State’s O Scores 13 vs ACC’s #11 Defense

'06 Football General96

No 50th win for NC State’s Chuck Amato today (Live Blog and reader comments here); and no magic number 24 for NC State’s Marc Trestman today. (Click here for key background on this topic).

Trestman’s offense laid a goose egg in the first half of Saturday’s game at Maryland and managed to generate some late points to ultimately score 13 offensive points against the ACC’s 11th ranked defense. Darrell Blackman scored a touchdown on a punt return to get the Wolfpack to 20.

After the game today, a thread on Pack Pride’s Premium board was appropriately titled, “Does any team hurt itself as much as NC State”. The answer has to be a resounding NO. No team in America has beaten themselves as much, as often, as consistently for as many years as NC State.

In none of the Wolfpack’s series with its ACC brethern are the results of the poor decisions, clock management and strategic blunders more evident than in Chuck Amato’s games vs Maryland. Amato drops to 2-4 against Ralph Friedgen and 2-5 against Maryland since taking over the NC State program.

State’s dreams of an ACC Atlantic Division Championship are all but over and the season has taken ANOTHER quick turn from exciting to painful. The Wolfpack is currently 3-4 on the season with the next three games against improving Virginia in addition to highly-ranked Georgia Tech and Clemson.

Make no mistake about it – Chuck Amato’s seat is getting hot again. State could easily be looking at a season that is played solely for the “excitement” of the final two games of the season against heated rivals UNC-CH and East Carolina.

Amato’s record vs ACC foes:

1-1 vs Boston College
2-4 vs Clemson
4-0 vs Duke
4-3 vs Florida State
2-4 vs Georgia Tech
2-5 vs Maryland
0-1 vs Miami
3-3 vs North Carolina
2-2 vs Virginia
1-1 vs Virginia Tech
4-3 vs Wake Forest

Summary Statistics:

* 25- 27 overall ACC record.

* Winning record against 3 ACC programs – Florida State, Wake Forest and Duke.

* .500 record against 4 ACC programs.

* Losing record against 4 ACC programs.

* 11-6 vs the Big Four

Related to today’s game: link to poor commentating

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'06 Football General

96 Responses to State’s O Scores 13 vs ACC’s #11 Defense

  1. RAWFS 10/23/2006 at 9:29 AM #

    It’s cool, Wolfpack4ever. Reading through the thing this morning made me realize I misunderstood your question, and I too reacted badly.

    We can disagree about this and that about NC State, but you and I completely agree that we both want NC State to excel. That the discussion can become heated at times only indicates the level of passion we both share for the University and its athletics.

    That said, apologies from over here for being the proverbial horse’s ass.

  2. SixPack 10/23/2006 at 9:32 AM #

    I’ll bet UVA is lickin’ their chops right now !

  3. packpigskinfan23 10/23/2006 at 9:39 AM #

    WulfPack- MY personal expectations for this year was that the team solidify consistency… I expected our offense to be better, and our defense to be worse than last years….

    well our offense COULD be better… but unfortunatly I think our play calling is predictably attrocious(sp?)..

    our defense is worse than last years, but a bit better than I expected.

    our consistency is HORRIBLE… we all know that.

    of course we all want our team to do the best it can, and we all want to think we “should” win EVERY game. It IS time for us to reach those expectations that we have been looking for, for a LONG time. I think our first step in that process was finding a stable QB who can make smart decisions and lead this team with the offense he is taught to run. Evans COULD be that guy. I want him to be that guy. After the BC and FSU games, it really looked like he was that guy to all of us. Apparently the coaches didnt see enough from those games to have the trust in him to put the game in his hands. Our backs are great… we all know that. but our OL is HORRIBLE. and without them being built up, we will not do anything. this year or next. and we REALLY need to grow a pair on offense. I dont know what the problem is there… but damn. something DOES have to change. I know this team CAN do it. my expectations are always high. but arent EVERYONES?

  4. partialqualifier 10/23/2006 at 9:50 AM #

    Good Monday!

    Another head-scratching loss Saturday. Even worse was the post game fair trip! God do I need my ass kicked for that one! If I may…a few notes on Saturday’s game:

    1-Marc Trestman has got to go. I hate changing OC’s again, but he has no clue how to coach a college offense. The offense made no recognizable/successfull adjustments to Maryland’s blitzes all day, and the play calling makes me yearn for the days of Mike O’Cain.

    2-The defense played pretty well. Again…we don’t have the dominating D of a year ago, but these guys are holding their own.

    3- Our Special Teams have been outplayed nearly every game this year. Other than the Blackmon return, we were aweful. Bad special teams killed us last week. When the other team only needs 1 first down to get into field goal range something is wrong! Deraney is a great place kicker, but his punting is below average.

    4-Coaching

  5. partialqualifier 10/23/2006 at 10:17 AM #

    A comment on the Coaching:

    It is frustrating to lose to Maryland & Wake Forest. It is important to remember that just as we are circling these teams as potential “wins”…they are doing the same when NC State shows up on the schedule. We are no better or worse than just about every other team in the league. Sure we have the talent to play with anybody in the league, but the parity in the ACC right now is amazing. The teams are so even that on any day you can win or lose. This is why every coach in the league minus three or four is feeling the heat. Each team’s fans know their team is just as good as the one across the field every Saturday. Therefore, when their team loses…since the talent was even…it must be the coaches’ fault. The late great Jimmy V used to always say that the future of ACC basketball was every team finishes .500 (7-7 when he coached). I think in football that is about right. Look at the standings. Minus UNC, Duke, and possibly UVA the rest of the league is going to finsh within a game of .500…other than Clemson and possibly Ga. Tech.

    The conclusion? Well as for Coach Amato…he is doing the little things right. There is more pride within that football program today than any time in the last 30 years. We have caught up to other schools in facilities and passed some others. The satdium is great and the home crowds usually rock! Sunday I watched with pride Mario Williams, Phillip Rivers, and Jericho Cotchery have good days in the NFL. In Maryland, just like every other game (ok…maybe not So. Miss) I saw a team that plays their hearts out and never stops coming back. I see a team that has total faith in their coach…and a coach that never defers the heat to his players or assistants. I like our team and our Coach. What frustrates me is the offense. Unfortunately, like most defensive coaches, Amato isn’t very offensive minded. Because of that the offense will always look like the coordinator. Under Chow-great…under Mazzone-average…and under Trestman-poor. The problems with this program are easy to fix. There arent massive holes as there is say over at UNC. If we can somehow, some way find a OC that can get this team in the endzone and sustain a drive or 2…the defense is loaded with young talent…then NC State has a bright future. I support Amato, but if he can’t hire better OC’s then my patience will run out very soon.

  6. Dan 10/23/2006 at 10:20 AM #

    Trestman didnt beat us in this game. Turnovers did. Just like last week. Yeah, we should have scored more points. But that is not what beat us. Maryland scored 17 points off turnovers. That is not to say I’m 100% happy with the playcalling (see below), but its not what beat us.

    And the other side of the turnover problem that doesnt get talked about enough is that its three less possessions which matters more than it used to with the new clock rules. That three less possessions to get to whatever meaningless magic number someone invents. And probably at least one or two more possessions for the opposite team resulting in a net loss closer to 5 chances to score.

    For me, Daniel’s picks are easier to swallow given his experience. However, Andre is killing me. I’m his biggest defender and I really believe that kid means everything to our team. If he cant hold on to the ball, we are in BIG trouble.

    Anyone who thinks that we can win games while having three turnovers per outing isnt paying attention. We all knew this year was going to be one in which wins were going to come hard, and that they werent going to win if they didnt play great games (like the FSU game).

    The coaching staff complaints I have after this one:

    Maybe Amato will now try harder to recruit O-line every freaking year instead of once every three or four.

    The one beef I still have with the play calling is their inability to mix it up. To start the game we ran on 1st down 5 straight times. Then we threw on first down 6 straight times. Overall we attemted to throw 16 times on first down and tried to run it 10 times. You add the few screen passes to the rush column and it looks like decent balance. Too bad they were almost all bunched together.

    2nd down was even more predictable. Up until the score was 23-6, we ran the ball 13 times on 2nd down and had only thrown it on 2nd down 3 times. You gotta be kidding me. After that point, it was understandably all throws almost (except for Baker’s 1 yd dive for the TD) since we were in comeback mode.

    …….

    And nothing personal against RAWFS, but he wins the dunce cap this week for dragging the stale debate surrounding the old basketball coach into football.

  7. redfred2 10/23/2006 at 10:21 AM #

    Just like I said last week, the coaching staff can only react. They absolutely cannot figure out ways to take it to the opponent. It is only after a major jarring every game, before they will get up off of their asses and take any risk. Somebody needs to figure that the D is holding up it’s end fairly well, but not stifling anyone. Now Mr Trestman’s offense needs to come out the gate and do something from the start.

    I have to believe he is being held back by a defensive based mindset. If not, he is the wrong guy for the job. These guys are still coaching every game not to lose.

  8. packpigskinfan23 10/23/2006 at 10:35 AM #

    yeah…. its like we dont have an offensive game plan till the 2nd half… like we go out there and play the first half so Trestman can figure out what the opposing D is doing… as if he spends halftime watching video instead of instructing his players what they need to change. Thats one thing about football that I dont really care for. The coaches(at least at NCSU) dont seem to be roaming the sidelines instructing players what to change. You watch an NFL game and the OffCoor is in the QB/RB/WR face after each drive with overhead shots of plays… I dunno… I am just frustrated with the whole thing. dont know what else to say about it.

  9. packpigskinfan23 10/23/2006 at 10:36 AM #

    our offensive game plan should not be COMPLETLY decided by what their D does. of course you have to work around the D… but you should be able to stick to a well rehearsed game plan.

  10. Dan 10/23/2006 at 11:03 AM #

    “its like we dont have an offensive game plan till the 2nd half… like we go out there and play the first half so Trestman can figure out what the opposing D is doing”

    Thats why a lot of OC’s script the first series or two.

  11. packpigskinfan23 10/23/2006 at 11:13 AM #

    just realized that Evans had 666 passing yards going into that game.

    8^0

    THAT couldnt have been a good thing for us

  12. redfred2 10/23/2006 at 11:44 AM #

    ^How in the devil did he do that?

  13. tcthdi-tgsf-twhwtnc 10/23/2006 at 11:44 AM #

    There are many things I don’t understand about NC State’s offense but what really makes blows me away is the complete lack of understanding clock management. A the start of the 4th we need three scores what does State do? We run the ball 7 or 8 consecutive plays burning 5 minutes on the clock to punt the ball after picking up about 30 yards. WTF! Does the coaching staff understand that a team shouldn’t expect more than 3 possessions in a quarter? How can you run the ball? Had it not been for the punt return and the fumble we would of never had a shot because State would of done everything in its power to just run out the clock.

    On that first fourth quarter possession you also have Evans burning up just about the entire play clock after each run. It was so pathetic I had to keep turning the channel and watch a commercial before the next snap. State took 5 game minutes acomplish what needed to be done in about a minute under the circumstances.

    I think we can all agree the new clock rules suck but they are what they are and to not understand that your opponent can burn up to 4.5 minutes (nearly 1/3 of the quarter) of game time by picking up two first downs has got to be one of your prime concerns when behind in the 4th. If you throw in a couple of penalties this time can go much higher.

  14. packpigskinfan23 10/23/2006 at 1:25 PM #

    ^end of the second half… we burned about a minute and a half on 2 plays… how do you do that?!?!

  15. packpigskinfan23 10/23/2006 at 1:25 PM #

    ^* first half…excuse me…

  16. Dan 10/23/2006 at 1:45 PM #

    “How in the devil did he do that?”

    That’s why we love Red

  17. brown pelican 10/23/2006 at 7:27 PM #

    first questionable outing for de—held the ball too long on the slant—first pick—andslung the post into double coverage on the second one—also—a few throws were hurried and his accuracy was not up to what it had been before—still—he was pressured more than before—and—as mentioned before on this thread—put in some tough down and distance situations—he’s at his best when he can throw the quick game on first and second down—almost always a sure bet to get you to third and five or less if given the opportunity—with evans at third and short you’ve got the whole playbook—also—he’s good enough that if you take a shot at first and 10 downfield—he can get you 5 or more on second down with the quick game—the more i watch the more i believe we should let it fly a little more—and get baker and brown involved the way ray robinson was when phillip was young—hang in there danny—-you’re the man

  18. bTHEredterror 10/23/2006 at 10:00 PM #

    In reference to the ACC’s number 11 defense, while I admit they are not great by any stretch, don’t you think those numbers are skewed slightly due to WVU and GT? I think WVU had 200 yards rushing before the 2nd quarter even started. Even the cupcakes they opened with can’t overcome that kind of production. The point is taken though, our offense IS anemic, and undependable. Alright, on to my rant.

    Turnovers are a key to the game of football and they obviously hurt us last weekend. But so is field position, which we as a running team must maximize, yet we routinely sacrifice for avoidable penalties! We lost field position twice on holds, we had at least one bonehead personal foul resulting in a first down and eventually a field goal for the Terds, and then Blackman’s superman braincramp, which cost us dear. It shouldn’t be a penalty, but it is, and he knew it full well. While there’s no telling if everything happens the same way without the 15 lost yards, I would have preferred the ball on THEIR 40 instead of our 45 after the Neal strip.

    Watching Amato’s TV show and listening to his excuses is getting old.
    These two issues are fundamental to the game, and he is apologizing every other game for them, broken record style. If Brown throws his offhand over the ball (which he had free, he was just pumping it while the MD LB stripped him) and a different ballgame ensues. If we get points instead of punts on two deep incursions into MD territory in the 2nd and 3rd quarters, and it is a different ballgame also. It’s the same tired song and dance, year in year out. We get stuck making excuses for a superior set of athletes, who get beat by a better TEAM. We play to the level of our competition, as evidenced perfectly this year. This means we can beat anybody, but hell anybody can beat us, too.

    PACDADDY: With all due respect, if our defense is built for the long haul, why do we have to scrounge or roster for LB’s, the primary playmakers in any defensive scheme? This get upfield mentatlity of the D-Line that “Doc” Walker (I can’t stand LF games!!!!) is always spouting about, is a necessity brought on by that dirth of playmakers, leaving us vulnerable to all types of screens and reverses.
    Amato has improved our program, and is on par with Sheridan in many ways as our best coach (which sadly, ain’t saying much), but he is as responsible for the frustrating losses we endure as he is for the uplifting victories. He wants the roses, he should expect some thorns.

  19. Wulfpack 10/23/2006 at 10:20 PM #

    ^Sure, Maryland played WVU and GT prior to us. On the same token, they played, William & Mary, Midd Tenn., and Florida Int’l….

    “We play to the level of our competition, as evidenced perfectly this year. This means we can beat anybody, but hell anybody can beat us, too.”

    No doubt. It’s what is so frustrating to us all. Zero consistency. Some awesome wins. Some absolutely horrid losses. Lots of explaining to do.

    Right now, Chuck and MOC are going head-to-head for the most mediocre NCSU coaches of all-time. Looking at their tenures, it’s scary how close the #s really are.

  20. redfred2 10/24/2006 at 3:28 PM #

    Wait a minute, didn’t I see a thread that said CA’s record was comparable to Dick Sheridan’s over the same time period? The Dick Sheridan who admittedly played a shorter season but in an ACC that did not have BC, FSU, VT, and the U as conference opponents.

    I thought so many were saying that Sheridan walked on water in comparison, and against the likes of UNC, WFU, UVA, UM, CU, GT and Duke?

  21. bTHEredterror 10/24/2006 at 11:52 PM #

    I’ll say the two were very similar redfred, I have no illusions. Dick was great ‘cuz his style of football was straight old school. Triple option, play-action, rugged D, and solid Special teams. Chuck has chosen a more flashy approach, but not without substance. Both have nonsensical losses, offset by two of our best years, but neither (to this point) netted an ACC title.

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