North Carolina State University Athletics
Wolfpack Goes Back to Basics
9/12/2005 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 12, 2005
By Tony Haynes
Raleigh, N.C. - You might say that this Saturday night's home game against Eastern Kentucky (0-2) is the first game of the rest of NC State's season. And in many ways, the Wolfpack has treated it like a first game. Since it did not play this past Saturday, the Pack has had a little extra time to learn from the mistakes that proved so costly in a 20-16 defeat to nationally ranked Virginia Tech on September 4th. The week off allowed coach Chuck Amato and his staff to put the players through a mini-training camp that again emphasized fundamentals and discipline.
And no stone went unturned.
The offensive unit even went so far as to explore where certain players were positioned in the huddle. Although the opener against the Hokies was played at Carter-Finley Stadium, some players on the offensive unit complained that they were having a difficult time hearing quarterback Jay Davis call plays in the huddle because of crowd noise.
"We changed our huddle up because we found that the crowd was loud and a lot of the guys couldn't get certain calls," said senior wide receiver Brian Clark. "A lot of penalties came from guys not hearing what the play was. We've tried probably three different huddles now. We're just trying to figure out how guys can hear everybody. At first, I was behind James Newby and I couldn't hear a lick. He's 6-8 and I'm 6-3. I couldn't see Jay's face because he's so big. We're trying to clean it up and make it better."
Clark also said that the offensive players would try to signal to the home crowd to keep the noise level down when the Wolfpack has the ball. Still, Amato says the huddle changes are relatively minor compared to the other things NC State must do to improve as a football team.
"We're still experimenting," Amato said. "We've got a little bit more time this week to play around with it. I don't think the huddle is anything. If they can't hear in our stadium, we're in big trouble when we head down to Georgia Tech for our first road game. I think it's something that we're making more out of it than we need to. There are other things that are more important than a huddle."
More specifically, Amato would like to see fewer penalties and turnovers. Despite outgaining Virginia Tech 438 yards to 232, the Wolfpack came away 0-1 because of 12 penalties for 105 yards and three turnovers. To make matters more difficult, the Pack was unable to force the Hokies into a giveaway.
Still, after all that, NC State had a chance to win at the end of the game against one of the top teams in the nation.
"After watching the tape and listening to the coaches, we know we've got so much potential," said Clark, who had three catches for 37 yards in the opener. "All we've got to do is clean up the little things; the turnovers, the penalties and the missed assignments. Once we clean up those things and become better fundamentally, we'll start winning games."
Dating back to last season, the Wolfpack has outgained its opponent in 12 consecutive games, yet has only five wins to show for it. The biggest culprit during that stretch has been a minus-20 turnover margin. The Pack has also averaged more then nine penalties per game in those 12 games.
But despite the miscues that re-emerged in week one this season, Amato vows that there will not be a repeat of what happened during the mistake-marred 2004 campaign.
"This is not last year's football team," Amato emphasized. "I'm not going to let perception affect this football team. This football team is not an undisciplined football team. In that 60 minute game against Virginia Tech, they were pretty good. They didn't quit. I think we have a chance to be a real good team."
Amato noted that his players are reminded each and every day about the importance of discipline, both on and off the field.
"I don't know how many teams in America are asked to take their hats off when they walk into a building in the year 2005. We do." said Amato. "I don't know how many teams in America are asked to shave their face during the season. I don't how many teams in America are asked to take their locker and straighten it out after every practice. I could go on and on and on. This is not last year's football team. It's a new team and it's a good team."
More Pack Points: In a move initiated by the seniors, the NC State players asked that their weekend per diem be donated to one of the hurricane relief funds earmarked for victims of Hurricane Katrina in the gulf region.
Amato said the gesture made him extremely proud.
"Sure it does," he said. "These are the young people that are going to lead this country in years to come. I'd be proud to be alive when they're leading this country. They may send me to my grave before that, but in the meantime I would be proud to be alive while these young people lead this country. When I say these people, I mean all of them across the country, not just mine."
NC State has dropped its last four home games and five of its last seven. The Wolfpack's last win at Carter-Finley Stadium came last October 2nd, when it downed Wake Forest in overtime, 27-21. Of course, it's not like the four losses since then were against the sisters of the poor. The close setback against Virginia Tech was preceded by defeats to Miami, Georgia Tech and Florida State.
The current losing skid at home still falls far short of the seven-game streak the Pack posted between 1995 and 96.
