North Carolina State University Athletics
Wolfpack Expects Big Following in Charlotte
12/5/2005 12:00:00 AM | Football
Dec. 5, 2005
By Tony Haynes
Raleigh, N.C. - The fact that NC State ended up with an invitation to the Meineke Car Care Bowl in Charlotte on December 31 may lead some to believe that Wolfpack athletic department officials - including coach Chuck Amato - did a good job of lobbying the bowl and creating interest in a 6-5 team that won four of its last five games. But according to Amato, no arm-twisting was needed to attract interest from bowl officials, not with the expectation that NC State will be followed by a large legion of fans for a bowl game in its home state.
The Wolfpack (6-5, 3-5) will tangle with Big East foe South Florida (6-5, 3-3) at Bank of America Stadium on New Year's Eve day at 11:00 a.m.
"I made some calls to friends of mine, but we didn't do any lobbying; not to my knowledge. I didn't." Amato said. "We're excited to go to this bowl. How rewarding and fun it is to be able to play in a bowl game in your home state. Not only for ourselves, but for our fans."
And it is the fans that Amato credits with having the biggest impact on the bowl's decision to invite NC State to the Queen City for its first appearance in a game that was started in 2002. Historically, Wolfpack fans travel in droves to bowl games that are within driving distance of their home base. This particular situation certainly fits that criteria.
"The North Carolina State fans probably were as big a factor in us going to this bowl as the way we played in the last half of the season," said Amato. "The reputation that our fans have of traveling to bowls to `back the Pack' is well known. That's a real, real big factor."
When he informed his players that Charlotte would be their bowl destination, Amato said the entire team "went crazy." Once 2-4 following a 27-19 loss at Wake Forest on October 22, the Wolfpack rebounded down the stretch and clinched bowl eligibility with a season ending 20-14 victory over Maryland. It was a triumph that allowed NC State to avoid the disappointment of what could have been a second straight losing campaign.
"We're excited to go to a bowl," Amato said. "It could be a wonderful way to cap a season."
Especially if the Wolfpack can continue to curtail turnovers and penalties, mistakes that sidetracked NC State's season early on. Over its first five games, the Pack averaged nearly 10 penalties per game. In the last six games, that average dropped to six. Prior to its trip to Florida State on November 5, NC State was minus-8 for the season in turnover margin. But down the stretch in the final four games, the Wolfpack was plus-6 to finish up at minus-2 for the year.
"Our players never gave up," Amato said. "Our players never got involved with what was being said about them. Our players kept right on working and kept on improving. The first five or six games, we averaged nearly 11 penalties per game. The last five, we averaged six. The first half of the season we had an awful lot of turnovers that resulted in scores. The last 18 or 22 quarters, we've had only four turnovers. That's big. We got the running game going and defensively, we kept getting better and better."
It was a defense that kept improving despite the fact that star defensive tackle John McCargo missed the last five games after undergoing foot surgery. As of Monday, Amato said he didn't know if McCargo would be available for the bowl game.
"If we had to play tomorrow, the answer is no," Amato said.
Bowl practice is scheduled to begin a day or two after final exams conclude on Tuesday, December 13th.
"We're going to have some two-a-day practices," Amato said. "Other than running and lifting, we won't practice during days that they have exams. They can put all their emphasis on academics. After that, they can put all their emphasis on getting ready for the game. In order to send them home [for Christmas], we're going have to get in a couple days of two-a-days."
