North Carolina State University Athletics
Tony Haynes: Pack Tries To Keep Pace
9/28/2007 12:00:00 AM | Football
By Tony Haynes
Raleigh, N.C. Earlier in the week, NC State football coach Tom O’Brien was asked if he could remember going up against a team that could match the type of offensive numbers Louisville has put up through four games. His answer was swift and decisive: “never,” O’Brien said.
Last Sunday morning, O’Brien got his first glance at the
“The most remarkable statistic is they’re averaging 54 percent on third down, which is almost unheard of,” O’Brien said. “Mike Archer said he’s never had to play against a team like this and he’s played them every year since he was at
Formerly the defensive coordinator at
Not so fast.
One week after surrendering 609 yards in a 42-20 loss to Clemson, the NC State defense will be facing perhaps an even more ominous challenge on Saturday when
Despite their eye-popping offensive numbers, however, the Cardinals are not without their problems following back-to-back losses to
Is a struggling
“People don’t understand that when stuff like that happens to a defense it’s not so much about their players’ ability to play football,” said NC State quarterback Harrison Beck, who will start this week despite missing most of the Clemson game with a knee injury. “It’s just breakdowns and maybe they’re not communicating as well. They have athletes on defense; they’re all real fast guys and a lot like Clemson with the athletes they have.”
Beck will likely be on the spot to produce for his team this week since the quarterback on the other side has rarely been stopped the last three years. Brohm, a senior, is 20-5 as a starter in his career. His passing statistics are utterly startling. Completing 68 percent of his passes, Brohm has thrown for better than 300 yards in seven consecutive games. In defeat last week, he was 45-of-65 for a career-best 555 yards.
Those numbers could look intimidating to any defense, especially one that is coming off the type of tough day NC State experienced last weekend.
“We’re not intimidated by anybody that has a lot of yards on offense,” said Wolfpack safety DaJuan Morgan. “It’s about coming to play on that Saturday. If we all come to play we can get it done.”
NC State can fall back on its defensive effort against another of the nation’s better quarterbacks earlier in the season. Three weeks ago, the Pack held
But perhaps NC State’s best defense this weekend could be its own offense. While it has not yet shown an ability to consistently move the chains and sustain drives this season, it will be incumbent on the Wolfpack offense to stay on the field for longer periods. After all, Brohm won’t be able to do any damage while he’s sitting on the visiting team’s bench at Carter-Finley Stadium.
“You want to stay on the field,” Beck said. “They have an explosive offense and you don’t want them on the field the whole game controlling the ball. We want to stay on the field, move the football and score points ourselves.”
That’s something NC State wasn’t able to do last weekend. Among other things, Clemson was on the field for 32 more plays than the Wolfpack and dominated time of possession 37:03 to
“Going into a game where a team can’t put up 40 or 50 points, it does put pressure on the offense to keep up,” said Wolfpack receiver Darrell Blackman. “If you don’t move the ball and put points on the board, it can get out of hand real fast.”
Blackman will certainly have Lousville’s attention. Along with being a deep threat in the passing game, the senior has again emerged as one of the nation’s most dangerous kick and punt return men. Last week, the Cardinals gave up a 93-yard kick off return in their loss to
“We can’t get the ball thrown over our head this week, we can’t turn the football over and on special teams we can’t give up the momentum that we’ve tried to re-cease in the game with a big kick off return,” said first-year
Blackman, who had 200 all purpose yards against Clemson, leads the ACC in that category. His big day last week included a school-record 99-yard kick off return for a touchdown.
On Saturday, NC State will need all the big plays it can muster on offense, defense and special teams if it’s going to keep pace with a team that sometimes looks as though it can move the football at will.
“I hope it doesn’t get into a scoring race but if it does, as long as we’ve got one more point than they do, that’s all that matters,” O’Brien said.
Bruised and Battered: NC State continues to take some significant hits in the injury department. Corey Tedder, who had done an excellent job snapping on punts, field goals and extra points, will be lost for the season after breaking his hand. Tackle John Bedics will miss his second straight game with an ankle injury, while his brother, fullback Pat Bedics, will be out from 2-4 weeks after undergoing knee surgery. Knee surgery will also keep offensive tackle Jerrail McCuller on the sidelines for 3-4 weeks. Defensive tackle Jemaine Clemmons is out indefinitely with an ankle injury. Free safety Miguel Scott has been cleared to play this week after nursing an oblique strain.
