North Carolina State University Athletics
Haynes: View from the Booth
11/27/2009 12:00:00 AM | Football
By Tony Haynes
A year ago, NC State was just beginning to put together a late-season push when it bused over to Chapel Hill for the annual in-state rivalry game with North Carolina. And it was on that afternoon that the Wolfpack put together its most impressive outing of the Tom O'Brien era, blasting UNC in just about every way imaginable.
That score - 41-10 - has been ringing in the ears of North Carolina's players for nearly 12 months.
"I remember they were embarrassed," said NC State guard Julian Williams. "Anytime you play in someone else's stadium and you have more fans in the stands than they do, it's embarrassing to them. I know they're going to come out this year and give us all they've got."
For this year's meeting Saturday at noon, the 99th overall between the two longtime rivals, the momentum shoe is on the other foot. While the beleaguered and beat up Pack has dropped six of its last seven games, the 23rd ranked Tar Heels are riding a four-game winning streak that will send them bowling for the second straight year.
Defense has been the name of the game for UNC, which ranks 5th overall in total defense by yielding just 261 yards per game. Led by speedy defensive end Robert Quinn (11.5 sacks, 17.5 tackles for loss) and big-play corner Kendric Burney (five interceptions, three touchdown returns), the Tar Heels are proving that scoring points isn't just the job of the offense.
Carolina leads the ACC with seven non-offensive touchdowns and has relied on its defense to score four times in just the last two games.
Simply put, Carolina's defense is riding a turnover-binge, having taken the ball away 14 times during the current four-game winning streak. The Heels have 19 interceptions this season, including nine in just the last two weeks.
In other words, the UNC offense could have taken the day off the last few weeks and no one would have noticed.
NC State will be playing for pride and for its 17-man senior class. Never again after Saturday will the likes of defensive end Willie Young, defensive tackle Alan-Michael Cash and center Ted Larsen don the red and white.
NC State's players will have another cause driving them as well: win one for Dana. On Monday, when told by O'Brien that veteran offensive coordinator Dana Bible was fighting leukemia, the players weren't really sure what had hit them. The news was both unexpected and shocking.
"It's a big blow to us," Williams said. "He has other things to take care of right now and we'll take care of the football. Now we're not only playing for the seniors, this is huge for him and his family."
Now here are a few of the things we'll be watching from the booth during Saturday's Wolfpack Sports Network broadcast...
Keep Wilson Clean: Pass protection will be absolutely crucial for NC State in this game, and not just for the obvious reasons. Yes, quarterback Russell Wilson will need time to throw in order to move the football through the air, but every time the redshirt sophomore takes a hit, O'Brien and the rest of the Wolfpack Nation will hold their collective breath.
On Thursday, it was announced that NC State's insurance policy at quarterback, redshirt freshman Mike Glennon, had joined 15 others on the 'out for the year' list with a broken clavicle. The injury, suffered in the final moments of last week's game at Virginia Tech, was to Glennon's non-throwing shoulder, meaning he should be back for spring practice.
But for the short-term, meaning Saturday, Wilson must stay upright and healthy for NC State to have any chance of making it three straight wins over the Heels.
"It's Russell or bust," said O'Brien. "We have to protect him, keep him clean and make sure he gets through the entire game."
With Quinn leading the charge, North Carolina has sacked opposing quarterbacks 29 times this season, and because the other down linemen around Quinn are also threats to get to the quarterback, a steady diet of double-teams on the best pass rusher won't cut it.
The relentless pressure put on quarterbacks is the main reason Carolina has forced so many turnovers in recent weeks, meaning job one will be pass protection on offense. And with the ability to apply pressure with just four down linemen, the Tar Heels can commit their back seven to breaking on footballs out of mostly zone coverages.
Field Position: Really good defenses like North Carolina's generally don't give up a lot of lengthy drives. Based on the numbers and trends, trying to go 80 or 85 yards in multiple plays against the Tar Heels is simply unrealistic, so the Wolfpack's chances of putting enough points on the board to win will be greatly enhanced if the Pack can get a short field with which to work at least three or four times during the game.
Of course, for that to happen, the Pack defense and special teams will have to put together a better showing that what we've seen in recent weeks.
Better field position will also take some of the pressure off of running backs coach Jason Swepson, who will be calling plays for the second straight week in Bible's absence.
Along with forcing all of those turnovers, the UNC defense is yielding very few yards per game and points (15.9). And the statistic that really helps the Tar Heels achieve such excellence is in the category of third down defense. Carolina opponents simply aren't staying on the field very much, converting just 28 percent of their third downs this season.
It's a figure that must make O'Brien envious, given the fact that NC State's last seven opponents have averaged better than 50 percent on third down. The Wolfpack offense, however, is converting 46 percent of its third downs, an excellent rate by any measure.
If NC State can buck the trend and convert better than 40 percent on third down, not only will it have a chance to sustain drives, it will make the Carolina defense stay on the field for more plays than usual.
