North Carolina State University Athletics
Tony Haynes: T.A. Equals Big Plays
11/4/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 4, 2003
By Tony Haynes
To understand just how important running back T.A. McLendon is to the NC State football team, all one really needs to do is review three consecutive plays from the first half of the Wolfpack's incredible 51-37 ACC victory over Virginia on Saturday night. Amazingly, the sophomore running back didn't even touch the ball on two of the plays that ultimately led to a 76-yard touchdown march. But as that symbolic drive clearly demonstrated, McLendon doesn't really need to get his hands on the ball to be a factor. Just having him on the field makes enough of a difference.
The 3-play sequence to which I refer occurred in the second quarter with NC State trailing 17-14. On first down, Wolfpack quarterback Philip Rivers froze the Cavalier linebackers and safeties with a play-action fake to McLendon and fired a 33-yard strike to receiver Jerricho Cotchery crossing the middle. On second down, McLendon bulled his way for 10 yards to the Virginia 33. On third down, another play-action fake again fooled the Cavaliers, allowing Rivers to connect with Cotchery again, this time for 33 more yards and a touchdown.
The big number 44 McLendon wears on his jersey might as well be a target because opposing defensive coordinators know that if they can't stop him, they'll have no chance of controlling Rivers. And when defenses gear up to stop the run, they become much more vulnerable to the downfield play-action passing game.
Given the fact that there's been virtually no play-action game to speak of with McLendon missing much of this season with injuries, Rivers has done a remarkable job of still putting up big numbers. But with the reigning ACC Rookie of the Year by his side in the backfield, Rivers becomes doubly lethal.
On Saturday, the ACC's all-time leading passer was at his best, hitting his first 17 throws in the opening half before coming back with another streak of nine consecutive completions in the second half. He finished 29-of-34 for 410 yards, and all four of his touchdown passes, three of which covered 34, 33 and 75 yards, came off of play-action fakes to McLendon.
And of course, this strange run-to-pass relationship also works in reverse, as evidenced by the play that won it for the Pack. With the Virginia defense spread out looking for a pass with just a half-minute remaining in the game, McLendon broke loose on a trap play that produced a 38-yard scoring run and the game-winning points.
Would NC State's offensive coaches have made such a gutsy call with any of the other backs at that crucial juncture? Probably not. In fact, a lot of runners would have probably been stopped for a 3-yard gain, but when McLendon shook off safety Jay Dorsey after breaking through the initial hole, he was off to the races.
"Our coaches were saying if we call the running play, he might hit his head on the goalpost," Amato said. "He's a force just being in the backfield."
Big Bye Week: If Amato had his druthers, NC State would have had its bye week in between the season opener against Western Carolina and the Ohio State game back in September. It almost happened. An initial draft of this year's schedule had the Wolfpack taking the weekend of September 6th off. But because of the need to accommodate all of the ACC teams and their non-conference schedules, the Pack ended up playing Wake Forest that weekend.
In the final analysis, however, the bye for this weekend comes at a very good time, especially since the next opponent is Florida State on November 15.
"We've gone 10 straight games," Amato said. "We should have had an open date a long time ago. We need it, but we're actually getting some people healthy at this point. Our coaches are going to go out on the road and recruit, and the players will lift and do some agility drills. We'll practice Wednesday, Thursday and Friday and let them have off on Saturday."
In the Eye of the Storm: Nobody was feeling the heat of football combat in Saturday night's game any more than a gentleman named Tom Laverty. As the umpire in the ACC officiating crew, Laverty was positioned right in behind the linebackers for four, physical quarters of football. That spot on the field was particularly hazardous when Virginia had the ball. In their version of the "West Coast Offense," the Cavaliers like sending wide receivers on what are known as 'dig routes,' shallow crosses that are designed to go right by the umpire. It's a clever ploy that allows receivers to run defensive backs either through or around that particular official, who, in essence, can become an unwilling screener for the offense.
The old 49rs of Joe Montana and Bill Walsh used to use the umpire as a 12th man in their offense, a move that often allowed receivers like Dwight Clark to get wide open. Earlier this season, NC State got a dose of an umpire pick when cornerback Greg Golden collided with the umpire while trying to follow receiver Michael Jenkins of Ohio State. The play resulted in a 44-yard touchdown for the Buckeyes.
Hurray for the Holts: Needless to say, it's pretty easy to root for the Holt brothers. Along with being class acts, they're also fabulous football players. Named the NFC Player of the Month for October, Torry Holt of the St. Louis Rams made 11 catches for 200 yards and a touchdown in his team's loss to the 49rs on Sunday. Torry currently leads the NFL in receptions (63) receiving yards (978) and touchdown receptions (9). Brother Terrence, a rookie with the Detroit Lions, came up with his first career interception against the Raiders on Sunday, returning the ball 30 yards in Detroit's 23-13 win.
