North Carolina State University Athletics
Tony Haynes: Win Could Do Wonders for Wolfpack
9/15/2005 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 15, 2005
By Tony Haynes
Raleigh, N.C -- When it visits NC State's Carter-Finley Stadium Saturday night at 6:00, Eastern Kentucky will be facing an ACC opponent for the first time. The odds are long for the Division 1-AA Colonals, who have sustained two close losses to Appalachian State and rival Western Kentucky to start the season. But at this stage, the Wolfpack (0-1) really doesn't care who will provide the opposition this week. Eastern Kentucky might as well be Eastern Siberia. The only thing that matters for NC State right now is getting that feeling that can only come with a victory.
It's been awhile since the Pack and its fans tasted a win. To be exact, it last happened following an anticlimactic 52-14 drubbing of East Carolina last November 27th in Charlotte. It's been even longer than that since NC State actually won on its home field. Since edging Wake Forest in overtime last October 2nd, the Wolfpack has dropped four straight games within the usually friendly confines of Carter-Finley. The latest of those home defeats came almost two weeks ago, a bitter 20-16 loss to nationally ranked Virginia Tech.
It's a game that NC State could have easily won. But then again, the Pack is tired of playing the would've and should've game.
Given the current set of circumstances, it may be wishful thinking on Eastern Kentucky's part to hope that the Wolfpack might be thinking ahead to next week's rival match-up against North Carolina.
"We're in the same boat as them; we're winless and they're winless," NC State receiver Brian Clark said. "Especially after having a loss on national television to Virginia Tech, we're striving. We want to get a win under our belt. We're trying to get places and basically we have to take it out on anybody in our way. Whoever is on the schedule, we have to take it out on them."
The unsettled mood has only been exacerbated by last week's open date in the schedule. Instead of getting back on the field six days after the Sunday night loss to Virginia Tech, the Pack had an extra week to chew on the disappointment of allowing a big fish to get away.
Pack coach Chuck Amato hopes his team's hunger to win a game will supercede the temptation of overlooking a Division 1-AA opponent from the Ohio Valley Conference.
"We told them `don't think that you're going to walk out there and the team on the other side of the field is going to lay down for you,'" Amato said. "That isn't going to happen. There have been too many examples over the first two weeks of college football to show every football team in America that you need to be ready every week, no matter who you're playing."
Who NC State is playing is a team that could very well be 2-0 now instead of 0-2. In week one, four Eastern Kentucky turnovers led to a 24-16 loss to Appalachian State. Last week, the Colonels were nursing a 21-20 lead with less than two minutes to play when a bad snap on a punt led to a game-winning field goal by Western Kentucky.
Eastern Kentucky has played well offensively in both games, averaging 455 yards of total offense. Quarterback Josh Greco earned conference player of the week honors after notching career highs in completions (24), yardage (273) and touchdowns (3) last week.
"They lost a very, very close game to Western Kentucky, which is one of the highest ranked teams in Division 1-AA," Amato said. "They've played two good football teams and had chances of beating both of them. The biggest thing that we have to get our young men to realize is that we're playing a team that's very competitive and can play with the top teams at their level. They could very well be 2-0."
But as much as anything else, this game is about NC State. It's about limiting the turnovers and penalties that undermined an otherwise terrific effort against the Hokies. It's also about building on the numerous positives that emerged from the Virginia Tech game.
Amato now feels better about an offensive line that had been a question mark during the preseason. Against Virginia Tech's stout defense, Wolfpack blockers opened holes for the running backs and gave quarterback Jay Davis time to throw. Davis played one of his best games, passing for 311 yards, hitting eight different receivers in the process. Yes, he did have two interceptions. One came as he was being hit while delivering a pass in the first quarter, and the other on a desperation `Hail Mary' on the last play of the game.
"His confidence level is sky high," Amato said. "If you add three dropped passes to his completion total, you're really talking about him being a player of the week candidate in the conference. He's really taken this team over and he's playing confidently. He's so much more relaxed."
Davis and the rest of his teammates will be even more relaxed if they can get that winning feeling back this weekend.
