North Carolina State University Athletics
NC State, Clemson Hit the Homestretch
10/29/2004 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 29, 2004
By Tony Haynes
Raleigh, N.C. - The calendar on the wall says it all: November is just a few ticks of the clock away, meaning college football teams all across the country are getting into a critical stretch of the season. NC State and Clemson, who will meet in Death Valley on Saturday at 12 noon, are two such teams. It's the time of year when bowl scouts in colorful jackets start showing up in press boxes. It's also the time of year when every penalty, every turnover and every bounce of the ball seems to be magnified.
With four games remaining, the Wolfpack (4-3, 3-2) has come to a crossroads. A strong finish over the next four weeks would allow the Pack to claim a better than expected season, particularly since it was picked as the 7th place team in the preseason ACC media poll. But as it tries to move closer to a fifth straight bowl appearance under coach Chuck Amato, NC State has very little margin for error. The Wolfpack's next two opponents - Clemson and Georgia Tech - are equally as desperate.
After starting 1-4, the Tigers (3-4, 2-3) are trying to work their way back into the bowl picture just as they did last year when an end of season three-game winning streak - a stretch that included impressive victories over Florida State and archrival South Carolina - saved coach Tommy Bowden's job and sent Clemson to the Peach Bowl, where it whipped Tennessee, 27-14.
Last week's 10-7 win at home over Maryland was by no means pretty, but it did give the Tigers a much-needed two-game winning streak.
"The longer you're in this profession, the more you appreciate a win," Bowden said. "We had 500 total yards against Georgia Tech and lost the game. I felt a lot better after Maryland than I did after Georgia Tech. You learn to appreciate the wins, correct the mistakes and go on."
Mistakes, primarily turnovers, have been the biggest obstacles for success at both NC State and Clemson this season. With a minus 10 turnover margin, the Wolfpack is ranked 10th in an 11-team league. The only team keeping NC State from the bottom of that particular category is Clemson, which is minus 11
In three losses this fall, the Wolfpack has 12 giveaways compared to just three takeaways. The Pack had four more turnovers in last weekend's 45-31 loss to Miami. Still, offensive tackle Chris Colmer says dwelling on the past won't help NC State get back into the win column this week.
"We go to win every game," said the sixth-year senior. "We have a couple of losses that we didn't expect to have at this time of the season, but who knows how it will unfold? We just need to go out and play like we can play. However it unfolds, then so be it. We can't control the losses that we already have, so we have to control the games we have upcoming. It would be nice to go to a bowl game, but Clemson has to be the focus this week."
Playing on an offensive line that has been decimated by injuries, Colmer and guard John McKeon are the only starters who will be healthy enough to play on Saturday. Replacing the likes of Jed Paulsen (ankle), Derek Morris (ankle) and Leroy Harris (shoulder) will be James Newby, Jon Holt and perhaps redshirt freshman Luke Lathan, who could man the center spot that had been held down first by Paulsen and then Harris.
"It's definitely going to be difficult," McKeon said when asked about inserting so many new parts into the offensive line this deep into the season. "Guys like Luke Lathan and Jon Holt have always been there and doing stuff. It shouldn't be hard for them to step up."
And the offensive line replacements will have to jell quickly against a Clemson defense that leads the ACC in quarterback sacks with 30. Two weeks ago, the Tigers tallied 11 sacks in their 35-6 thumping of Utah State.
"It seems that we have picked up our pass rush and it seems that our coverage on the perimeter is a lot tighter," Bowden said. "We are stopping the run right now. If you can stop the run and get them behind the chains it makes it easier on you. The last two games we have been able to stop the run."
Currently third in the league in sacks with 22, NC State was stymied by Miami's maximum protection schemes last week. Taking advantage of the extra time in the pocket, Hurricanes quarterback Brock Berlin threw five touchdown passes.
"Our defense has been putting a lot of pressure on the quarterback, so that's something we're going to see," said Wolfpack defensive end Mario Williams. "It's kind of a sign of respect that they have to resort to that. We just have to find ways to push through and get to the quarterback."
Pressuring Clemson quarterback Charlie Whitehurst will certainly be a big key for the NC State defense. Although he was tabbed as one of the favorites for ACC Player of the Year in the preseason, Whitehurst has been up and down in his junior year, throwing 13 interceptions.
"If Charlie's character wasn't good, he was a big-headed guy and not very humble, I would then say it was because he read all the information, didn't work very hard and thought he had arrived, but Charlie's not like that," said Bowden. "I would say it's sometimes a combination of his receivers, his protection and sometimes his talent. Four of our last five games - Virginia, Texas A&M, Florida State and Maryland - have been against good defenses. And we're fixing to face another one."
Despite giving up 45 points and more than 400 yards last week, NC State is still ranked No. 2 in the country in both total defense and pass defense.
The Wolfpack has also been getting effective quarterbacking from Jay Davis, who has completed 61 percent of his passes (73-of-120) for 985 yards and five touchdowns over his last four games. NC State tailback T.A. McLendon is second only to Georgia Tech's P.J. Daniels in the league rushing race with an average of 99.5 yards per game. The last time he played in Death Valley, McLendon rumbled for a career-high 178 yards in a 38-6 triumph over the Tigers. The Wolfpack's one-sided victory that night is somewhat of an aberration in the series since six of the last seven contests have been decided by eight points or less. And every time these two clubs hook up, the games always seem to be meaningful.
This one will be no exception.
"This game right here really counts," Williams said. "It's a must win situation. We've just got to go out there and play ball and try to make things happen."
Those are the kinds of words that are routinely spoken this time of year.
NC State Injury Report
PROBABLE
Dovonte Edwards, WR - quad bruise
DOUBTFUL
Marcus Stone, QB - knee sprain/wrist injury
OUT
Merci Falaise, OG/OT - Arthroscopic surgery, 9/28
Leroy Harris, OG/C - Shoulder sprain
Derek Morris, OT - Out, high ankle sprain
Jed Paulsen, C - Ankle surgery, 10/12
