North Carolina State University Athletics
Everette Sands Diary: Preparing for Tech
9/30/2011 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 30, 2011
We're very disappointed in the way we played last week, but the most important thing is learning from the mistakes we made during that game and going back to learning how to practice at a high level. Two weeks ago, I thought we gave a good effort during the week, but I could feel it dipping a little last week, and now we're back on the rise again. Practice doesn't make perfect; Perfect practice makes perfect.
We're a throwing team, but it was discouraging to have so much trouble moving the ball on the ground. We only had 12 carries against Cincinnati, but if those carries were going for our goal of four yards per carry, we'd be on track.
The attitude's been good this week, the guys have certainly brought their lunch pails with them. The defensive side has given us some especially good looks to get the team prepared for Georgia Tech.
Pass protection will be a major emphasis for us this week. If we stick to our assignments in that part of the game, I really think Mike Glennon will be able to inflict some damage. Their outside linebackers are pretty big guys, so we need to make sure that we're squared away and in the spots we need to be to pick up their blitzes. If our backs can handle that, I think we have a good shot, because we're confident in Mike's ability to throw the ball.
With a high-powered offense coming in, our defense might feel like coming out pumped up and excited, but we can't do that against Tech. Playing against an option team means that taking care of assignments and playing sound football comes at a premium. It will be all about identifying where the ball's going and sticking to assignments to slow them down.
Our Thursday game gave me plenty of time to spend with the family over the weekend, even though my son's game got rained out last Saturday. I try to walk the fine line between coaching him and being a dad, which can be hard because he's constantly willing to talk football.
