North Carolina State University Athletics
TIM PEELER: Wolfpack's 2006 debut dominated by D
9/4/2006 12:00:00 AM | Football
RALEIGH Mario Williams flew in from Houston just in time to give his former teammates on NC State’s defensive line a pretty heated pep-talk during halftime of Saturday’s season-opener against Appalachian State.
The Wolfpack defense had played well, allowing only 98 yards of total offense in the first half. But it was not exactly what Williams a stalwart on Wolfpack defenses that finished ranked in the nation’s top 10 the last two years wanted to see.
So the No. 1 overall pick in April’s NFL draft let his former teammates have it.
“He was in the lockerroom at halftime and he got on us a little bit,” said junior defensive end Ray Brooks, who had 2.5 tackles for loss and a sack on the night. “He said You guys are supposed to be doing a little bit more out there.’
“We came out and took heed to what he said.”
So on the Mountaineers’ second possession of the second half DeMario Pressley and Brooks had back-to-back sacks, pinning the Mountaineers deep in their own territory. On the next possession, senior John Amanchukwu added another sack for a 15-yard loss.
And that’s what sealed the 23-10 victory, as the Wolfpack helped live up to the legacy left by Williams and fellow first-round picks Manny Lawson and John McCargo by recording four sacks and allowing the Mountaineer just 133 yards in total offense.
In the third quarter, the Mountaineers had minus-5 yards in total offense.
The defense also stopped Appalachian State’s biggest threat to make the close, following a second-quarter fumble that was returned by Mountaineer All-America safety Jeremy Wiggins.
After advancing the Wolfpack 1-yard line, the Mountaineers were stopped by a Tank Tyler sack that threw ASU’s offense back to the 5. On third down, Wolfpack senior linebacker Pat Lowery chased ASU quarterback Trey Elder towards the sideline, and Elder’s hurried pass was intercepted by safety Miguel Scott and brought out to the 18-yard line.
“I was really impressed with our defensive line,” said Wolfpack head coach Chuck Amato, whose record in season-openers improved to 6-1. “I thought they really, really came out and played well. I was concerned throughout the preseason.
“But we did a good job of pressuring people back there. I am proud of the football team and I am proud to be 1-0 at this point.”
The defense even scored the first points of the season, downing ASU quarterback Trey Elder in the end zone after a center snap went over Elder’s head on the first possession of the game.
The offense was limited in its passing game junior quarterback completed 7 of 13 passes for 36 yards, the lowest passing total of Amato’s tenure at NC State and there were four turnovers, three fumbles and an interception.
But the running game was as good as advertised, especially sophomore tailback Andre Brown, who carried the ball 15 times for 125 yards. He scored the first touchdown of the night on a 43-yard sprint in the first quarter that gave State a 9-0 lead and helped him amass 110 rushing yards in the first half.
“A win’s a win,” said Stone, who improved to 6-1 as a starter. “We’re happy. Our goal was to be 1-0 after this game.”
There were things Amato didn’t like, especially the turnovers and the three-for-12 performance on third-down conversions. But the Wolfpack had only three penalties on the night for a total of 20 yards.
And senior kicker John Deraney had one of the best nights of his career as a punter, downing five of his seven punts inside the 20-yard line.
Appalachian State managed only 10 points following the turnovers, one of which took the Mountaineers to the Wolfpack 1-yard line. But Miguel Scott’s interception on third down from the 5-yard line ended the threat.
The Wolfpack (1-0) took advantage of an early Appalachian State miscue to score on a safety when a shotgun center snap went over the head of Elder and into the end zone, where he was downed Brooks.
Brown then gave the Wolfpack an offensive score two possessions later when he broke free on a 43-yard touchdown run, giving the Wolfpack a 9-0 advantage with 6:55 remaining in the first quarter.
The Wolfpack countered with its own mistake when a Mountaineer punt bounced off NC State sophomore J.C. Neal and into the arms of Appalachian’s Titus Howard. On the next play, Elder hit Dexter Jackson with a 39-yard pass down the sideline, putting the ball on the Wolfpack’s 7-yard line.
The Mountaineers (0-1) scored two plays later on a 1-yard run by junior tailback Kevin Richardson, drawing ASU within 9-7 on the scoreboard on the three-play, 30-second drive.
State answered on its next possession with a sustained 80-yard drive that featured at nifty run by Brown again. Blackman scored on a 14-yard inside screen pass from Stone.
The first half ended sloppily, with three consecutive possessions ended in turnovers, but no points for either team. The Wolfpack defense certainly gained momentum out of the exchange, after the Mountaineers were stopped after advancing to the Wolfpack 1-yard line.
The turnover party started when ASU tailback Richardson had the ball knocked out of his hands at midfield by Wolfpack defensive end Martrel Brown. Safety Garland Heath, no stranger to big plays, recovered the ball at the Wolfpack 49.
However, two plays later on a screen pass, tailback Toney Baker fumbled the ball away near midfield. It was recovered by ASU All-America safety Jeremy Wiggins, who returned the ball to the 14 before he was chased out of bounds by Stone.
But after advancing to the 1, the Mountaineers were thrown backwards to the 5-yard line when defensive tackle Tank Tyler sacked Elder. On third down, Elder scrambled around the end and Wolfpack safety Miguel Scott stepped in front of his pass, intercepted it and returned it to the 18-yard line.
The half ended with no other scores.
The Wolfpack turned the ball over on its first two possessions of the second half, first when center Leroy Harris’ snap went awry and ASU’s Pierre Banks recovered it on the Wolfpack 19-yard line. The defense held again, stopping the Mountaineers and forcing Julian Rouch to kick a 37-yard field goal.
Blackman returned the ensuing kickoff 52 yards, putting the ball on the Appalachian State 48-yard line. But on the first play of the series, Stone threw a pass that was intercepted by ASU’s Wiggins.
The Mountaineers didn’t capitalize, though, thanks to consecutive sacks by DeMario Pressley and Ray Brooks.
The Wolfpack, on Amato’s demand, marched straight down the field following an ASU punt, scoring on five plays. Toney Baker took the ball into the end zone on a nine-yard run.
“It’s a win, and we will savor it,” Amato said.
NOTES: Williams, who did not play in the Houston Texans' final preseason game on Friday, missed the kickoff, but was on the sidelines for most of the game. ... The Wolfpack is now 6-0 all time against Appalachian State. ... The Wolfpack's 36 passing yards was the fewest since a 1999 win over South Carolina, in which the Wolfpack had only 18 yards in a hurricane-induced down-pour. ... The three penalties for 20 yards was the fewest for NC State since a 2002 game against Virginia. ... Lowery led the Wolfpack with 11 tackles, including two that went for a loss. Pressley, Scott and linebacker Reggie Davis were tied for second with four tackles apiece.
You may contact Tim Peeler at tim_peeler@ncsu.edu.
