North Carolina State University Athletics
Pack Defense Won't Rest
9/27/2004 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 27, 2004
By Tony Haynes
Raleigh, N.C. - The way Reggie Herring sees it, his NC State defense is just one bad game away from going from the penthouse to the outhouse. The Wolfpack's fiery defensive coordinator says his unit will be in for a rude awaking this week if it falls into the trap of admiring its standing as the nation's top-ranked defense. After holding its first three opponents to less than 200 yards of total offense, the Pack will be in for a different test this Saturday when it hosts Wake Forest in a 12-noon ACC match-up at Carter-Finley Stadium.
And if Herring is worried about his defense getting the big head, he knows what to do: just show his players the tape of last year's game against Wake. Led by quarterback Cory Randolph, the Deacons dumped the Pack in 2003, 35-24.
"Last year, they physically beat our front to a pulp," Herring said. "Their receivers beat our defensive backs one-on-one. Everything you can look at in a game, they totally dominated our defense last year. That's the challenge for our defense this year. If they think they're good, they'll find out on Saturday. These guys will expose you. I don't want to hurt any feelings at Ohio State and Virginia Tech, but I'll tell you this: they are the best offense production wise that we will have faced to date."
The Deacons, who are off to a 3-1 start, are again running the football effectively with an average of 247.2 yards per game.
In helping the Wolfpack build a 2-1 record against Richmond, Ohio State and Virginia Tech, the NC State defense has been awfully impressive. Along with leading the entire nation in total defense (average of 165.33 yards allowed), the Pack is also No. 1 in passing defense (68 ypg.). In a 17-16 victory at Virginia Tech on Saturday, NC State recorded 10 sacks and has a total of 14 through three games.
But as far as Herring is concerned, the gaudy statistics and lofty rankings will mean nothing if the NC State defense can't shutdown Wake's productive running attack this Saturday.
"You know what that No. 1 [ranking] means? It means you're one game away from being 75th in the country," Herring said. "Man, I've been there. [At Clemson], we were No. 1 in defense for six straight weeks and we ended the year 33rd in the country. Everybody wanted to kick me out of town. You can go from guru to dope in a hurry in this business."
But Herring, in his first season as NC State's coordinator, has come up smelling like roses so far this season. The Wolfpack's aggressive, blitzing style has been a handful for opposing quarterbacks and offensive lines. Junior defensive end Manny Lawson, who was named national defensive player of the week after recording three sacks against the Hokies, says the Pack's unpredictable blitzes from different angles have really helped the guys up front.
"It helps us a great deal," Lawson said. "It takes a lot of pressure away from the defensive linemen because the offensive linemen have to pick up the linebackers. Even the free safety is blitzing. That frees us up for some one-on-one blocks."
The transformation of NC State football from being an offensive juggernaut last year to a team that's now being paced by its defense has been remarkable. For the first time in quite awhile, offense is now taking a backseat to a defense that has been incredibly disruptive to this point.
"Our defense is getting the recognition they deserve," said running back T.A. McLendon. "Now you see what kind of players we have out there. We work hard everyday to get better, and they have room to get better also. If they keep playing the way they're playing, they're going to continue to be the best defense in the nation."
That's exactly that Herring is waiting to see. Each week brings a different challenge, different circumstances and a different style of offense to contend with. And perhaps no offense in the ACC is more difficult to prepare for than Wake's well-choreographed, ground-oriented attack, which relies on a little slight of hand and misdirection to keep defenses at bay.
"If we want to develop a national reputation defensively, you've got to bring it every week, day in and day out," Herring said. "It's an 11-game schedule. This defense is just scratching the surface. Somebody said `you got 10 sacks last week; that's pretty impressive.' You want to know the truth? We probably should have had 15 or 16. We have not reached our full potential."
Injury Report: Starting offensive tackle Chris Colmer, who missed much of Saturday's game in Blacksburg because of back spasms, is listed as probable for the Wake Forest contest. Starting linebacker Pat Thomas (MCL sprain) and tight end T.J. Williams (rib contusion) are also probable.
