North Carolina State University Athletics
HAYNES: View from the Booth
10/2/2009 12:00:00 AM | Football
By Tony Haynes
Take the ACC's two most productive offenses, throw in the league's two most efficient quarterbacks and you have the makings of a real offensive show. That's what fans of NC State and Wake Forest will be anticipating when the Wolfpack (3-1) and Deacons (2-2, 0-1) get together for the 103rd time on Saturday afternoon. Kick off from BB&T Field in Winston-Salem is set for 3:30.
For the Pack, this will be the first road game of the year and first against an ACC opponent as well. With the Atlantic Division looking wide open right now, the opportunity to become a factor in the title chase looks favorable for coach Tom O'Brien's third team at NC State. But if the Wolfpack is indeed going to make a run for Tampa, this is one of those games it must prove it can win.
Although Wake is clearly going through some growing pains on defense, quarterback Riley Skinner and the offense are good enough to keep the Deacons in any game, especially when they're at home.
At Boston College last Saturday, Wake Forest fumbled away a chance to get a big road win in the conference, so the return home this week is just what coach Jim Grobe and his Deacons think they need to get things turned around.
"I'm looking forward to that," Grobe said. "I thought on the road it might be tough on some of our guys making their first starts on the road. I think it bothered us more than I expected. We didn't play very well last week. It will be fun being back home and certainly fun if we can play well. I think if we play real well, we can be a good football team."
Even after being flagged 12 times and missing more than 20 tackles, NC State still managed to knock off a good Pitt team last week, 38-31. In the second half, the Panthers simply had no answers for quarterback Russell Wilson and an explosive offense that put up 530 yards of total offense. Wilson, of course, had 413 yards on his own, passing for 322 and adding 91 more on the ground. Just as impressively, tailbacks Toney Baker and Jamelle Eugene combined for 160 yards rushing against a stout defensive front.
"I just think that our offense as a whole is playing real well," said tight end George Bryan, who leads NC State in receptions with 16 in four games. "Everybody is doing their job and things are coming together. Our offensive line did a good job this past game of keeping people off of Russell. Our receivers and running backs are running great routes and Russell is making the right reads. It's just all coming together."
Now to the things we'll be watching for from the radio booth on Saturday...
Youngsters on the Road: As Grobe noted, some of Wake Forest's younger players didn't respond as well as he would have liked playing on the road last week. After four games in the comfortable confines of Carter-Finley Stadium, the Wolfpack must now travel into foreign territory. To be sure, there will still be plenty of red in the stands, but the surroundings and the playing surface will be much different on Saturday.
Carter-Finley now has field turf in its bench area, but the entire field will be comprised of that surface at Wake Forest. More than likely, the game will seem to be moving a bit faster early on and the Pack will have to adjust.
More than anything, however, NC State will have to play with poise and togetherness to have success on the road. Young players like guard R.J. Mattes, offensive tackle Andrew Wallace, linebacker Terrell Manning and safeties Early Wolff and Brandan Bishop have made a big splash early in the season.
Now we'll see how they handle themselves in new surroundings.
"It will be knew because there will be some young kids playing in that environment for the first time," O'Brien said. "Hopefully we'll get some senior leadership."
Is the Pack 'D' Really No. 1? O'Brien made it clear early this week: NC State's ranking as the No. 1 defense in the country means nothing at this point. He'll only be impressed if it continues for the final eight games.
The numbers do look impressive thus far. The Pack is surrendering just 201.2 yards and 14.8 points per contest. Last week against Pitt, NC State settled in and stopped the Panthers when it mattered most in the fourth quarter. Coordinator Mike Archer and his defensive coaches made some shrewd adjustments by turning to more line twists that shut down Pitt's running attack in the second half.
But as has been said many times, it's not what the coaches know, but rather what the players know. In players like Willie Young, Alan-Michael Cash and middle linebacker Ray Michel, NC State has some veteran players who are able to facilitate in-game adjustments within the framework of the Wolfpack's defensive schemes.
Don't be surprised if the Deacons have success early on Saturday. With its variety of unusual orbit motions, misdirection runs and reverses, and unique blocking angles, Wake Forest still employs some different plays that can keep defenses off-balance.
"Their flankers have carried the ball 34 times between them," O'Brien said, referring to receivers Devon Brown and Chris Givens. "Certainly with Skinner being a fourth-year quarterback, he's probably the most mature quarterback in the conference. They lead the conference in total offense."
They do indeed, averaging 412 yards per game. Skinner, fresh off a 354-yard passing effort at B.C., is hitting 68.8 percent of his passes with eight touchdowns.
And while the Pack is No. 1 in total defense, it hasn't yet been able to take the ball away. Through four games, NC State has forced just four turnovers. Wake turned the football over three times last week. The Pack would greatly enhance its chances of bringing a win back to Raleigh if it can take the football away at least a few times on Saturday.
Ball Control: Of course, the best way to stop a prolific offense is to keep it off the field. In that regard, NC State would love to duplicate what it accomplished last week against Pitt. Along with controlling the football for better than 37 minutes, compared to just 22:53 for Pitt, the Pack offense was on the field for a whopping total of 81 plays. Incredibly, NC State had 35 more offensive snaps than the Panthers.
In a promising sign, the Pack is averaging more than 71 plays per game so far, a step up from last year's average of 64.
"Their defense plays off their offense a little bit," Grobe said. "Their offense is really dynamic, so their defense has a chance to be rested when they go out. Their offense has been controlling the clock really well."
It's clear the NC State offensive line has made tremendous strides since its week-one problems against South Carolina. Now with tackle Jake Vermiglio back and players like Wallace and Zach Allen doing some good things in relief, the Wolfpack appears to have an offensive front that is capable of producing an effective running attack to compliment the efforts of Wilson.
If Baker and Eugene find more running room on Saturday, the Pack offense could again enjoy a lot of time on the field.
"The offensive line has gotten better every single game, just like everyone else on the offense," said Bryan. "Toney Baker did a good job of running hard and the offensive line kept making holes for him. I think there's a lot more of those games to come in our rushing game."
NC State rushed for 208 yards against Pitt last week. Something similar on Saturday will help to keep Skinner and company on the sidelines.
