North Carolina State University Athletics
Tony Haynes: Wolfpack Begins Life After Rivers
12/24/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
Dec. 24, 2003
By Tony Haynes
Raleigh, N.C.-Included in Chuck Amato's head coaching career, which has spanned four years and 51 games, have been three offensive coordinators, several shades of sunglasses and two offices. The one constant during this exciting period in the history of NC State football has been the quarterback. Philip Rivers was the first recruit Amato visited after he took the NC State job four years ago, and together they raised the level of enthusiasm surrounding the Wolfpack program to new levels. But when Amato coaches his 52nd game next fall, it will mark the first time that someone other than Rivers will be his starting quarterback.
For the record, Rivers completed 348-of-483 passes (72%) for 4,490 yards, 34 touchdowns and seven interceptions in a senior season that can only be described as incredible. To hit 72 percent of 483 attempts and have only seven of those throws picked off is borderline ridiculous. Even more ridiculous is the fact that Rivers' accomplishments were overlooked by so many when voting for the major national awards took place at season's end.
Amato was hoping many of those voters would be tuned in to ESPN's coverage of the Tangerine Bowl on Monday night because there is really no doubt that the game plan authored by his offensive coaches was tailored to show off Rivers' skills as much as possible to a national television audience. And the second leading passer in NCAA history fired one last salvo to his detractors by breaking Tangerine Bowl records with 475 yards and five touchdowns as the Wolfpack pummeled Kansas, 56-26.
"I wanted to make sure that the people of America saw just how good Philip Rivers is," Amato said. "He did just that."
But with Rivers now moving on to the professional ranks, NC State football will undergo some changes. Without one of the greatest quarterbacks in college football history on hand to carry the load, the Wolfpack will likely be forced to become more balanced on offense and better defensively.
Rising redshirt junior Jay Davis and redshirt freshman Marcus Stone will compete for the starting quarterback job through the spring and perhaps even into preseason camp. Although he's seen very little game action, Davis has a slight edge going into the spring simply because of his overall knowledge of the system and the number of practice reps he's received the last two seasons. Stone, who possesses enormous physical ability, spent most of this first year watching and learning.
"Spring is going to be fun to find out who the next quarterback is going to be," said Amato. "It's going to be a lot of fun, a lot of work and a lot of excitement."
Whichever player wins the job, he won't be ask carry as much of the offensive burden as Rivers did for the better part of four years. Of the 888 offensive plays NC State ran this year, 496 were passes (56%). And while the Wolfpack philosophy of "pass to set up the run" probably won't change with a new quarterback, the running attack will certainly have to play a more prominent role for the Pack to have more success next year.
Everyone knows what T.A. McLendon can do when healthy, and the fact that Reggie Davis showed flashes of his ability late in the season leaves room for optimism at the running back spots. Assuming tackle Chris Colmer can make a full recovery from Parsonage Turner Syndrome, NC State should also have an improved offensive line that returns guard Leroy Harris, guard Ricky Fowler, center Jed Paulsen and massive tackle Derek Morris.
Like Rivers, record-breaking receiver Jerricho Cotchery will certainly be missed. Fortunately, however, returning pass-catchers like Tramain Hall, Richard Washington, Sterling Hicks and Brian Clark along with tight end T.J. Williams are proven commodities who should be even better next year.
Offensively, NC State put up averages of 37.6 points and 453 yards (both school records) this season. Obviously, with Rivers and Cotchery gone, it will be unrealistic to expect that kind of production next year, meaning the onus will fall on the defense to make dramatic strides during the offseason.
"It's got to," Amato said. "We had it last year when we led the conference in four categories on defense. We've got young kids that are still growing but they've got to grow up. They've got to get after each other and get the attitude that they can and will be able to dominate people and have a lot of confidence in themselves. Confidence is a big factor here. Hopefully we can get off to a good start of winning on defense in the post-Philip Rivers era."
There will be a lot of familiar faces returning from a defense that will welcome back virtually everyone. End Mario Williams and tackle John McCargo are future stars who will anchor the defensive line next season. Others, like tackle Dwayne Herndon, Tank Tyler, end Maurice Charles and end James Martin, should be bigger and faster after going through the full offseason conditioning program. Another player to watch will be rising junior Manny Lawson, who got the start at defensive end in the Tangerine Bowl after playing linebacker during the regular season.
With the exception of back-up safety Victor Stephens, all of the linebackers, cornerbacks and safeties on the current two-deep will return in tact in 2004. Included in the secondary group will be Marcus Hudson, a big, strong corner who sat out this season.
"We've got to go out and recruit and get more people to come and be a part of the Wolfpack family," Amato said. "We lose a bunch of great seniors. Obviously, Philip and Jerricho are the ones that stick out in everyone's mind, but players like Victor Stephens, Roger Pollard and Sean Locklear knew their roles and did a great job. I told them that I'm looking forward to the second Monday in February when the offseason program starts. That's my time to have 'fun' with them. We've got to get physically and mentally tougher and nastier. We've got some youngsters that can run, but we've got to get tougher and more hard-nosed."
When the NC State team bus returned to the Murphy Center in the aftermath of its Tangerine Bowl win on Tuesday morning, Rivers grabbed his bags and walked to his car. In an amazing moment of symbolism, Rivers looked like the Wolfpack fan he must now become when he slowly fitted a bright red NC State baseball cap to his head before driving off. And like all other fans, he'll be curious to see how well the Pack will do without him.
