North Carolina State University Athletics
Promising Signs
9/11/2006 12:00:00 AM | Pack Athletics
By Tim Peeler
Listening to second-year offensive coordinator Marc Trestman talk in the preseason, you could get a sense of the concern he had with most of the positions on his side of the ball.
While not as talent depleted, in terms of NFL picks, as the defense, the offense had some uncertainties that troubled Trestman, from the relative inexperience at wide receiver, to the lack of experience and depth on the offensive line, to the lack of bodies at tight end.
“Thats a lot of question marks,” Trestman said in late July. “But it is also terribly exciting because we like some of the people we are working with to answer those questions.”
Three weeks into camp, Trestman seems even more energized about what to expect from the Wolfpack offense, which has seen a few adjustments in preseason camp but was tremendously productive in each of the first two scrimmages.
“That’s good,” NC State head coach Chuck Amato said, “as long as it doesn’t just mean they are going against an inferior defense.”
Trestman isn’t about to make a judgment on that, but he likes what he sees while the Wolfpack begins its preparations for the Sept. 2 season opener against Appalachian State. From the beginning, Trestman wasn’t particularly worried about two positions: quarterback and tailback. Junior Marcus Stone returns after guiding the Wolfpack to a 5-1 record over the second half of last season.
“Marcus really knows this offense, and he knows the language,” Trestman said. “He can get us into the right blocking schemes. He is really on top of what we are doing. He is communicating well with the players. “He knows what everybody is doing.”
Both Amato and his teammates have commented throughout preseason practice on Stone’s confidence and his knowledge of the game. His numbers in the two scrimmages have been OK, but not awe-inspiring, perhaps because of the offense’s continued reliance on the running game.
“He has a total knowledge of what is going on,” Amato said.
In the backfield, Trestman is trying to take advantage of having two big-time playmakers in Andre Brown and Toney Baker. He’s installed a split-back formation that the Wolfpack has used 60 to 70 percent of the time in its preseason practices, according to Brown. That has required the two backs to put more time in learning to be effective run and pass blockers, something that was always expected of single-back tailbacks such as T.A. McLendon. But it also gives the Wolfpack option-like options in the running attack.
Redshirt freshman Jamelle Eugene provides depth in that rotation, and can also be used in the slot or lined up as a wide receiver.
“The running game means so much to us because the better we can run the ball, the better things will be for Marcus,” Amato said.
But Trestman still has some worries. He likes the competition he has seen in the receiver corps, where Lamart Barrett and John Dunlap are the veterans, but a slew of young players are vying for playing time. Those who have caught Trestman’s attention include 6-3 freshman Donald Bowens of St. Petersburg, Fla., 6-4 redshirt freshman Geron James of Wilmington and 6-4 freshman Jarvis Williams of Orlando.
“The competition has really been strong, in part because we have had some guys out and some other guys have stepped in and performed well,” Trestman said. “Dunlap has missed some time, and those other guys have stepped in and played well.”
The week-long absence of returning tight end Anthony Hill because of a minor injury has also given some reps to a pair of understudies with no playing experience, redshirt freshman Matt Kuschner, who moved over from defensive end at the beginning of fall camp, and true freshman Rashad Phillips. The tight end position has been extremely important in recent years, never more so than last year with Hill emerging as part of a tight end trio with the departed T.J. Williams and John Ritcher. The three combined to catch 56 passes in 2005.
Perhaps the biggest concern going into the fall was the depth and experience on the offensive line, which lost starters Dwayne Herndon, John McKeon and Derek Morris and had a couple of position switches since the spring. The biggest change has been moving senior Leroy Harris, who came out of spring as the starter at center, back to his original spot at guard. That move was made because redshirt junior Luke Lathan has been consistent at center. Pairing Harris with the behemoth sophomore Curtis Crouch at guard has been a winning combination, along with returning starter James Newby and Jon Holt at the tackles.
They have been a steady group throughout the preseason, Trestman said, especially in the important area of chemistry.
“The line has been pretty much together throughout preseason practice and that has helped in its communication,” Trestman said. “Mental errors are at a minimum. We have been pretty consistent in the offensive line, and that can only help us in the long run.”
But putting capable starters on the field hasn’t been a problem in the past. It’s been trying to fill in the holes when injuries have hit that has caused problems up front for the Wolfpack. So new offensive line coach Pat Meyer has been trying to develop a couple of versatile linemen who can play all three positions and on both sides of center.
Right now, redshirt sophomore Meares Green seems to be the most capable substitute, according to Amato, with redshirt freshman Julian Williams also getting reps at several positions. The staff is also anxious for redshirt junior Kalani Heppe to return from a hamstring injury that has kept him out of most preseason practices.
“I like what is coming along, I really do,” Amato said after the team’s second scrimmage. “They are a group that is really tight. The chemistry is getting good.”
But, there are some things that the Wolfpack offense, which was ranked 117th in the nation in third-down conversions (25.5 percent) and 11th in the ACC in total offense (314.6 yards per game) last season, still has to improve. Primarily, Trestman wants to make sure his passing game can keep up with the talented corps of running backs, despite that fact that he has a group of receivers that are as green as summer grass and a relative group of unknowns at tight end.
“Going into the season, it is very simple from a defensive standpoint as to what they are going to do against us,” Trestman said. “They are going to do everything they can do to stop the run. They are going to make NC State beat them throwing the ball. We are continuing to work on developing our passing game, and we have to be proactive at doing it. Teams are not going to sit back and let us just pound the ball without putting one more guy up there in the box to stop us.”
Tim Peeler is a features writer for www.GoPack.com and a frequent contributor to The Wolfpacker. You may contact him at tim_peeler@ncsu.edu.
"Reprinted with permission from "The Wolfpacker" and Coman Publishing Company."
