North Carolina State University Athletics
Tony's Take: Same Old Song for Pack
11/6/2004 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 6, 2004
By Tony Haynes
Raleigh, N.C. - NC State head football coach Chuck Amato was searching, if not digging, for a silver lining moments after his team had fallen to Georgia Tech, 24-14, on Saturday. Somehow, someway, he actually found at least one positive thought. "We've got a short week and maybe it's a good thing we do," Amato said. A short week that will end with the final home of the year against Florida State on Thursday night. But before that happens, there will be plenty to ponder in the aftermath of yet another turnover-filled Saturday.
Scoring 21 points off of three Jay Davis interceptions, the Yellow Jackets tallied 24 unanswered points after trailing by scores of 7-0 in the first quarter and 14-7 at halftime. And while the Wolfpack was again most accommodating with its turnovers, the Yellow Jackets tried their best to return the favor by turning the ball over three times themselves, not to mention several untimely penalties that also set them back.
Most notably, with the game in doubt, Georgia Tech scored 17 points over the last 13:57 to clinch its fourth straight win in the series and eighth in the last nine tries. Carter-Finley Stadium, which was hardly rocking on Saturday, has certainly not be a frightening sight for the Jackets, who have earned victories in four of their last five trips there.
But this time around, NC State had a golden opportunity to reverse that trend, especially since the Pack could easily have knocked Tech out before halftime. With Yellow Jackets quarterback Reggie Ball being stymied by an active Wolfpack defense, Tech often looked overmatched in the early stages of the game.
But in an omen of things to come, the Pack came up empty on the scoreboard after putting together a well-conceived drive on its first offensive series. A 43-yard completion from Davis to receiver LaMart Barrett off of a play-action fake was followed by an 11-yard run by Bobby Washington on a lateral pass. But when the drive stalled, kicker John Deraney missed wide right on a 34-yard field goal attempt.
That, in a nutshell, was the story of the entire first half for the NC State offense, which would gain only 135 yards for the rest of the game after racking up 175 in the first quarter. Later in the opening half, Deraney would miss a 40-yard field goal try, but only after Dovonte Edwards' interception return for an apparent touchdown was wiped out by a holding penalty.
It was only by the grace of Marcus Hudson's 60-yard interception return for a score that NC State led 14-7 at the half. Still, the Wolfpack had missed numerous opportunities to virtually bury the Jackets in the first half, something that would loom very, very large after intermission.
"We missed two field goals and we had a touchdown taken back," Amato said. "I feel bad for John Deraney because he's a darned good field goal kicker and he missed three of them. At halftime we could have very easily been up 28-0 and the game is over."
Given a reprieve after a poor first half offensively, Georgia Tech came out for the third quarter ready to take control, first with its defense and then later in the fourth with some big plays on offense.
Simply put, the Yellow Jackets were a much more physical team up front in the second half. Taking advantage of a patchwork NC State offensive line, Tech stoned just about everything the Wolfpack wanted to do offensively in the third quarter. There was no room for T.A. McLendon to run (50 yards, 18 carries) and very little time for Davis to throw in the pocket.
"We got absolutely stuffed," Amato said.
The names on the NC State offensive unit are becoming increasingly unfamiliar. Already without the services of offensive linemen Leroy Harris, Derek Morris and Jed Paulsen along with leading receiver Richard Washington, the Wolfpack lost second leading receiver Tramain Hall to back spasms early in the game. NC State does have a lot of talented players on the offensive side of the ball, but when virtually half of those talented players are standing on the sidelines, the impact is unavoidable.
"I don't see any relief as far as anybody coming back from the injury list," said Amato. "I think it would be a miracle for any of these youngsters to come back against Florida State."
With the NC State offense under control, Ball, who finished just 9-of-27 passing for 91 yards, made enough plays to get his team to the end zone on a 1-yard touchdown pass to receiver Levon Thomas on fourth down to put Tech ahead 17-14 with 7:15 remaining in the fourth.
Following a Deraney miss from 52 yards out on NC State's next drive, an attempt that came after an intentional grounding call on Davis, the Wolfpack had one last chance with two minutes remaining. But on second and 10 from the NC State 38, Davis was picked off for the third time, this time by cornerback Kenny Scott, who raced 49 yards down the right sideline to put it out of reach.
Now 4-5 overall and 3-4 in the ACC, the Pack has a whopping total of 21 turnovers in its five defeats. Davis, who was 22-of-38 for 234 yards, has thrown eight interceptions in his last two games. But with backup quarterback Marcus Stone recovering from a knee sprain, Amato has very few options to call on right now.
"Jay's our quarterback," he said. "Maybe Marcus will be ready to go this coming week. It wouldn't have been fair to put in any of the other quarterbacks in this situation because up until the fourth quarter, we were winning. We've got to sit down and talk to [Davis] and let him know that he's got to come out of it. He's got to cut the ball loose and get rid of it. We've got to do everything we can to help that youngster."
But Davis can't do it alone. On Saturday, NC State had only 72 yards rushing, even though McLendon was able to play the entire game for the first time in several weeks.
The missed opportunities in the first half, combined with the turnovers and limited offensive production after halftime, resulted in yet another losing tune for the Wolfpack.
