North Carolina State University Athletics
Haynes: View From the Booth
9/11/2009 12:00:00 AM | Football
Not only did NC State narrowly lose its season opener to South Carolina, the Wolfpack has been forced to endure a longer than normal week to stew over what might have been. The 7-3 defeat to the Gamecocks on Thursday of last week goes under the category of "one that got away."
After tuning in some of the conversation about Pack football the last several days, I'd almost been convinced that the sky is falling and the season is over.
As usual, my senses were rescued, perspective was restored and a second glance at my schedule card reminded me that NC State actually has 11 more regular season games remaining.
The feedback is in and we know the Wolfpack has some issues to resolve before it can become the team many expected to see last Thursday.
Interestingly, however, we should note that quarterback Russell Wilson wasn't doing it all by himself when the Pack won four games in a row to rescue its season in 2008. During that stretch, playmakers were making key plays to either keep drives alive or get the ball in the end zone at crucial times.
This is where perspective is important: Had one of those same playmakers just made one play in the fourth quarter last week, we'd be having an entirely different discussion right now.
Yes, execution all across the board on offense must get better, and the track record already shows that head coach Tom O'Brien and his staff are pretty good in the problem-solving department.
"You have to bounce back," senior offensive tackle Jeraill McCuller said, sounding like the captain that he is. "There are a lot of coaching points to be taken from all aspects of the game and we just can't let stuff like that happen. But it's business as usual around here. When you win you can't get to high and lose that focus, and when you lose you can't get to low. You've got to keep your eyes on the prize."
The only prize the Pack wants this week is a win over Murray State on Saturday night.
Here's what we'll be looking for from the booth during the broadcast on the Wolfpack Sports Network....
First Down Plays: NC State's inability to effectively protect Wilson against South Carolina had a lot to do with its anemic production on first down. Averaging less than two yards on first down plays, the Wolfpack was constantly facing unfavorable down-and-distance situations on second and third downs. As a result, pass-blocking against the likes of defensive end Cliff Mathews and linebacker Eric Norwood became a tall task.
"You can't do that against a defense that has guys the size of offensive linemen who run like gazelles," McCuller said.
The 6-4 Mathews, doing his best Manny Lawson impression, tracked down Wilson from behind on at least a couple of occasions.
It's difficult to call plays and expect to sustain long drives when your offense breaks the huddle looking at third-and-nine or third-and-12.
Keep an eye on first down plays this week. Whether running or throwing, NC State's offense will look better and become much more productive if it can stay on schedule by averaging anywhere between 3.5 and four yards on first down.
Murray State's 6-7, 270-pound defensive end Austen Lane is no pushover. Billed as a legitimate All-America candidate, Lane recorded 12 sacks last year. Controlling Lane's pass rush will be a lot easier if the Pack can stay out of obvious passing situations.
Corral Harris: Other than freshman Rashard Smith's 31-yard punt return in the fourth quarter, NC State did nothing particularly special in the kicking game last week. The Wolfpack had a punt blocked in the first quarter, and South Carolina did an excellent job of bottling up the dangerous T.J. Graham in other kick-off and punt return situations.
This week, the Pack's cover teams will be tested by Murray State's speedy Marcus Harris, who became the first player in school history to return both a kick-off and punt for a touchdown in the same game last week. Oddly, the Racers needed only 316 yards of total offense to score their 66 points in the blowout of Kentucky Wesleyan last Thursday. But who needs a lot of offense when you can score seven different ways, including Harris' two returns, a pair of safeties and a 50-yard fumble return on defense.
Statistics after one game, of course, don't really mean much, but Murray State did average 30.6 yards on punt returns last week and 42.25 yards on kick returns.
After getting his first career punt blocked against South Carolina, Jeff Ruiz had a pretty good night for NC State, averaging 39.3 yards on six punts. Placekicker Josh Czajkowski also had excellent hang time on his kick-offs. Both kickers will have to do a good job of keeping the ball in the air on Saturday night to give the Pack's coverage teams a chance to bottle up Harris.
Murray State's Response: Murray State had a merry old time in that 66-10 romp over Kentucky Wesleyan. But this week, the level of competition steps up dramatically, as does the overall atmosphere.
Consider the fact that Murray State's home crowd was just under 6,000 last Thursday night. On Saturday, the Racers will encounter not only a hostile crowd, but one that will likely total more than 50,000.
"We've got a challenge this week, there's no doubt," said Murray State's third-year head coach, Matt Griffin. "From what we know, it looks like an exciting place to play. We have to go play and see what we've got."
In its only two games against FBS opponents last year, Murray State failed to score an offensive touchdown against either Indiana or Western Kentucky.
This year, Griffin feels like he's got more experience and ability on both sides of the football. In fact, he believes the Racers have the speed and athleticism to compete with the Pack on the perimeter. Inside on the line of scrimmage, however, it may be a difference story.
"We've got some skill kids that can run with them," He said. "I think the challenge on both sides will be in the fronts. They're very good in both fronts. We're much better, but we'll have to play very well there."
This will be Murray State's first game against an ACC team.
Gameday Line-up:
3 p.m.: Fan Zone on front lawn of RBC Center.
3:30: Walk of Champions, front of Murphy Center.
5 p.m.: Wolfpack Sports Network on the Air.
6:05: Kick off!
