Tony Haynes: Surging Pack Defense Gets Test at Maryland

By Tony Haynes

Raleigh, N.C. Maryland head football coach Ralph Friedgen probably didn’t feel any sympathy for NC State when defensive end Mario Williams left the Wolfpack after his junior year to ultimately become the first player taken in April’s NFL Draft.

After all, it was Williams who terrorized the Terrapins with four quarterback sacks in a 20-14 win that sent NC State to a bowl game last year and knocked the Terps out of postseason consideration.

Friedgen also didn’t mind seeing other Wolfpack defensive stars like Manny Lawson, John McCargo, Stephen Tulloch, Oliver Hoyte and Marcus Hudson taking their games to the next level. It was that same cast of characters, along with Williams, who held Maryland to a measly 91 yards of total offense the last time NC State visited Byrd Stadium in College Park back in 2004.

Upon its return to the D.C. area for a noon kick off on Saturday, the Wolfpack (3-3, 2-1) will be trying to make it three wins in a row over Maryland (4-2, 1-1).

When Friedgen started watching NC State tape this week, he might have been surprised to see a unit that lost six players to the NFL during the offseason is still playing some decent defense.  

“I think they’re younger,” said the seventh-year Maryland head coach. “They still have a lot of team speed. You can see those kids developing. I think they’re playing better each and every game. Obviously, they’re not as strong as what they were. No team in the country could lose the talent that they’ve lost and be the same, but I still think they’re pretty good.”

And they’ve been particularly good the last three weeks. Since getting manhandled in a 37-17 loss at Southern Mississippi on September 16, the Wolfpack defense has bounced back with positive efforts against Boston College, Florida State and Wake Forest. After allowing 442 yards at Southern Miss., the Pack has yielded an average of 311 yards in the last three games.

Despite falling to Wake Forest 25-23 a week ago, the NC State defense remained stout, giving up only 266 yards for the game and just 61 in the second half.

Wolfpack head coach Chuck Amato credits the inspired play of seniors Tank Tyler, linebacker Pat Lowery and corner A.J. for setting the tone.

“I think Tank cranked it up a lot in the Boston College game,” Amato said. “I think the fact that A.J. Davis was back for the Boston College game also made a difference. He’s a little more experienced. Those two seniors have made big difference in these last couple of games.”

Tank Tyler lived up to his nickname against B.C., reeking havoc on the interior of the Eagles offensive line with penetration and overwhelming power. He continued to be almost equally disruptive against Florida State and Wake Forest.

Davis’ return has further stabilized a veteran secondary. After pulling a hamstring early in the season opener against Appalachian State, he missed most of the Pack’s first three games. But the Durham senior quickly made his presence felt with three pass breakups in the victory over the Eagles. His coverage was just as sticky the next week against a Florida State team that tried to go after him with lanky receiver Greg Carr, who was held to only one reception.

Held together by its seniors, the Wolfpack defense has started to round into form in recent weeks, a trend that must continue this weekend in College Park.

“The biggest difference is that we’ve cut down on the loafs and missed assignments,” said Davis. “We’re playing a lot better as a unit. We’re running to the ball and getting more than just one person to the ball.”

Of course, there’s always room for improvement. One thing this NC State defense has not been able to do with regularity is take the ball away from its opponents. Through six games, the Wolfpack has forced just five turnovers. Generally speaking, teams that play as much man coverage as the Pack don’t get as many interceptions as teams who use more zone. That can partly explain why NC State has only three interceptions.

Of course, luck can also impact a team’s ability to collect turnovers. Twice in the fourth quarter two weeks ago, Florida State managed to recover its own fumbles with the game very much on the line.

“It gets kind of frustrating,” Davis said. “It seems like were getting pass breakups instead of interceptions. But as we continue to get the hang of what teams are doing, turnovers will start to come.”

There may be some opportunities this weekend. With eight lost fumbles and five interceptions over its first six games, Maryland’s turnover ratio is minus six. But like NC State, the Terrapins have played their best football over the last few weeks. Following a close loss at Georgia Tech, Maryland stormed back from a 20-0 deficit to knock off Virginia last Saturday in Charlottesville.

“I think we’ve gotten better,” Friedgen said. “Obviously, we were fortunate to win the game last week and disappointed we didn’t win the game the week before. I’m hoping our team will gain some confidence from how we’ve been playing and continues to improve. “I think we still have to get better in the throwing game and make more plays in the throwing game. There are plays that are there but we have to make them. We need to continue this balance. We need to be more wide open offensively, and defensively we need to do a better job in the running game and stopping the long passes.”

Quarterback Sam Hollenbach has hit 60 percent of his passes, but also has as many interceptions (5) as touchdown passes. Backs Josh Allen, Lance Ball and Keon Lattimore, who ran for 114 yards at Virginia, have combined for 891 yards rushing between them. Stopping the run has been a huge issue for the Maryland defense, however. The Terps are allowing 171 yards per game on the ground, a figure that ranks 101^st in the country and number 11 in the 12-team ACC.

With tailbacks Andre Brown and Toney Baker running behind an improving offensive line, the front seven of the Maryland defense will be severely tested once again on Saturday.

“[The offensive line] loves to run block for Andre and me,” Baker said. “They’re getting better and better each week and I’m pretty excited about how they’re progressing. As a team, we’re taking pride in our running game at this time.”

The running game is also being complimented by the passing of quarterback Daniel Evans, who will be making his fourth consecutive start on Saturday.

The series between Maryland and NC State is one of the closest and most competitive in ACC history. In the previous 62 games, the Wolfpack has won 30 and lost 28. There have also been four ties. Maryland brought Friedgen back to his Alma Mater in 2001, a year after NC State graduate Chuck Amato took over the Wolfpack program. All the games have been close and competitive since the two coaches started going against each other.

“The first three years we weren’t supposed to win and we did,” said Friedgen. “They have won the last two. They have all been close games. I have tremendous respect for Chuck, his coaching ability, his recruiting, and the NC State program. I think we are both very good coaches, we work very hard at our job, and we are both very aggressive. I think there are a lot of similarities between us.”

NC State Injury Report:

FULL

LB Reggie Davis -- Neck Strain

QB Daniel Evans -- Concussion

PROBABLE

DT DeMario Pressley -- Wrist

QUESTIONABLE

DE Littleton Wright -- Ankle Sprain

North Carolina State University Athletics

Tony Haynes: Surging Pack Defense Gets Test at Maryland

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