NC State Wolfpack

By Tony Haynes

Following his team's dramatic come from behind 41-38 victory at Indiana on Sept. 9, NC State football coach Chuck Amato suggested that the ticket takers at Carter-Finley Stadium should give Pack fans a nitroglycerin tablet when they come through the gates for the Sept. 16 contest vs. SMU.

To be safe, you might want to try a heavy dose of clot busters.

It would be advisable for the area's cardiologists to avoid making any tee times that may conflict with any NC State football game this season. The campaign is only two weeks old, and this version of the 'Cardiac Pack' has twice managed to steal victory from the jaws of defeat.

The script against Arkansas State and Indiana was essentially the same: start slow, finish fast. Let's try start fast so finish fast isn't necessary.

"I don't know why we're starting so slow," said freshman quarterback Philip Rivers. "That's one of the things we need to improve on as an offense is to get going early. It can be really intimidating if you can drive it down their throat and score right away. That's something we've got to get better at because we're letting people hang around and then before you know it, we're in a hole."

In its opener against Arkansas State, the Wolfpack's first score came with just five seconds remaining in the opening half. At Indiana, State faced a 21-3 deficit midway through the second quarter.

Through two games, the Pack is averaging 10-points in the first half and more than 22 after intermission. And remember-this is a team that's ranked 8th in the nation in total offense and 2nd in passing offense. Where would these guys be if they were able to put it together for four quarters?

Against Indiana, NC State put up 311 yards of offense in the second half compared to just 163 in the opening frame.

In fairness to Rivers and the rest of the offense, there was very little scouting information available on the first two opponents because both Arkansas State and Indiana kicked off their seasons against the Wolfpack. The Hoosiers in particular were difficult to prepare for because they were playing their first game under new defensive coordinator James Bell.

But the pattern of NC State's first two games also suggests that Amato's much ballyhooed coaching staff has been successful in making some very timely adjustments, which have allowed the Pack to come back in both contests.

"The adjustments you make are a big part of it, but sometimes the best adjustments you can make is tightening up your chin strap," Amato said. "But making those finite adjustments does help. I'll say this for as long as I'm here: that 217-years of experience that we have on our staff allows us to keep a business-like atmosphere. We're preaching it's a 60-minute game and we need to realize it's a 60-minute game, too."

Amato and his staff will be more comfortable going into the SMU game simply because they've had an opportunity to study the Mustangs' first two games on film, a luxury they didn't have the first two weeks.

"It is going to be good to play a team that we have an idea about what they're doing, just like they know what we're doing," said Amato. "It would be great to start well on both sides of the ball. But you know how that is: if we get that good start, then the second part could be that the other team could come back. So bring you nitroglycerine tablets."

And make sure your cardiologist is on call.