North Carolina State University Athletics
Wolfpack Ignited By Stone's Spark
11/7/2005 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 7, 2005
By Tony Haynes
Raleigh, N.C. - The statistics say that Marcus Stone is 19-of-43 passing for 213 yards and two touchdowns in two games as NC State's starting quarterback. No, those aren't the type of numbers that will cause people to start comparing the redshirt sophomore to former Wolfpack star Philip Rivers. But in the minds of his teammates and head coach Chuck Amato, the only stat that matters is that Stone is unbeaten in his first two career starts. Coming off back-to-back victories over Southern Mississippi and Florida State, the Pack (4-4, 2-4) hopes to ride the emotional wave into this Saturday's game at Boston College (6-3, 3-3).
Oddly enough, Stone has completed only one pass in the first half of his two starts. In the opening 30 minutes of play against the Golden Eagles, he was just 1-of-7 for 17 yards and two interceptions. His only completion was a screen pass that was eventually fumbled by tailback Tony Baker.
Likewise, his only first half completion against the Seminoles was also a screen pass that ended up gaining only eight yards.
Yet, in both games, Stone has been more productive and looked more confident after halftime, going a combined 17-of-29 for 188 yards with no interceptions.
"The more experience I get and the more games I play, it's going to change," Stone said. "I've just got to keep working on my fundamentals and keep studying tape. I believe the more I play the more comfortable I'll feel. I'm always ready to play, but I guess I'm just more relaxed coming out after halftime."
Perhaps it's more a case of what Stone didn't do at Florida State that allowed the Wolfpack to post its second win in Tallahassee in three trips. Engineering a fairly low-risk game plan that relied on short passes and the running game, Stone played four quarters against the Seminoles' speedy defense without throwing an interception. In fact, it was the first turnover-free football game NC State has played all year.
"In the last seven quarters he hasn't thrown an interception," Amato said. "When you play a really good team like Florida State and you play really good defense, you win the kicking game until the last five minutes of the game and you have no turnovers, you have a chance. You've got a chance against anyone you play when you do that."
Stone was named the starter after redshirt senior Jay Davis struggled in back-to-back losses to Clemson in Wake Forest. At the time, Amato wasn't sure what he was going to get out of a player who had not seen very much game experience. As much as anything else, the change was made to create a spark that was obviously missing when the Wolfpack fell to 2-4.
"Marcus has got a demeanor about him," Amato said. "When he first got here, I said `Marcus, we're going to redshirt you, but in the meantime, you get in Philip Rivers' back pocket for the next 12 games and learn everything you can.' I think he learned a lot from him and he's an imposing individual."
A.J. Nicholson, Florida State's all-conference linebacker, can vouch for Stone's imposing 6-4, 230-pound frame. During a third down collision on the FSU sideline on Saturday, Nicholson went down, while Stone stayed on his feet.
"They both got hit pretty good," Amato said. "Those young men on the sidelines see that and they say `wow,' utter reckless abandon with no worry about his own safety because he was doing it for the team. But he needs to learn how to slide."
Stone's ability to post a pair of wins has, of course, been aided by a suddenly resurgent running game led by freshman Andre Brown and an offensive line that seems to be coming together at the right time. In Davis's six starts, the Pack was averaging just 90 yards rushing per game. But with Stone under center the last two weeks, the Wolfpack has averaged 246 yards on the ground. Brown erupted for 248 yards against Southern Mississippi before ripping off 179 more at FSU.
"I definitely believe that the running game helps out a lot as far as opening things up for the passing game," said Stone. "Andre Brown has been great running the ball and it's been a lot easier on me when I drop back. It takes a lot of pressure off me. The offensive line has definitely been coming together more. You can see that five bonding a lot better."
Stone has also been getting plenty of support from the man he replaced. Instead of sulking over his demotion to back-up status, Davis has been a positive asset, watching coverages from the sideline and providing helpful advice to his lesser experienced understudy.
"[Davis] has been great," Stone said. "He's been so supportive on the sidelines. If I come off and have a bad read or bad series, he'll keep my head in it and tell me what he sees. He's been real supportive."
Said Amato: "Jay has been a trooper. I really understand what he's going through. He said that he would do everything and anything to help Marcus Stone and North Carolina State win football games, and that would be his role on the sideline. He hasn't deviated from that. He's proud to be a part of this program and he's proud to be helping Marcus in any way that he can."
More Pack Points: Oddly, both of NC State's ACC wins have come against ranked teams on the road. Georgia Tech was ranked 23rd when the Wolfpack won in Atlanta. Saturday's victory came over a Florida State team that was ranked 8th in the coaches poll. Defense has been the name of the game for the Pack over the last three weeks as opponents have averaged just 232 yards and 65.7 yards rushing. Also during that stretch, NC State has recorded 15 sacks, eight of which have come from junior end Mario Williams.
