BY TONY HAYNES
Raleigh, N.C. – Beating 15th ranked and unbeaten Clemson this Saturday afternoon will be a difficult chore, but for NC State, getting back to work and preparing for the Tigers will be a lot easier than it has been.
After losing nine in a row overall and two straight to begin this season, the Wolfpack finally has something to feel good about as it begins a new week. Over the last few days, there have been a lot more smiles around the Murphy Football Center, thanks in no small part to Saturday’s 37-17 triumph over Wofford.
There’s no tonic quite like winning.
“I remember after the Boston College game, everybody on the offensive line was saying ‘I’m just sick of losing,’” said senior center Luke Lathan. “I was sick of just the tiniest things that just kill this team. Coach O’Brien sat us down and said we hurt ourselves in that Boston College game. He said ‘If you guys just make the smallest improvements, you’ll do well in the next game.’ That’s what we did. We concentrated on taking those next few steps. Simple things made a huge difference against Wofford.”
It was just a few things that made a difference. For the first time all season, the Pack ran the football, rushing for 217 yards, the most since the 2005 team ran for 297 yards against Southern Mississippi. NC State also won the turnover battle. In losses to Central Florida and Boston College, the Wolfpack had a dreadful turnover margin of minus-eight. The tables turned, however, against the Terriers as NC State turned the ball over only once – a late game fumble when the outcome was already decided – compared to a pair of giveaways by Wofford. The Terriers also had a muffed punt at their own one-yard line that served the same purpose as a turnover, although it’s not officially credited as such.
“I believe it was a huge confidence booster for our team,” Lathan said on Monday afternoon. “Going into tomorrow’s practice I know a lot of guys are going to have a swagger and we’re going to come out and it’s going to be a tough, physical practice. I’m looking forward to it.”
Beating Wofford is one thing, but being successful over the next three weeks will be a much better indicator of just how far the Wolfpack has come since week one. NC State will follow up Saturday’s noon contest versus Clemson with a home game against nationally ranked Louisville (3:30 p.m.) and an ACC road tilt at Florida State.
“We’re in a pretty good stretch now,” said head coach Tom O’Brien. “We’re going to see how we compare to top 20 teams. Maybe we’re not top 20, but by the end of the year we might be a heck of a football team if we get healthy and continue to get better.”
Health is certainly a concern, particularly along the defensive line. Joining starting defensive tackle DeMario Pressley (knee) on the injured list is another tackle. John Bedics will be sidelined with an ankle injury after being victimized by a low block in the second quarter on Saturday night.
Without Pressley and Bedics, O’Brien will again rely on Germany native Markus Kuhn and walk-on Jamaine Clemmons to provide some muscle against a big, strong Clemson offensive line. Kuhn, a freshman, is listed as a starter this week.
“I guess anything can happen today in college football,” O’Brien said. “When you lose two guys at that spot and you’re number three, you move up to number one real fast. We knew he could run and he is a physical presence. He still has a long way to go, but he’s got a knack for doing a couple of things. He runs to the football, he’s always hustling and those are tremendous qualities to start with.”
Kuhn certainly made his presence felt against Wofford’s triple option offense over the weekend, making seven stops and helping the Pack clog up the middle when the Terriers tried the fullback dive.
Of course, the difference in the talent level between Wofford and Clemson is dramatically more striking than the few miles that separate their campuses in western South Carolina.
Running behind a huge line this week will be a pair of quality backs in James Davis and C.J. Spiller. Two years ago in a 31-10 Clemson victory over NC State, Davis bulled his way to 143 yards on just 12 carries. A year ago in Death Valley, Spiller was the spoiler, going for 154 yards on 18 carries in the Tigers’ 20-14 win.
Through three games this season, the Pack has allowed its opponents to rush for an average of 216 yards per contest, a figure that ranks last in the ACC.
“Davis is rushing for seven yards a carry and I think his longest run is under 30 yards, so he’s been very consistent carrying the football, O’Brien said. “They have those big offensive linemen and they run the ball well. I think everybody looks at that and has dared the quarterback to beat them.”
And that’s exactly what redshirt junior signal caller Cullen Harper has done, hitting 72.5 percent of his throws and passing for 232 yards per game. For his career, Harper has now thrown 156 passes without an interception.
NC State will indeed have its hands full this week, but at least the Wolfpack is now trying to build off of a win instead of the other way around. Still, O’Brien says he hasn’t seen enough to know just what kind of team the Pack is or can be.
“I don’t think we really know,” he said. “I think we’re seeing improvement in their preparation, especially in the mental aspect of the game and the intensity and the concentration. I think we’re getting better in those areas. Every time I say something good it’s one step forward and two steps back, so we’ll see how we do this week. I don’t think we’re too far off from having a decent football team, but we still have to do it.”
He’ll learn a lot more this week.
Game Time Update: After facing Clemson, the Wolfpack will welcome another nationally ranked opponent to Carter-Finley Stadium when Louisville brings its high-powered offense to Raleigh. The ACC announced on Monday that the September 29th non-conference contest will begin at 3:30 p.m. Television coverage will be provided by ESPNU.
Courtesy: Peyton Williams/NC State
