North Carolina State University Athletics
Rivers and Wolfpack Offense are Rolling
9/28/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 28, 2003
By Tony Haynes
Raleigh, N.C.-If it turns out that NC State will have to outscore most of its opponents in order to be successful this season, then so be it. Although it isn't necessarily the type of football the Wolfpack's defensive-minded head coach prefers, this year's NC State offense has looked virtually unstoppable most of the season. As a result, a unit led by red-hot quarterback Philip Rivers is putting up some impressive numbers through its first five games. In Saturday's 47-34 victory over North Carolina, the Pack only padded its numbers by rolling up a season-best 615 yards of total offense.
Individually, Rivers ranks 4th in the nation in passing (349.5 yards per game); 3rd in passing efficiency (174.6 rating); and 3rd in total offense (346 ypg). And if that's not enough, the senior from Athens, Alabama has hit 77.5 percent (141-183) of his passes.
Rivers favorite target, Jerricho Cotchery, is averaging 110 receiving yards per contest, a figure that ranks 7th in the nation. On Saturday, Cotchery had a personal-best day when he made nine catches for 217 yards.
NC State's offense as a whole is ranked 3rd in scoring (43.4 ppg.); 3rd in passing (366 ypg); and 5th in total offense (486 ypg.). The Pack has scored better than 40 points in three of its five games and finished with 38 points in its triple overtime loss to Ohio State.
The offensive numbers look even more impressive when one considers that the Wolfpack has been missing some of its key weapons for either all or parts of the season up to this point. Top running back T.A. McLendon has missed two games because of injuries and has been limited in two others. Starting wide receiver Sterling Hicks played in only two games because of hand and knee injuries. Another starter at wideout, redshirt sophomore Richard Washington, has missed two games because of disciplinary reasons.
Then there's offensive tackle Chris Colmer. A 2nd team All-ACC selection a year ago, Colmer has yet to see action because of Parsonage Turner Syndrome in his arm.
So even while working somewhat shorthanded, coordinator Noel Mazzone and the rest of NC State's offensive staff have managed to keep the continuity together on a weekly basis. And the second half adjustments they have made in recent weeks have produced obvious results. At Ohio State, the Pack went to an empty backfield package that led to a huge 4th quarter comeback. Then in games against Texas Tech and North Carolina, NC State scored quick touchdowns on its initial drives of the third quarter. Against the Red Raiders, a 67-yard run by McLendon set up a 1-yard TD run by Josh Brown. On its first four pass plays from scrimmage in the third period on Saturday, the Wolfpack went to a play-action bootleg series that produced a total of 156 yards. The first play, of course, was an 80-yard touchdown strike from Rivers to Cotchery.
"We've got good coaches and thank goodness for it," Amato said when asked about the successful offensive adjustments at halftime.
For now, it appears the offense will have to carry the load until a young defense works out the kinks. Despite giving up 55 points and better than 1,200 yards the last two games, Amato thinks the Wolfpack defense will be able to hold its own once it cuts down on costly penalties and begins to limit big plays.
"It's just inconsistency," Amato said. "We had 35 plays I believe [Saturday] that were either no gains or negative plays. But then we had about seven of them that were huge. And they all came in drives where there was a penalty. We're just going to continue to chop away and improve on what we're doing. We need to get them where they're playing with intensity on every snap, in every quarter from start to finish. I've never coached a team where we played so many true freshmen on defense. Hopefully, we can continue to score a lot of points but we're going to run into some awfully good defenses down this road that are going to hold that down."
