North Carolina State University Athletics
Tony's Take: The Defense Can Now Rest
11/27/2004 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 27, 2004
By Tony Haynes
Charlotte, N.C. - Feisty and as intense as ever, Reggie Herring was coaching hard, clinching his fists, urging his NC State defense to stay focused on the task at hand. The Wolfpack's first-year defensive coordinator was pushing his unit as if his life depended on it during Saturday's game against East Carolina in Charlotte. All this happened with just 12 seconds left and the Pack leading the Pirates, 52-14. Just like the impressive unit that he coached, Herring never stopped working in a year when not all went well for NC State football. But thanks to a defense that will likely finish 2004 as the nations leader in total defense, there will be a silver lining attached to the Wolfpack's 5-6 record.
In Saturday's lopsided victory over ECU on a cold, damp day at Bank of America Stadium, the NC State defense did what it has done most of this season: it dominated.
Yielding an average of just 229.5 yards per game coming into the contest, the Wolfpack only improved that mark by holding the punchless Pirates to just 140 yards of total offense. The 14 points that East Carolina put on the board can't really be hung on the defense since both touchdowns came after turnovers. The first was a defensive touchdown scored by middle linebacker Chris Moore following a fumble by Pack quarterback Jay Davis in the first quarter. ECU's only other tally was in the fourth, after Darrell Blackman had fumbled a punt deep in his own territory.
NC State's famed 1967 `white shoes defense,' a squad that featured current head coach Chuck Amato and cornerbacks coach Greg Williams, led the nation in scoring defense. Two years ago, linebacker Dantonio Burnette and safety Terrence Holt led a defense that finished number one in the ACC. But it's doubtful either one of those defenses were as fast, as nasty or as dominate as the group Herring fielded this year.
But the only statistic that registers in Amato's mind is the won-loss record, and that's the rub. The NC State teams of 1967 and 2002 won big, while the 2004 Wolfpack came up short in its bid to qualify for a fifth straight bowl game. For that reason, Amato says there will be no special recognition forthcoming should the Pack indeed finish No. 1 in total defense.
"You do all those things when you win championships, when you win the ACC Championship and you go to a BCS Bowl game," said Amato.
But even Amato will be hard-pressed to comprehend the amazing improvement NC State's defense enjoyed this season. Just a year ago, the Wolfpack could do no better than 8-5, even though it fielded the most prolific offense in school history. The problem was clearly defense, or a lack thereof. The Pack was ranked 8th in total defense in the nine team ACC. A defensive coach for his entire coaching career, Amato could only wince when glancing at NCAA statistics that showed NC State near the bottom of the list in most categories.
A year later, the players, faces and names on the backs of the jerseys were the same, but with totally different results.
"I could be wrong because I coached on some teams that were phenomenal defensive teams at Florida State, but I don't think I've ever been with a team that ended up number one in total defense," Amato said. "Think about where we came from. Last year in pass defense, we were ranked 116th or something like that, and in total defense I think we were in the 80s (89th)."
On Saturday, it certainly helped the Wolfpack's cause when East Carolina lost starting quarterback James Pinkney to a knee injury in the first quarter. Smelling blood in the water, the NC State defense swarmed and smothered back-up Desmond Robinson for the remainder of the afternoon.
Holding ECU to minus 14 yards in the third quarter, the Wolfpack recorded 14 tackles for loss, three sacks and forced 11 punts. During one stretch between the second and fourth quarters, the Pirates had nine consecutive possessions without a first down. In back-to-back games against Florida State and East Carolina, NC State has tallied 37 tackles for loss and forced a whopping total of 22 punts.
"We got steamrolled by a very good team and they took advantage of everything," said John Thompson, who coached his final game at East Carolina on Saturday.
In an effort to grab his team's attention during the week, Amato challenged his defense to hold on to its number one spot in the rankings. As Saturday's game progressed, players and coaches sensed it was about to happen.
"We wanted to stay as the number one defense in the nation," said sophomore defensive end Mario Williams. "We were really playing for something. That's a great label, to finish number one in the nation after 11 games. That's something we wanted to do."
But Herring wasn't taking anything for granted, even with the outcome no longer in doubt and the clock winding down. Time and score didn't really matter, not as long as there was still another chance to stuff just one more offensive play.
"He's an intense, intense individual," Amato said. "That just shows you, he has no idea what the score is sometimes. He's so intense. It rubbed off this year."
