Akron @ NC State

'06 Football General154

ESPNUad

We’re going to use this entry as our game entry.

For pre-game, we urge you to check out the following pieces:

* Weekend #2 Television Schedule

* What the hell is going on at the N&O?

* Preparing for Akron

* A Tip for Saturday

* Rebate? 18.3 Plays Per Game Lost!

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'06 Football General

154 Responses to Akron @ NC State

  1. Wulfpack 09/10/2006 at 9:26 AM #

    vtpackfan, to add to your comment about the conference, we lost to a MAC team, UNC blows, Virginia topped Wyoming by 1 in OT, Wake needed to block a FG to beat Dook, and Clemson falls to BC in OT. This league is looking worse and worse. What a terrible day for NC and SC teams.

    “What’s the record going to be after Southern Miss., Boston College, and Florida St.?”

    1-4. That will spell ‘hot seat’.

  2. Avid109 09/10/2006 at 9:26 AM #

    While yesterday’s game was very disappointing, I think that the calls for Amato’s head are premature. There are plenty of games ahead of us, so there’s still time for the team to improve. All of the doom and gloom talk may be true, but I think that both the team and coach Amato will learn from this experience.

    People have pointed out many areas of concern that led to the loss (poor first-half play by Stone, turnovers, silly penalties, poor play calling, etc.), yet all of these problems can be fixed with proper coaching. A better performance in any one of these areas would have probably given us a win against Akron.

    We will know by the end of the season where Amato stands. The UNC and ECU games will weigh heavily on Amato’s status.

  3. Wulfpack 09/10/2006 at 9:30 AM #

    “…yet all of these problems can be fixed with proper coaching.”

    haha. Gotta any idea who? Does he receive a check from NC State University, or does he coach the local pop warner team?

    “A better performance in any one of these areas would have probably given us a win against Akron. ”

    Fantastic! Awesome! Yes! Give me a break. Squeaking by Akron in no way would make me feel any better today.

    “We will know by the end of the season where Amato stands. The UNC and ECU games will weigh heavily on Amato’s status.”

    Great. Beat UNC and ECU, and he gets to stay. Lose to Akron and BC and Clemson and FSU and GT and, oh well, we beat UNC and ECU at least. What a bunch of crap. Mediocre expectations has seaped into this fan base and its spreading like venom. Way to go.

  4. vtpackfan 09/10/2006 at 9:49 AM #

    “We will know by the end of the season where Amato stands. The UNC and ECU games will weigh heavily on Amato’s status.”
    How ’bout the pressy w/Chuck? I know many times we have seen the greco roman wrestler version of Dick Vermeil before, but this seemed different. He was truly downtrodden, with the only thing keeping his shaky voice from the state of depression a “those guys are going are going to come backe, they’re NC State guys.” With regards to the above comments on how a positive result in UNC/ ECU games, keep this in mind. Has Chuck ever seemed that devastated by a conference loss to anyone, be it UNC, WF, Maryland or whoever? If I may answer my own question then it would be no. Besides the OSU home and home match ups, Chuck and Lee had a pretty good magic show going on with the OOC schedule. I still have no interest in calling for his head, it will never be done (I have called for Cower to go on coaching sabatical as an AD at his alma mater). Amato knew to well about the thin margin for error line coming into this season, and now sees a season unfolding as he never has had to endure before his entire career. Chuck took this OOC game more seriously then some do bowl games.

  5. BJD95 09/10/2006 at 10:35 AM #

    We sure got LOADS of attention from ESPN today. Even saw part of Amato’s pressure during one recap show. Vultures are circling, for sure.

  6. class of 74 09/10/2006 at 10:46 AM #

    It’s very simple guys. We have an offense that can’t score 21 or more points a game. If you look at the stats that is what it takes to win college football games. Amato is a very good defensive coach and to his credit we have improved our defense since he took over, but offensively we’ve stunk. I think it is safe to say without #17 as his QB for his first four years we would already be talking about our new coach. I’ve seen enough now to know Amato will never win an ACC title or go to a major bowl game.

    Many of you don’t like hearing the truth but the longer Amato stays the longer we all suffer. But if you enjoy 4th place or worse finishes in the ACC then stick it out with Chuck, we all know he can do that much.

    Our next head coach should be a PROVEN college head coach not another up and coming assistant or a small college guy. Personally, if we could get Butch Davis to come to Raleigh that we be one way to finally see if we could actuallly make NCSU a real football school. He was a great recruiter at Miami and he really cleaned up their program from the prior regimes

  7. redfred2 09/10/2006 at 10:53 AM #

    I don’t know how post comic strips on SFN, so I think I’ll defer to the old N & O adage of, “If you can’t find something good to say, don’t even type a word.”

  8. choppack1 09/10/2006 at 11:25 AM #

    A couple of thoughts:
    1) When they needed one yard – they got it. When we needed it, we didn’t.
    2) Years 5, 6 and 7 are the wrong years to be feeling “growing pains” if your program is heading in the right direction.
    3) On a positve note, the offense and Stone looked good in the 4th quarter.
    4) The season isn’t over yet – it can still be special.

  9. WolfTim 09/10/2006 at 11:34 AM #

    When is the last time no team from the state of NC went to a bowl?

  10. noah 09/10/2006 at 11:58 AM #

    Wolftim – Unless ECU went to a bowl…it was 1999. In 1987, none of the big four teams went to a bowl. I have no idea what ECU did.

    I think the difference between my reaction and the reaction of others is that I expected us to be a pretty terrible team this year. Apparently,there were a lot of people thinking we’d nine games.

    We’re a bad team. It happens. FSU damn near lost to Troy last night. Maryland and UVA are supposed to be led by brilliant coaches and they apparently suck this year too.

    If you think changing coaches is going to fix this shit…you’re in for a rude awakening.

  11. Wolfpack4ever 09/10/2006 at 11:58 AM #

    class of 74 Says:
    Many of you don’t like hearing the truth but the longer Amato stays the longer we all suffer.

    So, class of 74, your words are “the truth?” And I thought Chuck Amato was arogant.

    “if we could get Butch Davis to come to Raleigh…” if a frog had wings, he wouldn’t bump his ass when he jumps.

    Blogs are a great place to express opinion, dissatisfaction, upset, etc. But the truth? How blessed we are to have your “truths” handed down form on high.

    My opinion? “Suffering” is optional. emotional whining. When I got divorced, I pissed and moaned about my ex-wife, how terrible whe was, how unreasonable she was, what a lousy wife and lover she was (every complaint except how stupid she was to have married me in the first place.) Then one day it dawned on me, that was the mother of my children I was running down. And so it is with Chuck Amato. He is the same coach I was thrilled to have at NCSU when we hired him. He does love the school. NCSU is not a stepping stone for some up-and-comer making a name for himself so he can move on to HIS dream job ala Lou Houltz. He is the coach of my school’s football team.

    Piss and moan, let the frustrations out but let’s get behind one of OURS. He deserves better. Chuck is our best hope and best shot for NCSU to achieve what we all want out of our football team. It has been said that chuck is a great defensive coach. He hired what I thought at he time was an excellent OC and QB coach. Hasn’t turned out yet.

    We aren’t doomed to eternal football hell and I hope we aren’t doomed to eternal hell of negativism and disloyalty displayed here.

  12. Wolfpack4ever 09/10/2006 at 12:45 PM #

    following the logic I read here:

    Texas should have fired Mack Brown when NCSU from that lowly ACC conference beat him in the MOC reign. Every favored team does not win big over every underdog. We lost (got hosed) to Akron. I hate it. chuck hates it The players hate it. However , NCSU has no right to feel that it is a national disaster to have lost to a spunky, well coached team from Akron. What we need to do is get over it and move on. Let the fickle fans stay home and give up their seats to somebody who will pull FOR his team.

    The line between winning and losing is a fine line as we saw Saturday. I and many think that the line between NCSU being an average football team and being an excellent football team may have been crossed in the 4th quarter. The defense will not falter like that again. The fans who did not go do the rats-off-a-sinking-ship routine gave the team a standing O after the game. As it should be. “Rip ’em up, tear ’em up, give ’em hell State!”

  13. vtpackfan 09/10/2006 at 12:55 PM #

    Red^ We’re moving back to Raleigh soon. Haven’t picked up or even linked to N & O in months. I used to love comics as a kid, is that what N & O is turning towards?
    I’m not too pissed at situation at hand. I think its funny that ESPN types even know what kind of seat Chuck uses these days since the program is so peripheral that it is known best for its peers “plays in the ACC”, and for boarding some seriously talented players until it’s time to play on sundays. I definetly don’t mind reading peoples critisism or the rebuttles they invite, even when they leave me a little frightened that I’ve seen someones personel life flash before me or peered into their souls convictions. What does bother me is that the players must think this really sucks. It hurts to lose, its even worse to have your nose rubbed into as an ESPN commentator puts Luke Getsy up for clutch player of the weekend or the entire Akron squad for “helmet sticker” merits. They have a tall task ahead of them and it will probably take alot of soul searching and effort, but hey thats life. Unfortunately some of these guys have been tuning into this station for too long and are sick of one side of the ball always having to do all the lifting. I know it caused alot of bitter feelings on the last two years squads, having the offense dissapear for quaters, games, even weeks. Chuck put alot of effort into keeping things from getting out of hand in the locker rooms, but its sad that there seems to be a nasty culture of imbalance on these teams. Ofcourse the offense kicked it in precisely when the defense finally showed they were human.
    From a far off observer it seems this “our side and their side” is habit forming and until they start putting together multiple efforts of team unity football it will IMHO be prevelent in the years to come, no matter who is recruited or asked to coach whichever position.

  14. class of 74 09/10/2006 at 1:05 PM #

    If calling a spade a spade is disloyal so be it. Amato has to be held accountable at some point and this is the season!

    Some of us can’t bear the thought of dismissing an alumnus, especially one with the charisma of Amato, but he’s in his 7th season and the program is not where it should be given the resources provided. We will, in all likelyhood, stick with Amato but the program is going nowhere. Good years will be a minor bowl and bad years will be 3 to 4 wins. If that appeals to you give the man a lifetime contract and enjoy.

  15. Cardiff Giant 09/10/2006 at 2:11 PM #

    Paul Johnson at Navy just looms larger and larger in my thoughts…

  16. NCSUDude17 09/10/2006 at 2:27 PM #

    Besides Bill Cowher (and possibly Paul Johnson) who is there to replace him? if we get one of them to promise to come than great, but unless that happens you can’t fire him. Especially til the end of the season.

  17. Wolfpack4ever 09/10/2006 at 2:38 PM #

    class of 74,

    Your opinion may be “the truth” tp small children or your employees.

    You’re not calling a spade a spade, you’re just shouting off at the mouth. I repeat it takes some serious arrogance to think ones opinion is fact, i.e., calling a spade a spade. Maybe it’s not arrogance, just ignorance.

    Express your opinion? No problem. Arguing that what you think is fact or the truth? Grow up.

  18. GoldenChain 09/10/2006 at 3:26 PM #

    First, ever since Les Robinson I have NOT been in favor of hiring alumni just because it creates problems and divides the base.
    Second, I certainly don’t buy the idea that we should keep an under-performer “because who else is available?” regardless of the sport.
    There are good coaches. There are always good coaches. There are young up and coming coaches looking to step up in all sports. There were some of those coaches even in our own state in basketball.
    Where did we get the idea that we need to go out and ‘buy’ a big name middle aged coach in these revenue sports?

  19. vtpackfan 09/10/2006 at 3:58 PM #

    Red^I also remembered something that caught my eye I watched serious football games last night (UT vs. OSU) when the ticker scores ran by. Georgetown 7 Stonybrook 0. Thank goodness we got CW to visit a home game before we played a div. 1A team.

  20. whitefang 09/10/2006 at 4:43 PM #

    “Piss and moan, let the frustrations out but let’s get behind one of OURS. He deserves better”
    Just because he is one of ours doesn’t mean he deserves a damn thing. There has been a couple of hundred thousand of “ours” who passed thru there over the years. Doesn’t make them all good or all bad. Chuck Amato is a football coach who is paid and paid well to put together a successful football program. He’s had some successes and a number of failures, but he hasn’t done anything to deserve better than the valid critisism he is getting. He’s asked for and rightfully been given better facilities and a better stadium. I don’t give a damn if he went to NC State or Arkansas State. His ability to improve State’s football program is in serious doubt by many of us. Sure we’ll have to put up with it for the rest of the season and probably next too. We will still pull for State on Saturdays AND we’ll still piss and moan when we lose.
    And further more this is a sports blog. We argue, we discuss, we disagree, we bitch, we moan, we whine, and we all tell our version of the “truth” and we all call what we think is a spade a spade. MOST of us are State fans (although you will see a Tarhole here sometimes), but most of us don’t drink the Kool Aid that’s regularly passed out by the sunshine crowd.

  21. Spin Wolf 09/10/2006 at 5:07 PM #

    I think that for all the hype around the fact that Amato was Bowden’s supposed right-hand at FSU for 18 years, it was ignored that Amato had never been a head coach. Now that we’re in year 7, the evidence is clear he’s not cut out for it.

    My biggest beef is with the level of post-Rivers QB play. Had we even adequate QB play, we probably would have won 2-3 more games per year, and no one would be bitchin’.

    My personal belief is that it all starts with the O-line and the D-line. There’s no question Amato can get a D-line at State, that’s almost his personal baby. Unless you are a name program, O-line talent is hard to come by. Therefore, you MUST get above average skill position players to offset your lack of linemen.

    Amato hasn’t done that. I don’t blame Jay Davis, I don’t blame Marcus Stone. Those two young men did (are doing) their dead-level best for our football team. I blame Amato and his staff for not seeing the problem and taking steps to correct it. There is no way that these problems at QB were not evident in practice as early as Rivers’ junior year.

    Heck, bring in a JUCO. But the fact that we have clearly struck out at what is argubaly the most important position on the team, shows why this staff has to go.

  22. Wulfpack 09/10/2006 at 5:12 PM #

    Hey I feel badly for Chuck. I’d love to see him succeed. The problem is he keeps telling is how freaking good we are and we keep laying eggs. He may believe he has a good football team this year. That’s his right, that’s his opinion. The problem is there isn’t a shred of evidence from this fan’s perspective to suggest that he’s right. And until I see it, it’s all just rhetoric to me coming from a desperate man.

  23. VaWolf82 09/10/2006 at 5:12 PM #

    I think the difference between my reaction and the reaction of others is that I expected us to be a pretty terrible team this year. Apparently,there were a lot of people thinking we’d nine games.

    Yes, the delusionally optimistic are still around. There are very few games on the schedule that can’t be lost. That doesn’t mean that I’m happy with the situation, but until we get positive production from the QB position, it isn’t going to get any better.

  24. VaWolf82 09/10/2006 at 5:15 PM #

    Crap….we’ve got to find an edit button.

    The first paragraph was from noah and the second from me.

  25. Slader4881 09/10/2006 at 5:24 PM #

    Face the facts, we are a second tier football school in the ACC. We do not have the history or the past successes that many of the other schools have. The only way I see NCSU becoming a national power is to have a coach that will routinely out coach the opposition. A perfect example of this is Frank Beamer, this guy turned a laughing stock into a national power. By simply out coaching people with D and special teams. He is still one of the most underated coaches in America even to this day.

    I believe Chuck is not able to take us to the next level. He got us started on the right foot, with the $$ and the recruits. Hell his best player during his time in Raleigh he didnt even recruit (PR). So he got real lucky even in that sense. The university will hang on to him way too long because he is talented in talking a big game.

    Ask yourself this, when was the last time you left or finished watching a game and said “wow chuck really outcoached the other head coach” The talent is there, the coaching is not.

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