North Carolina State University Athletics
Davis, Offense Pace Pack Scrimmage
8/20/2005 12:00:00 AM | Football
Aug. 20, 2005
By Tony Haynes
Raleigh, N.C. - It's hard to imagine anything being much hotter than the near 100 degree temperatures that scorched the Raleigh area on Saturday. But Jay Davis was mighty close. Hitting his first 10 passes, NC State's senior quarterback went 11-of-14 for 184 yards and a touchdown in the Wolfpack's second preseason scrimmage Saturday afternoon at Carter-Finley Stadium. Also contributing to the offensive success were running backs Darrell Blackman and Andre Brown, who ripped off big runs during the two-hour session.
Blackman found running room early, breaking a 34-yard run on the first drive against the second team defense. Blackman finished with 75 yards on five carries. Brown, a freshman, broke loose on a 61-yard run that finished in the north end zone and had 81 yards on five carries.
"We were able to hit a couple of big plays early," Davis said. "We kind of got the momentum going on our side. We were able to move the football against the number one defense in the land. Things are going well for us."
On the flip side, NC State head coach Chuck Amato said the offense took advantage of a defense that wasn't playing up to his expectations.
"We moved the ball offensively," Amato said. "The defense started off soft. That great defense that [the media] keeps talking about started out soft. You keep writing about them and they're going to get softer and softer. I'm going to call them Dairy Queen from now on. They started off as soft as you could imagine. We can't afford to do that against Virginia Tech in 14 days and 12 hours."
Amato also saluted backup quarterback Marcus Stone who produced good numbers as well, going 9-of-14 for 122 yards.
NC State's significant talent and depth at the running back position continues to impress Amato and his offensive staff. In last week's scrimmage, it was freshman Toney Baker who churned out the big yards. This week, Blackman and Brown took turns at making their case for playing time.
"You never know with those guys," Amato said. "Any one of them can go yard at any time."
Another rookie making his mark on Saturday was Geron James, who led all receivers with five catches for 89 yards. Veteran tight end T.J. Williams also made a scoring grab that covered 65 yards.
Leading the defense was linebacker Stephen Tulloch who finished with three sacks for 15 yards in losses.
