North Carolina State University Athletics
Tony Haynes: Wolfpack, ASU Look for Quick Answers
9/1/2006 12:00:00 AM | Football
By Tony Haynes
Raleigh, N.C. – For the last month, college football teams across the country have tucked themselves secretly behind canvassed covered fences, often preparing twice a day in searing heat. Permitted to practice 29 times before the upcoming season, players and coaches have tried to squeeze in as much productivity as possible out of every second available to them. But now, time has run out and a new season is at hand.
NC State and Appalachian State, who will meet Saturday night at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh (6:00 p.m. kick off), are really no different than most teams. Both clubs have questions surrounding them that can only begin to be answered in games that count. Practices and scrimmages can provide clues, but rarely do they compare to the real thing.
The questions for the Wolfpack started last April, when, one-by-one, a total of five defensive players had their names called in the NFL Draft. A sixth player who wasn’t drafted – linebacker Oliver Hoyte – also was a productive performer throughout his college career.
No wonder the Pack was able to field defenses that were ranked in the top-10 nationally the last two years.
So, oft-asked question No. 1 for NC State coach Chuck Amato and his staff goes like this: how do you replace five draft picks, including three first rounders from the defensive line?
“We have some young defensive linemen who don’t have much game experience,” said senior tackle Tank Tyler, who along with junior DeMario Pressley, will anchor the Wolfpack’s defensive front. “I don’t think they’re going to be down because they’re young and they’re hungry. They haven’t had the opportunity to get on the field and prove themselves. This year they’re getting that opportunity and I think they’re going to take advantage of that.”
Redshirt freshman Willie Young could play a lot in the opener. At the other end position, true freshman Audi Augustin is backing up redshirt sophomore Ray Brooks.
At the moment, however, no one on the roster can compare to first-round picks Mario Williams and Manny Lawson at defensive end. The same can be said at the two outside linebacker spots, where Stephen Tulloch and Hoyte will be replaced by a converted running back in Reggie Davis and James Martin, who was once a defensive end.
Understanding that NC State would be forced to replace five quality starters in its front seven on defense, media members voting in the ACC preseason poll back in July picked the Pack to finish fifth in the six-team Atlantic Division.
“I love being the underdog,” said NC State tight end Anthony Hill. “A lot of people are underestimating our talent and looking at us like we’re going to be a pushover. I feel like the way the team attitude is and the whole morale of the team right now, I feel like we’re going to come out and win a lot of ballgames.”
During the preseason, Amato has frequently lauded the attitude and morale of this squad, already noting that it could be one of the closest nit groups he’s had at NC State. Camaraderie and togetherness can often cure a lot of ills in team sports, but in the Pack’s case, so could an improved offensive attack.
Erratic and inconsistent the last two years, the Pack offense figures to be more potent this season, especially if quarterback Marcus Stone can build on the experience he gained by starting the last six games of 2005. And while he wasn’t asked to carry the entire burden of the offense on his shoulders, Stone’s 5-1 record in that stretch speaks for itself.
With defenses loading up to stop standout tailbacks Andre Brown and Toney Baker, Stone will have opportunities to make plays in the passing game.
“I believe he has so much more experience now and he’s a lot more confident,” Hill said. “I feel like he’s throwing the ball well and he’s getting back there and doing the things he knows he can do.”
Stone and former Pack signal caller Jay Davis have spent the last two years trying to do the impossible: fill the shoes of Philip Rivers, who left NC State in 2003 as the ACC’s all-time leader in passing and total offense.
Coming off a Division 1-AA championship last season, Appalachian State could be faced with a similar challenge in 2006. The heart and soul of the Mountaineers memorable title ride, Richie Williams left as the school’s career leader in every quarterbacking category. With Williams working his magic, Appalachian State had amazing balance last season, averaging 193 yards rushing and 229 yards passing per game.
His replacement, junior Trey Elder, now becomes the man in charge, a position with which he is not totally unfamiliar. When Williams was injured in last December’s national semifinal game against Furman, Elder led Appalachian State to a 29-23 victory over the Paladins, hitting 12-of-17 passes for 165 yards. A week later, he started the title game, although Williams eventually came off the bench to rescue the Mountaineers.
This year, Williams won’t be there if Elder stumbles.
“He’s never gone into any season since high school where he was the guy,” said head coach Jerry Moore, who’s starting his 18th season at Appalachian State. “I think it’s a little bit different for a quarterback to be a starter from the get-go rather than come off the bench.”
Stone, ironically enough, will be in the same position since he started last year as NC State’s second-string signal caller.
Primarily because it has more ‘As’ attached to the NCAA division in which it plays, Appalachian State will be a prohibitive underdog in Saturday’s match-up. But then again, the Mountaineers aren’t considered to be just another run of the mill Division 1-AA team. Returning 16 starters from last years title squad, Appalachian State will play its first game ever as its division’s top-ranked team on Saturday. Among the returning stars are All-America tailback Kevin Richardson (1,433 yards rushing and 52 receptions) and defensive end Marques Murrell (13 sacks).
Appalachian has gone 3-3 in its last six games against ACC opponents, with all of its victories coming over Wake Forest.
“The memory I have is when I was a sophomore in high school and they played Wake Forest,” said Wolfpack linebacker Pat Lowery, a native of Mocksville. “Our coaching staff took us over to the game and they beat Wake Forest that night. I was thinking, wow! That’s when I first associated Appalachian State with being a great football program.”
A football program that, like NC State, will be trying to answer some questions on Saturday night.
NC State – App. State series: Saturday’s meeting will be the sixth between the Wolfpack and Mountaineers. NC State has won the first five matchups, including a 35-10 victory the last time the two in-state schools played in 1992. The closest and most competitive game came in 1980 when the Pack prevailed 17-14. Charlie Cobb, a former center and three-year letter-winner at NC State from 1987-90, is in his second year as Appalachian State’s athletics director. The Wolfpack has won five of six season openers under Amato.
Pack Injuries: While NC State emerged from the preseason with no major injuries, a couple of offensive starters are hurting heading into the opener. Lamart Barrett, the Pack’s most experienced wide receiver, is listed as questionable with a hamstring problem. On the doubtful list is Luke Lathan, who has worked at center throughout the preseason. Lathan sustained a concussion in the Wolfpack’s final preseason scrimmage. Lathan’s emergence during the preseason had allowed Leroy Harris to work at left guard, a position at which he can better use his athleticism and versatility. On the defensive side of the ball, backup linebacker Ernest Jones will miss the game because of a knee sprain.
