when tailback Nick Burney broke through the middle and dashed 43 yards for a TD and a 20-10 lead. When the Deacons capitalized on Kenneth Stanford's fumbled punt later in the quarter to take a 27-10 lead on Ovie Mughelli's 5-yard touchdown run, they were well on their way to a blow out victory.
Playing without guard Blake Henry, a senior standout who missed the game with an injured back, the Wake Forest offense managed only 224 yards, the fewest in Grobe's two seasons on the job.
Duke rushed for 240 yards, but its kicking game was a disappointment. In addition to missed field goals and a fumbled punt return, the Blue Devils were forced to use three punters and Wake Forest outgained Duke in return yardage 79-to-1.
Despite the outcome of the Wake Forest game, Duke appears to be much improved. However, it is a very young team. The Blue Devils feature only one senior, Jamyon Small. The remainder of the roster includes 17 juniors, 27 sophomores, 13 redshirt freshmen and 26 true freshmen. So, it's a team continuing to build for the future.
"I think this is the best team we've had here in four years since I've been here," said Franks. "We could be a lot better than are but D. Bryant is not here. We also don't have our starting tight end, which is a pretty important part of our offense. But, our kids have made tremendous strides."
Bryant, a two-year starter at quarterback, became an academic casualty in June and is no longer at Duke. Nick Brzezinski, who possessed the potential to be one of the top tight ends in the ACC, tore knee ligaments in pre-season practice and will miss the entire 2002 campaign.
Sophomore Adam Smith has started every game this season at quarterback for the Blue Devils. Despite his inexperience, he's thrown for a team high 956 yards and six touchdowns while tossing only two interceptions. His back up, sophomore Chris Dapolito, has played in all seven games. Dapolito has thrown for three touchdowns and run for another, but has completed only 36 percent of his passes with three interceptions."Our quarterbacks are taking care of the ball much better than they have in the last two years," added Franks.
Junior Reggie Love (6-4, 225) is the Blue Devils top receiver with 22 catches. Khary Sharpe (5-11, 170, So.) leads the team with three touchdown catches. Tight ends Andy Roland (6-4, 225, Fr.) and Calen Powell (6-5, 235, So.) have combined for 23 catches and two touchdowns.
While Duke is near the bottom in the ACC in passing (173) and total offense (352), the Blue Devils are better than average at running the football and stopping the run. Averaging 179 yards on the ground, Duke is fourth in the league in rushing and in run defense (130). In three games against ACC opponents (FSU, VA & WF) Duke has allowed an average of only 89.7 rushing yards a game.
Wade and Chris Douglas (5-11, 190, Jr.) bring a combination of strength and speed to the Duke backfield. Wade has five 100-yard rushing games to his credit this season and is second in the conference, averaging 101 yards a game. Douglas is rushing for 58 yards a game and has big play speed when healthy. Both can catch the ball and have combined for 19 receptions. Duke's starting offensive line is bigger, stronger, and has played pretty well. Only center Luke Bayer (6-5, 285) weighs less than 300 pounds.
The Blue Devils are even more improved on the other side of the ball. "Our defense is much better," Franks said. "We run better on defense which means we tackle better. We get more tackles for loss (64) and have more sacks (17). We're not giving up as many yards." The Blue Devils are fifth in the ACC in total defense (349) one spot above Florida State (380). However, Duke is eighth in the ACC in scoring defense (30.0).
Turnovers have put the Duke defense in poor position too many times this season. "Turnovers have really hurts us," added Franks. "We've given other teams some easy points with our turnovers." In its last five games, Duke is minus-5 in the turnover department.
Middle linebacker, Ryan Fowler (6-4, 235, Jr.) is Duke's leading tackler (72). Tackle Matt Zielinski (6-2, 290, Jr.) and defensive end Shawn Johnson (6-5, 265, Jr.) have combined for 22.5 tackles for loss. Johnson leads the team with 7 sacks while safety Alex Green (6-2, 195, So.), has a team-leading three interceptions.
Garber, a junior, has made 10 of his 16 field goal attempts this season including a 56-yarder and is a steady performer. He can also punt and boomed a 47-yarder against Wake Forest when pressed into service. Regular punter, Trey McDonald, is averaging 39.8 yards a kick and has had one attempt blocked this season.
NC State has won eight straight games in the series with Duke's last victory coming at home in 1993. Duke last win in Raleigh was in 1984 when Steve Sloan coached the Blue Devils to a 16-13 victory.
INJURIES--NC State: CB A.J Davis-Out; Fractured fibula; OLB Avery Gibson-Probable; High ankle sprain..Duke:RB Chris Douglas-Questionable: Ankle sprain; RB Cedric Dargan-Doubtful; Stress fracture fibula
