NC State Wolfpack

By Tony Haynes

So you think NC State's football season has been exciting so far? Just three short weeks have passed and the Wolfpack Nation is in utter delirium. In three short weeks, the Pack has already provided its fans with more thrills and spills than an Evel Knievel motorcycle jump at Ceasars Palace.

It all started with an overtime victory over Arkansas State in the opener. Then came a rally from 12-points down with just over four minutes to play at Indiana. By the time SMU arrived in Raleigh last Saturday night, NC State's players had already convinced themselves that walking on water is not an impossibility. The result was an impressive Wolfpack blowout.

So just how good is this NC State team? Check back with me at about 11:30 p.m. on Thursday, September 21.

In Georgia Tech, NC State will be facing a team that features better athletes than Arkansas State, Indiana or SMU. The Yellow Jackets may not be as dangerous as they were a year ago when Joe Hamilton was their quarterback, but coach George O'Leary has openly stated on many occasions that there is more talent in his program now than at any other time during his tenure at Tech.

And by talent, he means more speed at the skill positions and more size and strength on the offensive and defensive lines.

How the Pack measures up at the line scrimmage against the Jackets will have a lot to say about the rest of the season. If State holds its own in the trenches, it will certainly have something to build on for the rest of the year.

Perhaps the only thing that didn't go well for NC State against SMU was the running game. Going in, Wolfpack offensive coordinator Norm Chow had wanted to establish more balance in the offense after watching freshman quarterback Philip Rivers throw 109 passes in the first two games. But yards on the ground against the Mustangs were hard to come by for the Pack, which rushed for 99-yards. Nothing disrupts a well thought out running play like penetration from the defensive line, and many of NC State's rushing attempts on Saturday were stymied by SMU penetration.

Though Georgia Tech hasn't exactly been a defensive juggernaut in recent years, coordinator Ted Roof's unit now seems to be turning the corner. As a whole, Tech's defensive front will be bigger, stronger and faster than the lines NC State encountered the first three weeks.

To this point, the pass protection has been adequate. But without the compliment of a respectable running attack, it will become more and more difficult for the Wolfpack's offensive line to keep ornery defensive lineman away from Rivers.

On the other side of the ball, NC State looked like a different team against SMU. After failing to so much as breathe on opposing quarterbacks in the first two games, the Pack's defensive line unleashed a near record-breaking performance by recording 10 sacks against the Mustangs. A similar type effort will be needed against Jackets quarterback George Godsey, who's coming off an uplifting performance versus Navy.

In the short time that they have to prepare for this game, the Pack's well-worth-the-money coaching staff will do another bang up job of getting their team ready. And along with benefiting from what will surely be a rabid home crowd, NC State will have another intangible weighing heavily in its favor: confidence.

Nothing energizes a team more than finding a way to win after staring defeat right in the eye-something the Wolfpack has already done twice.

It's almost like walking on water.