North Carolina State University Athletics
Pack Expecting Tough Battle with Deacons
9/12/2002 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 12, 2002
Game Day Central
Wolfpack Radio Network Stations
By Tony Haynes
Raleigh, N.C.-To a man, NC State's players and coaches distinctly remember the collective relief they felt after escaping Wake Forest's Groves Stadium with a 17-14 victory last season. It's the same kind of relief one would feel after undergoing a root canal.
Now the Pack (3-0), ranked 19th in the AP Poll, gets a chance to head back to the dentist office when Wake makes a 7 p.m. house call to Carter-Finley Stadium on Saturday night.
With their unorthodox style on both offense and defense, the Deacons (1-1) take great pleasure in creating preparation headaches. Wake's unique offense, which employs an inordinate amount of deception and misdirection, created all kinds of problems for ACC teams last season. By the end of the 2001 campaign, the Deacons were the league's top rushing team with an average of 221 yards per game.
"It took until the mid-second quarter or early third quarter before we felt comfortable against them," NC State defensive end George Anderson recalls. "I think this year it will be a lot better since we played Navy and East Tennessee State. We've already seen a lot of option and misdirection-type stuff. Last year when we played Wake Forest, it was really our first time seeing that option-type of game. I think we'll be a lot better at it this year."
For the freewheeling Wolfpack, which has outscored its first three opponents by an average of 33 points, Saturday's game figures to be more competitive, especially since it's the first conference match-up for both schools.
"Not to belittle any of the teams we've played, but the competition is going to step-up," Anderson said. "Then you get the in-state rivalry, so there's a lot more on the line as far as bragging rights are concerned. The ACC championship is also up for grabs. Every game is for the national championship because the way things are now, if you lose one game then you're not there. It's the same with the ACC Championship."
And championship teams always take care of business at home. But if recent history repeats itself on Saturday, NC State may have a difficult time burying Wake Forest into the Wayne Day Field sod. Beginning with last year's clash between these two Big Four rivals, the Deacons have played nine straight games that have been decided by seven points or less. After opening the season with a heart-breaking 42-41 overtime loss to Northern Illinois, Wake bounced back last week with a solid 27-22 triumph over East Carolina.
"Obviously this will be our biggest challenge to date," said Deacons coach Jim Grobe. "In our first two games, we played teams with inexperienced quarterbacks. They were talented kids, but didn't have nearly the experience of Philip Rivers. In Rivers, we're facing a guy that's the No. 1 rated quarterback in the country so we know we have our work cut out for us. I don't see any weaknesses in their offense. We'll have to step it up this Saturday to have any chance of slowing these guys down."
New Mexico, East Tennessee State and Navy would probably agree with Grobe's assertion. Through three games, the Wolfpack is averaging 44.3 points and 441.5 yards of total offense. Rivers, meanwhile, leads the nation in passing efficiency.
From a scheme standpoint, the defense NC State will encounter on Saturday has some similarities to the style that was employed by New Mexico in week one. Like the Lobos, the Deacons 'stack' three linebackers behind three down linemen, while also using five defensive backs.
"They're in the three over three situation inside, so we've seen it and we've practiced against it," said Wolfpack head coach Chuck Amato. "I'll bet you as the year goes on, you'll see more and more teams running that. Anytime you do something a little different that's not a blackboard defense for an offense, it makes the line's blocks a little different. Even though they kind have the same assignment, it's not like they've been practicing against it very much. It's a little bit of a change."
But to this point, Wake's defense hasn't fooled anybody. The Deacons rank dead last in the ACC in scoring defense, having yielded an average of 32 points in two games. After watching the film of NC State's 65-point explosion at Navy last week, the Deacs know they'll be in for a long night if their defense doesn't get things turned around.
"I just hope it isn't too high scoring," said Wake Forest cornerback Eric King. "The 65 points was impressive. It doesn't matter who you play, in college football it's hard to put up 65 points on any opponent. We're just going to have to be ready to play. They're a great team, and we're going to have to be ready to execute on offense, defense and the kicking game."
Despite playing without top running back Tarence Williams, Wake Forest is up to its old tricks in the running game. With an average of 262 yards per game on the ground, the Deacs rank second in the ACC and 8th in the nation. Williams, who rushed for more than 1,000 yards a year ago, has been slowly working his way back from a broken foot. To this point, however, the senior has only carried the ball twice in two games. Through the air, Wake quarterback James MacPherson has hit 25-of-46 passes for 323 yards and one touchdown so far this season.
Saturday's game will mark the 96th meeting between the Wolfpack and Deacons. NC State holds a 58-31-6 advantage in the all-time series and Wake Forest hasn't won at Carter-Finley Stadium since 1984.
"Wake has been playing us close ever since I've been here," said NC State wide receiver Bryan Peterson. "My freshman year they beat us; my sophomore and junior years they played us close. They're just another team standing in the way of us becoming ACC champs. We've just got to go in there and play up to our capabilities."
