They’re loaded with speed, they’re packed with Floridians and they’re halfway toward winning an Atlantic Coast Conference championship.
But no, they’re not the Florida State Seminoles.
North Carolina State’s Wolfpack resembles the Seminoles teams that won or shared nine consecutive ACC titles from 1992-2000. And that is by design, said third-year Wolfpack coach Chuck Amato.
Amato was an FSU assistant for 18 years before bringing all that he’d learned in Tallahassee to his alma mater in 2000. He has modeled his program’s day-to-day operations after those of FSU.
“We felt like what we were doing there was pretty good,” Amato said. “It was a proven thing, so that’s what we’re doing here.”
Best start ever
No. 10 N.C. State (9-0, 4-0 ACC) already has equaled a school record for wins in a season and still has four regular-season games, including Saturday’s game against Georgia Tech.
With his deep recruiting ties to the talent-rich Sunshine State, Amato has worked feverishly to upgrade his team’s speed–particularly on defense. N.C. State started the year with 22 Floridians on its roster.
Led by a small but quick defensive line, the Wolfpack leads the nation in sacks with 36 and ranks 13th–first in the league–in total defense at 301.4 yards per game.
The Wolfpack last led the ACC in defense in 1988 thanks to five All-ACC players.
N.C. State used its quickness to harass Clemson into five turnovers and into season lows in rushing yards (66) and total offense (229) during last week’s 38-6 drubbing at Death Valley. The Tigers were unsuccessful on all three fourth-down attempts and didn’t score until a late kickoff return.
“I’ve said it many, many times,” Amato said. “We will not be really great until we play great defense.”
Splitting the duties
N.C. State’s improvement has come without a defensive coordinator. Buddy Green left in the off-season for the same position at Navy, and Amato decided he and his other defensive coaches would split the duties.
So far so good.
The Wolfpack has allowed an average of 14.5 points in its four ACC wins over Wake Forest, North Carolina, Duke and Clemson. N.C. State allowed 23.1 points in eight league games last season.
This spring, Amato noticed more speed on the field and decided to simplify things, relying on more aggressive playing and fewer schemes.
At first, the change didn’t sit well with his staff.
“The defensive coaches were so upset with me,” Amato said. “We played two coverages all spring. We played one man coverage and one zone coverage–and that was it. I told them I didn’t care if the offense ran up and down the field on them.
“I said, `Gentlemen you don’t understand. It’s all about execution. It’s not who has 83 coverages.’ It’s not what we know, it’s what those kids know.”
Sacking a record
N.C. State’s 36 broke the school mark of 35 set in 1992. The defense has also recorded 85 tackles for loss and Shawn Price has returned two fumbles for touchdowns.
Price is part of a senior-dominated defensive line that has been a key for the Wolfpack defense.
“That’s where it all starts,” Amato said. “If you can’t dominate up front, you’re going to get your butt waxed. People will be able to do whatever they want to against you.”
N.C. State’s defense was questioned after a letdown at Texas Tech in which it allowed 35 second-half points, and a week later by allowing 24 points against Division I-AA Massachusetts.
But since then, the Wolfpack have allowed 17, 22 and 6 points in three key ACC wins.
“They’ve got a lot of pride in themselves,” Amato said. “We’re getting better people in the box. The grunting and groaning is where it all starts.”
Junior college stars
Like Price, Terrance Martin is a junior college player who has played two seasons under Amato and is making an impact on the defensive front.
Amato comes from a defensive background after serving as an assistant for nearly two decades at Florida State. Martin said Amato spends about 85 percent of practice with the defense.
“I love seeing him over there with us,” Martin said. “He speaks about how physical you’ve got to play, and he knows what it takes to win on defense.”
Amato said the true test for his defense will come in the final four ACC games against the Yellow Jackets, Maryland, Virginia and Florida State.
“If we can play with the consistency and the intensity defensively that we did Thursday (against Clemson) for four games, we will have improved,” Amato said.
Focus on special teams
Like Bobby Bowden at FSU, Amato has emphasized special teams. Since 1998, N.C. State has blocked 38 kicks, including one that was returned for a touchdown against the Tigers.
State’s defense and special teams have combined to score nine non-offensive touchdowns, the most in the ACC this season.
On offense, an N.C. State team that could barely run off the field in past seasons ranks sixth nationally in scoring, with 41 points a game. Freshman tailback T.A. McLendon ran for 178 yards and two touchdowns last week and has rushed for at least 100 yards in four of the past five games.
