North Carolina State University Athletics
An Early Homecoming for WCU Coaches
8/25/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
Aug. 25, 2003
By Tony Haynes
Raleigh, N.C.-NC State's "official" homecoming won't take place until September 20th when Texas Tech comes to Raleigh for a Saturday afternoon visit. But for three members of the Western Carolina coaching staff, this weekend's season-opening battle with the Pack will also be like a homecoming. Catamounts head coach Kent Briggs certainly knows what Carter-Finley Stadium is all about. So do WCU offensive coordinator Todd Varn and running backs coach Rodney Redd.
Initially hired by Dick Sheridan in 1989, Briggs was a Wolfpack defensive assistant coach for 11 years and shared the defensive coordinator duties from 1996-99. Varn, a Pack running back from 1986-89, started his coaching career as a student assistant for Sheridan's staff in 1991. Redd, of course, made his mark as an NC State defensive back, ending his career as a tri-team captain in 1998.
"I told our players that we're going into a war because I've talked about how great the fans are at North Carolina State," said Briggs, who was a quarterback at Western Carolina. "It's going to be loud and they're really going to be into the game. It's going to be a fun atmosphere even though it's going to be hostile. It will be a great experience for our players to be in that atmosphere because that's what big time college football is all about. It's going to be one of those experiences that they'll remember forever."
Briggs knows as well as anybody that Western Carolina's last two visits to Raleigh did not necessarily produce positive experiences for the Catamounts. He was on the NC State sideline in the last meeting, a game won by the Pack 38-13. He was also wearing red back in 1990, when NC State scored one of the most lopsided victories in school history, a 67-0 thrashing in which Western Carolina mustered only 17 yards of total offense.
"Fortunately, I was on the right side of the field for that one," said a giggling Briggs. "I know that was [coach] Steve Hodgin's first game there. They didn't even get a first down. They gave me a hard time about that because I had just left Western at that point. I know coach Sheridan wasn't trying to run the score up. We just put our second bunch in and they played really well. They wanted to score and do some things."
This time, Briggs will be trying to prevent an NC State runaway, a task that won't be easy. Led by senior quarterback Philip Rivers, the Wolfpack will likely field one of college football's most explosive offenses this season. Dealing with NC State's team speed and overall talent advantage will be a difficult challenge for a Division 1-AA school, although the Catamounts do return 15 starters from a club that went 5-6 a year ago.
"You've got their speed at wide receiver and then their offensive line is big and strong and they're mean," said Briggs. "Watching them on film they're a pleasure to watch. They don't just block you, they try to hurt you sometimes, too. Philip's a great reader of coverages and blitzes. If you're off an inch, he takes a mile. I just hope that speed wise we can keep them hemmed up enough so we can be in the game and have a chance to win in the end."
Using what Briggs called "a Clemson-style offense" last season, the Catamounts averaged 243.5 yards passing, a figure that led the Southern Conference and ranked 26th nationally. After splitting time with Pat Cliento at quarterback last season, Brian Gaither, a preseason second team All-Southern Conference selection, will take over on a full-time basis this fall.
"This year, Gaither is alone at the top," Briggs said. "He's got all the tools that we think we need to lead our football team."
Western will have to fill the void left by three senior wide receivers, but Briggs hopes his team will also run the football better than it did in 2002.
"We led the conference in passing, but the thing we need to do is to run the ball more effectively," he said. "We've worked real hard on doing that."
Western Carolina will open with back-to-back games against ACC opponents. Following this Saturday's contest with NC State, the Catamounts will visit Duke on September 6 before returning to Cullowhee for the home opener against Johnson C. Smith one week later.
