North Carolina State University Athletics
Tony's Take: Wolfpack Dishes Out Halloween Treats
10/30/2004 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 30, 2004
By Tony Haynes
Clemson, S.C. - Prior to Saturday's game against NC State, Clemson had played seven games without scoring a single point off an opponent's turnover. Needless to say, the Wolfpack, a team that had turned the ball over 12 times in three losses coming in, was indeed a welcome sight for Tommy Bowden's Tigers. Scoring 13 points off of six Pack turnovers, Clemson continued its late season resurrection with a 26-20 victory in front of 79, 500 fans at Memorial Stadium. And while the Tigers have now rebounded to win three straight after a 1-4 start, NC State's streak of four consecutive bowl appearances is very much in jeopardy following a second consecutive loss.
Now 4-4 overall and 3-3 in the ACC, the Wolfpack has officially become the most generous team in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Out-blundered by only Clemson coming into the game, the Pack now has the unfortunate distinction of being ranked dead last in the 11-team ACC in the category of turnover margin. For the record, NC State is minus-15 for the season--that's 15 more giveaways than takeaways. In its four losses, the Wolfpack has turned the ball over a total of 18 times.
Normally, such gruesome figures produce lopsided defeats. Not in this case. NC State has, in fact, been in every game it has lost, which only adds to the frustration that was so obvious in the Wolfpack locker room on Saturday. Despite the turnovers and 10 penalties - two of which wiped out touchdown passes to freshman wideout John Dunlap late in the second half -- the NC State offense lined up first and 10 at the Clemson 11 with less than two minutes to play. But after three incompletions, the game ended, appropriately enough, on quarterback Jay Davis' fifth interception of the day. Feeling pressure in the pocket, Davis tried to hit tight end T.J. Williams in the back of the end zone, but his wobbly effort ended up in the hands of defensive end Charles Bennett.
Celebration time in Death Valley.
"It's amazing we even had a shot at the end of the game," said a dejected NC State head coach Chuck Amato. "Give that credit to the kids for not quitting. When you have two touchdowns taken away because of penalties, that's our fault; it's not the kid's fault. I'll take the blame for that. I'm a big man and I'll take the blame for that."
It was a day when very few things went right for Amato's team. It all started with NC State already shorthanded on the offensive line with three new starters replacing injured regulars Jed Paulsen, Leroy Harris and Derek Morris. But if there was a bright spot on Saturday, it was the gritty play of Luke Lathan, James Newby and Jon Holt, who joined Chris Colmer and John McKeon to make up a makeshift unit.
"Those guys really stepped up today, each and every one of them," said Davis, who completed 24-of-45 passes for 255 yards and a touchdown to go along with the five interceptions. "They played well and they played hard. They were giving me plenty of time to throw the football."
Along the way, the Pack also lost running back T.A. McLendon (shoulder) and receiver Richard Washington (knee) to injuries. Still, with 381 total yards, NC State outgained its eighth straight opponent, a particular statistical advantage that was again offset by the turnovers.
Perhaps it should have been obvious that the ghosts and goblins of Halloween were casting a dark spell on the Pack when the two scoring throws to Dunlap, a sequence that came within three plays late in the second quarter, were called back due to illegal formation penalties. In both cases, the Wolfpack didn't have seven men on the line of scrimmage. On the first play, a tackle was penalized. The second call involved a wide receiver.
In any event, touchdowns were taken off the board in a game NC State would lose by six.
"The kids didn't get down," Amato responded when asked about the penalties that prevented the Pack from going in at halftime up 17-10. "Our kids did a good job at halftime of correcting mistakes. The score was 10-10."
After seeing scores taken of the board, Davis was picked off in the end zone by cornerback Justin Miller to end the half.
Behind the passing of Charlie Whitehurst, who was 14-of-33 for 183 yards and a touchdown, the Tigers led by as many as 13 in the second half before the Pack nearly rallied to pull it out.
In the end, however, the Pack's substantial determination and effort were not enough to overcome the turnovers and mistakes. From here on out, NC State has virtually no margin for error. With three games against Georgia Tech, Florida State and East Carolina remaining, the Wolfpack will have no chance of continuing its postseason streak unless the crippling errors are eliminated.
"We've got to turn over every stone," Amato said. "We've got to look at everything - to getting lined up to tackling. Those are fundamental things. That has nothing to do with injuries. Those are things that we have to do as coaches to help these young men this coming week against Georgia Tech."
