North Carolina State University Athletics
Pack and `Noles Square off at Carter-Finley
11/22/2002 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 22, 2002
By Tony Haynes
Raleigh, N.C.-Having recruited some of the players who are now playing prominent roles for Florida State, NC State head football coach Chuck Amato scoffs at the notion that the Seminoles are coming back to the rest of the ACC. "Look at their conference record," said the former FSU assistant coach. "As I read the paper this morning, there was a zero after the dash." Good point. The Seminoles (8-3) will carry a perfect 7-0 conference record into Saturday's 3:30 meeting with the Wolfpack (9-3, 4-3) at Carter-Finley Stadium.
Since joining the ACC in 1991, FSU's conference record is 77-4. Already assured of a tie for their 10th league title in 11 years, the Seminoles can clinch the outright championship by prevailing on Saturday. But NC State has been a thorn in the side of the FSU dynasty. The Wolfpack has levied two of Florida State's four defeats in conference play with both coming in a span of the last four years. Last November's stunning 34-28 win in Doak Campbell Stadium earned the Pack the distinction of being the only ACC team to have walked out of Tallahassee with a victory.
But even after all that, Amato isn't ready to concede that Florida State's reign of dominance is slowly coming to an end. In fact, the reporters who have made such a suggestion this week have been met with a tone of incredulity.
"We have drug testing for kids, now y'all need to be careful," Amato joked. "None of us are ever going to see anybody go 14 straight years and win 10 or more football games or be in the top four or better, ever in our lifetime. Sooner or later somebody is going to beat you once or twice or three times in a season. It's just got to happen."
So even though Florida State has lost three games this season, and seven times over the last two years, it still controls the top suite in the ACC football skyscraper. NC State, of course, had hoped to grab the penthouse away this season, and for a while, it looked like that may very well happen. But a memorable 9-0 start has now been undercut by a losing streak that has been made all the more painful by the way the three games were decided. All three came down to the last drive of the final quarter.
"These last three weeks have been real hard, losing the games the way we have lost them," said linebacker Dantonio Burnette, who along with 15 other NC State seniors will be playing his final home game this weekend. "We need this game real bad. If we go out and play as a team, I think we have a real good shot of getting the job done. We know Florida State is going to come in here ready to get revenge on us from last year."
In last year's game, quarterback Philip Rivers passed for 245 yards and tailback Ray Robinson ran for 106 as the Wolfpack employed a ball-control offensive style that controlled the game and kept the FSU defense on the field for long periods. Afterwards, veteran coach Bobby Bowden implied that Amato's intimate knowledge of Florida State's weaknesses helped NC State grab the upper hand.
"We played N.C. State last year, and they couldn't stop us and we couldn't stop them," Bowden said. "It was kind of who had it last. Although we had it last, we didn't run out of downs, we ran out of time. We had just gone ahead of them with maybe nine or ten minutes to go, and they took an eight-minute drive, and we couldn't get the ball. They got in there, and you haven't got much time to come back. That's what scares me about them. This quarterback is about as fine a possession passer as you'll find. I've noticed this about him ever since he started playing -- I've never seen a quarterback that is more aware of what's going on around him. If I've ever seen a player being like a coach on the field, it's him."
Philip Rivers' field awareness and understanding of the game are indeed impeccable, but this week he'll be trying to re-start an NC State offense that hasn't exactly been hitting on all cylinders over the last three weeks. After averaging more than 40 points per game for most of the year, the Wolfpack has put up just a shade over 15 points during its losing skid. And although the NC State defense has played well in recent weeks, 15 points probably won't be enough to beat Florida State.
Not only are the Seminoles averaging 34 points per game, they also lead the league in total offense (428.6 average). Since taking over for last year's ACC Rookie of the Year Chris Rix, quarterback Adrian McPherson has thrown for 772 yards and 10 touchdowns with only one interception.
"He's one of those guys that can really get around in the pocket and make some things happen," Burnette said. "Even though Rix does that also, McPherson can really hurt you a whole lot. Plus, he's a young guy. Sometimes those young guys get in there and make some things happen when you get a lot of pressure on them."
As usual, FSU has no shortage of talent and speed at the wide receiver positions. Anquan Boldin leads the pass-catching corps with 51 receptions and a league-leading 10-touchdown grabs.
Above all else, Florida State is still the ACC's best team by virtue of its superior depth. While NC State was rotating two walk-ons at left guard last week, the Seminoles were going with a back-up tailback that was once considered one of the very best high school running backs in the country. When Greg Jones went out with a season ending knee injury nearly a month ago, the 'Noles simply reloaded with Nick Maddox, a former Superprep All-American from A.L. Brown high school in Kannapolis, N.C.
"You're crazy if you think Florida State is on a downer," Amato said. "They get players and they coach them hard. They had a quarterback last year that was the ACC Rookie of the Year. How would you like to have your back-up quarterback be last year's ACC Rookie of the Year? And here's McPherson who they're already comparing to [former Florida State Heisman Trophy winner] Charlie Ward. He was the Florida Player of the Year in both football and basketball. The only person I've ever known to do that was Ronald Curry in Virginia. They may not have the Butkus Award winner, but there will be an awful lot of players getting drafted very, very high off of that football team."
Pack Points:Eleven of NC State's 16 seniors are full-time starters. Thirteen of the seniors were recruited and signed by the previous coaching staff headed up by Mike O'Cain. Florida State linebacker Jerel Hudson is the older brother of Wolfpack cornerback Marcus Hudson, who is listed as doubtful with a sprained ankle. Twenty percent (13-of-66) of the NC State players that dressed for last week's game at Virginia hail from the state of Florida. Rivers is just 46 yards shy of becoming only the third quarterback in ACC history to throw for 3,000 yards twice. Pack tailback T.A. McLendon needs 31 yards on Saturday to become just the fifth rookie in league history to rush for 1,000 yards in a season. A victory would give NC State the first 10-win season in school history.
