North Carolina State University Athletics
FSU Loss Doesn't Dampen Pack's Resolve
11/16/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 16, 2003
By Tony Haynes
Raleigh, N.C.-On the charter flight back from Tallahassee on Saturday night, NC State football coach Chuck Amato watched and listened. He was taking the temperature of a football team that had just seen its ACC title hopes go up in smoke with a hard-fought double overtime loss to 13th ranked Florida State. What Amato saw was a young yet maturing football team that will be ready to prepare itself for another important battle. When Maryland visits Carter-Finley Stadium next Saturday at 3:30, the Wolfpack (7-4, 4-3) will be playing for a strong bowl invitation that would no doubt accompany a second place finish in the league standings.
"NC State hasn't finished second in the ACC for a long, long time and that would still be an outstanding season," Amato said. "I kind of felt on the plane that they were loose again, so they've finally gotten over [the Florida State loss] to a certain degree. Hey, it's the last game, it's home and the last game for our seniors. There are a couple of them - Jerricho [Cotchery] and Philip [Rivers] - that we owe those kids to have a great game and hopefully go away with a win. It's not going to be easy because we're running into a hot Maryland football team."
Saturday's game promises to bring even more emotion than usual for the reasons Amato mentioned. Rivers, in particular, will certainly be the major focus in his final home game at Carter-Finley. Brilliant throughout his storied career, the ACC's leading passer has somehow taken his own lofty standards to even new heights in NC State's last two games. Against Virginia and Florida State, Rivers completed 57-of-72 passes (79 percent) for 832 yards, eight touchdowns and no interceptions. And lets face it: he hasn't exactly put those numbers up against the sisters of the poor.
Can he keep it up?
"I hope so," Amato said. "A lot depends on the running back. I think that's a big factor in all this."
The running back, T.A. McLendon, left Saturday night's game in the third quarter with what was described as a bruised shoulder. More information on his status will likely be available on Monday.
With a win against the Terps, NC State would pretty much assure itself of either a return trip to the Gator Bowl or perhaps even an invitation to the Atlanta, Georgia Peach Bowl, which will be played on January 2nd of 2004. Now that Florida State has clinched the automatic BCS invitation that goes with the ACC title, the Gator Bowl is next in line to decide which school it will bring to Jacksonville, Florida for New Year's Day.
"We're probably involved with every conference bowl tie-up there is, from the Gator to Boise (the Humanitarian Bowl)," Amato said. "It all depends on what happens in this game and what happens in all the other games still left in the league."
NC State is one of three league teams with three losses, joining Georgia Tech (4-3) and Clemson (5-3). Maryland currently sits alone in second place with a 4-2 mark.
In reflecting back on Saturday night's second overtime period against Florida State, Amato said he had no regrets on his decision to go for a first down in fourth and one at the 16-yard line instead of kicking a field goal. The fourth down play in question resulted in an incomplete pass, meaning the Pack came away with no points on its possession in the second extra period. Florida State went on to score a touchdown to win the game 50-44.
After NC State scored a touchdown to pull within 44-43 in the first overtime period, Amato was asked by his offensive coaches if he was interested in going for the win right there and then with a two-point conversion.
"They always ask me whenever we score," Amato explained. "I didn't even hesitate. I thought about it going into the overtime. The obvious thing there is to go for one and let's go to another overtime and see what happens. I didn't have any reservations about going for one. I thought we had a chance in the red zone to maybe hold them to a field goal. In the red zone, it seemed like we had a better chance of stopping them because there wasn't as much field; we could press them a little more and you didn't have to worry about that 80-yard touchdown pass."
