North Carolina State University Athletics
Tony's Take: Wake Up Call
10/2/2004 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 2, 2004
By Tony Haynes
Raleigh, N.C. - It was a hot, sticky October afternoon when NC State hosted Wake Forest at Carter-Finley Stadium on Saturday. The climate, hardly autumnal, was certainly not what anyone would describe as ideal sleeping weather. But according to Wolfpack head coach Chuck Amato, his team and its fans were in a deep slumber as the feisty Deacons built a 14-0 lead through the first half. But not long after the two teams returned to the field in the second half, the alarm clock went off.
It sounded with a resounding roar when wide receiver Sterling Hicks took a pass from Jay Davis and zigzagged his way down the right sideline and stretched his 6-2 frame into the end zone, completing a 57-yard touchdown pass. From there, the game, NC State's offense and the outlook of its season took a dramatic turn. Not only was the Pack awake, it was alive and well. Scoring 21 unanswered points in an amazing third quarter, NC State went on to post a 27-21 victory in overtime when T.A. McLendon scored from eight yards out in the extra period.
Rushing for a season best 139 yards on 30 carries, McLendon often bullied the Wake Forest defense for four quarters. But the real story was Davis, a player whose spot on the bench was seemingly on the verge of becoming permanent. Although he was NC State's starting quarterback in the first four games, Davis appeared to be losing ground to redshirt freshman Marcus Stone, who played the entire second half at Virginia Tech last week and most of the first half against Wake on Saturday.
But Stone was also walking the tightrope after throwing an interception that was turned into a touchdown by Wake's Marcus McGruder late in the first quarter.
But following his connection with Hicks, Davis became a different player. Just like that, the body language of the entire NC State offense changed. The receivers, who had seen very few balls come their way over the previous three games, suddenly had a reason to run crisp routes and get open. And the offensive line, which was bolstered by some maximum protection packages with two tight ends in the second half, gave its quarterback the time he needed to start making plays.
The rest, they say, is history.
"The whole offense really started clicking in the second half; the offensive line the running backs and the receivers," said Davis, who finished 18-of-24 for 244 yards and a touchdown. "It was just an accumulation of all of all of those things just coming together as an offensive unit and playing well."
Davis is being modest. He is the one who had to make it happen in a game the Wolfpack had to have. Having already dropped a decision to Ohio State a few weeks ago at Carter-Finley, NC State couldn't afford another loss at home this early in the season.
So the guy who had often looked so shaky and tentative over the last three weeks found himself a phone booth at halftime and came back looking more like Philip Rivers, only with a different number. In the third quarter alone, Davis completed 9-of-12 throws for 170 yards. One of those hook ups was a 58-yard strike to Tramain Hall on third and 32. I need not remind anyone that there's no such thing as a third and 32 play in the playbook.
"It was a great route by Tramain," said Davis. "They were in a cover four. Our back took away the flat defender, Tramain bended it, caught the ball and took it up the field. He did what Tramain Hall does: he made a big play."
One play later, McLendon bolted into the end zone to tie the score at 14-14.
Following a second straight Wake Forest three and out, Davis guided another scoring drive, this time in 11 plays over 66 yards to give NC State its first lead of the day.
Just like that, the Wolfpack had gone on top and found itself a quarterback in the process.
"It shows you a little about his character," Amato said. "A normal kid would go over on the sideline and say, `that's it, I'm done. I'm number two for the rest of the year.' He knows the offense. He had to stop pushing the ball and throw it like he did in the second half."
Thanks to Davis, NC State converted 7-of-14 third downs on Saturday. Coming into the game, the Wolfpack had converted only 28 percent of its third downs through the first three games. Of course, it didn't hurt that the Pack averaged 9.4 yards on first downs in the second half after being held to just 2.8 yards on first down plays in the first two quarters.
Still, Wake didn't fold and forced the overtime. Following a missed field goal by the Deacons, a kick that plunked off the left upright, the Pack turned the extra period over to McLendon. Following runs of 11, 4 and two yards, the junior was asked to get the ball in the middle of the field for a potential game-winning field goal attempt by John Deraney.
But on third and four from the eight, McLendon had other ideas.
"Jay came in the huddle and said we just need to get the ball in the middle of the field," McLendon said. "The whole time I was like, `middle of the field?' I just saw it open up. The offensive line did a great job getting off the ball and I just saw daylight from there."
McLendon's 31st career rushing touchdown, a figure that ranks third in school history, set off a wild celebration in the end zone and the stands. By this time, everyone in west Raleigh was very much awake.
"I was underneath the pile and I can say that was the hardest hit I took all day," McLendon joked. "It didn't really matter at that point because I knew we had just won the game...and what a game it was."
Especially after the alarm sounded.
