North Carolina State University Athletics
Gary Hahn's Scouting Report: North Carolina
9/22/2005 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 22, 2005
NC STATE (1-1, 0-1) vs. NORTH CAROLINA (0-2, 0-1)
DATE: Saturday, September 24, 2005
TIME: Kickoff: 12:09 p.m. (EDT) Carter-Finley Stadium, Raleigh, NC (57,500)
RADIO: Wolfpack Radio Network: 11:00 a.m. (EDT)
TELEVISION: Jefferson-Pilot ACC Network
OPPONENT---- Wisconsin's Brian Calhoun ran for 171 yards and two touchdowns in a hard fought 14-5 victory over North Carolina on Saturday night at Kenan Stadium.
The game was marked by solid defense and plenty of penalties. After scoring 121 points and averaging 325 rushing yards in its first two games, Wisconsin (3-0) found the going tough against an improved Tar Heels defense that surrendered only two touchdowns and 166 net yards on the ground.
Calhoun, a transfer from Colorado, was a work horse, carrying the ball 38 times. His best efforts came on back-to-back plays in a scoring drive midway through the fourth quarter. The pair of runs gained 40 yards and set up Calhoun's final touchdown on a 4-yard blast. That score gave the Badgers a 14-3 lead and put the game out of reach.
Carolina tried to stage a comeback, driving to the Badgers 4-yard line in the final two minutes before Matt Baker's threw an incomplete pass on fourth down. The game's final score came on the last play when Wisconsin punter Ken DeBauche stepped out of the end zone for a safety to run out the clock.
The Tar Heels outgained Wisconsin 338-304, but could not overcome the lack of a ground attack and poor pass protection. North Carolina had only 57 rushing yards, four less than it tallied a week earlier in a 6-point loss to Georgia Tech. Barrington Edwards, a transfer from LSU, was Carolina's leading rusher with only 37 yards.
Baker finished 16-for-37 for 281 yards and an interception, but was sacked four times and wound up on the ground following many of his pass attempts. By the end of the game Baker was limping with a sore ankle and sore ribs.
Penalties were a major problem. The Tar Heels finished with 12 infractions for 115 yards, including two on the same play when Wisconsin punted on its first possession. A block in the back and an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on head coach John Bunting set North Carolina back on its own 5-yard line. That helped the Badgers get an early edge in field position.
Later, a delay of game penalty nullified a Connor Barth 52-yard field goal that would have cut the deficit to 7-3 early in the second quarter. Instead, the Heels were forced to punt. Another costly penalty for offensive pass interference late in the first half wiped out a 24-yard Carolina gain to the Wisconsin 35.
North Carolina's tailbacks, Edwards and freshman James Arnold, gained only 20-yards combined against the Badgers on first down plays. That left Baker facing second-and-long situations and feeling the heat of Wisconsin's pass rush all night. In two games, Baker has been sacked 6 times and has had to hurry many of his passes. He's been intercepted four times while completing 45 percent of his throws and averaging 281 passing yards a game.
Baker is in his first year as a starter after spending the last three seasons behind Darian Durant. The fifth-year senior is a fearless competitor who has shown a lot of grit, but could use more help from a veteran offensive line that returns four starters, including senior guard, Kyle Ralph, an All-ACC second-team selection last season.
Carolina has speedy veteran wide receivers with big play capability, but that unit has not been able to bail the Heels out of enough long yardage situations. Instead, there have been many dropped passes in Carolina's first two outings. Against Wisconsin, Derrele Mitchell, Wallace Wright and Jesse Holley all let passes slip through their hands.
Mitchell (6-3, 210), Wright and Jawarski Pollock (45 catches in '04) are all seniors. Holley (the Heels leading receiver with 9 catches for 142 yards) and Mike Mason are juniors. Holley had a career-high 90 receiving yards on five catches against Wisconsin. Pollock is 13 receptions shy of the UNC career record. Mitchell caught an 87-yard TD pass at Georgia Tech.
The Tar Heels defense looks vastly improved from last season. Nine starters are back, not including tackle Chase Page who started every game in 2003. Page anchors a veteran line that also features end, Tommy Davis who has 24 career starts.
Middle linebacker, Doug Justice, broke his foot against Wisconsin and will probably miss the rest of the season. Justice was responsible for making the on-field defensive calls and started 22 career games. Junior Victor Worsley (6-1, 230) will likely replace the fifth-year senior. Sophomore Durell Mapp could see playing time at that position as well. The Heels leading tackler is senior outside linebacker, Tommy Richardson (17 stops), a second-year starter.
Both corners, Jacoby Watkins (6-0, 177, Jr.) and Cedrick Holt (5-11, 190, Sr.) are second-year starters. Holt is the Tar Heels best cover man. Free safety Kareen Taylor (6-0, 195, Jr.), another second-year starter, is Carolina's No. 2 tackler (16 stops) while Mahlon Carey (6-2, 215, Sr.) was switched back to strong safety after starting four games at linebacker in 2004.
The Tar Heels have a dangerous return game. Mason is one of the nation's best at returning kicks and is averaging 25.5 yards this season. Against Maryland in 2003, he ran a kickoff back 96-yards for a TD. Brandon Tate, a true freshman, has returned 9 punts this season for a 9-yard average.
Junior David Wooldridge (6-2, 200, Jr.) has been Carolina punter since the last five games of the 2003 season. He's steady and is averaging 43.2 yards per attempt this year. Barth, an All-ACC candidate who made 14 of his 18 field goal attempts in 2004, is 1-2 this season after missing a 50-yarder against Wisconsin. Warren Green, Carolina's snapper, is a senior and a first-year starter.
NOTES: Wolfpack quarterback, Jay Davis, has passed for 200 or more yards in 9 of his last 10 games totaling of 2,318 yards and 12 touchdowns during that span...Wolfpack coach Chuck Amato is 3-2 against North Carolina and 1-1 at home...No opponent has gained 300 yards against the NC State defense for six straight games...NC State leads the ACC in total offense (457 ypg.) and is No. 2 in total defense (230 ypg.)....A victory over UNC would mark the Pack's 150th overall win at Carter-Finley Stadium...The Wolfpack won the turnover margin against Eastern Kentucky last week for the first time in a dozen games... In 64 games under Chuck Amato, the Wolfpack has entered the fourth quarter with the score differing by seven points or less 31 times...The Pack is seeking its first ACC home win since beating Wake Forest on Oct. 2, 2004....In two games, Pack linebacker Stephen Tulloch is averaging 10.5 tackles per game and has three tackles for loss including a sack.
INJURIES--NC State: WR Brian Clark (ankle sprain)-questionable; OG Dwayne Herndon (Shoulder stinger)-day-to-day; CB Phillip Holloman (ankle sprain)-probable; LB Marcus Howell (AC sprain)-questionable. North Carolina: LB Doug Justice (broken foot)-out; QB Matt Baker (Bruised ribs)-will play; WR Mike Mason (shoulder sprain)-probable; C Ben Lemming (shoulder)-probable; RB Ronnie McGill-(torn muscle)-out.
