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General Info (Coming Soon) Boards & Admin  use policy(Meetings/Club reports) (Buy, Sell & Trade) Jacket Football (Coming Soon) 2001 Kickoff Classic Hoops Jacket Links |
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2000 NC State Wolfpack - 8-4/5-3 ACC (defeated Minnesota 38-30 in Micron.PC Bowl) Head Coach - Chuck Amato (8-4 @ NCSU and overall, 1 season) When Amato was hired, basketball crazy Wolfpack fans had visions of winning seasons, bowl games, and packed houses @ Carter-Finley stadium dancing in their heads. Despite his best effort to downplay those expectations leading up to the 2000 season, that's exactly what they got. It didn't look that way to start. State fell behind Arkansas St. 17-7 in their first game, and it eventually took 2OT's to put away the upset minded Indians. However, freshman Philip Rivers gave a preview of what was to come, leading the 'Pack on a game-tying drive late in the game as he completed 29 of 57 passes for 397 yards. The Wolfpack used their come-from-behind victory as a springboard to 3 more victories in opening the season 4-0. It was nearly 6 straight wins as Rivers had the 'Pack within sight of the goaline in a tough 27-34 loss at Clemson in game 5, then followed that with a win over hated rival UNC 38-20, NC State's first win in that series in 7 years. Injuries and a lack of depth began to take their toll as the season wore on. Although their fast start briefly put NC State in the Top 25, they soon fell into the dreaded "others receiving votes" with losses to Maryland and UVa, and poor showings against Duke and Wake Forest. Still, they accepted a bid to play in the Micron.PC Bowl for the 2nd time in 3 seasons. The month off was a tremendous benefit. After falling behind by 3 TD's, Rivers did his thing leading NC State back to a thrilling win over Minnesota...the lone ACC team to record a victory in the 2000-01 postseason. With 14 returning starters, NC State looks poised to continue 2000's success...but they'll miss their biggest playmaker from last season, Koren Robinson. (They probably will NOT miss his attitude) Rivers will also have to adjust to life w/o OC Norm Chow, who left Raleigh after one season to take a similar job at Southern California. Amato figures Robinson was too good to replace with any one player, so he'll do it with several. At the same time, he's hoping defensive improvement and a better rushing attack will help alleviate some of the pressure on his sophomore QB to have to outscore everyone. And while NCSU has played some tough schedules in the last few years, 2001 isn't one of 'em. The 'Pack has made for bowling slate of games. Road test at GT and FSU appear to the biggest obstacles. Every other game looks winnable. Rush Off. - 104 ypg/96th.....Pass Off. - 292 ypg/15th.....Total Off. - 396 ypg/19th Returning Starters OFFENSE - OC Marty Galbraith (2nd season @ NCSU, 1st season as OC) Quarterbacks What didn't Philip Rivers do? Showing the poise of an upperclassman, Rivers took control of the battle to replace Jamie Barnett in spring practice (he was an early enrollee in 2000) and never let up. By the end of September, Barnett was an afterthought. In his first 4 games, Rivers was 97 of 169 (.574) for 1,331 yards. He passed for over 2000 yards in 7 games. That's more passing yards than 5 ACC QB's had all season. All told, Rivers set seven school records and established a new mark for freshmen QB's in the ACC. Projecting his first year stats over 4 seasons would obliterate every major passing record in the league's history. Finally, he was named the ACC rookie 8 times (also a new league record) and was the overwhelming choice as the ACC rookie of the year, the 3rd straight 'Pack player (joining Ray Robinson and Koren Robinson) to win that honor. Rivers final stats were 237 completions in 441 attempts for 3,054 yards. He threw 10 interceptions against 25 TD's. Not willing to rest on his laurels, Rivers has been working hard to improve his mobility so that he can buy a few extra seconds to find an open receiver. If there was one drawback in the young QB's game, it was an inability to escape pressure. He was sacked 37 times (GT got him a season high 7 times), accounting for 220 yards in losses. JUCO transfer Olin Hannum holds onto the backup role he won in 2000. Hannum was a JC All-American at Snow College (same school that produced OL Garren Findlay for GT) in 1999 when he passed for over 3,300 yards and 25 TD's. However, backing up Rivers last season, he saw action in 5 games (once as a WR) completing 1 of 4 passes for 22 yards. Running Backs If the NC State rushing attack is to improve from 8th in the ACC and 96th overall, Ray Robinson is going to need some help. He's a fine RB who earned ACC Rookie of the Year honors in 1998 when he rushed for over 800 yards, managed over 400 yards in an injury-plagued 1999, and came back for 7 TD's and 788 yards on 193 carries in 2000. Unfortunately, he's getting zero help. Robinson accounted for 69% of NC State's rushing yards in 2000, the highest mark in the league. (L.Jordan of Maryland was 2nd at 67%...A.Womack was 3rd at 57%) IMO, State is playing Russian Roulette if they put that kind of load on Robinson again. Should he go down, the 'Pack would be one dimensional and it would be open season on Rivers. State would also miss his pass catching abilities. Out of the backfield, Robinson added 41 receptions for 366 yards and a TD. That makes him the #1 returning receiver. K.J. Stone and Carlos Doggett (5-10, 216 lb. R-Jr.) are Robinson's primary backups. Unless one steps up in a big way, it doesn't appear State has the backup they really need. Stone played in 2 games last season, carrying the ball 8 times for 24 yards. After missing most of 1999 with a knee injury, Stone was bothered by more knee and hip injuries in 2000. Doggett got into 8 games (77 yards rushing on 22 carries, 60 receiving) in 1999 when injuries thinned out the depth chart, but saw his playing time reduced to 1 game and 7 carries in 2000. The FB situation is not exactly the model of stability either. Moyer emerged as the #1 FB in spring, but did not have to battle Cotra Jackson for the position. Jackson was injured in a fight while home after the bowl game (apparently he was trying to break up a fight and was severely cut in the face) and missed spring practice. As a backup in 2000, Jackson was actually the 2nd leading rusher on the NC State squad. (and the only one besides Robinson to record more than 100 yards) However, 94 of his 172 yards came against UNC when Robinson left early with an injury. When August drills begin, he'll be looking to reclaim his position atop the depth chart. Wide Receivers All eyes will be focused on the wide receiver corps as they deal w/ the loss of Koren Robinson two years early. He led the league in receptions with 62, and was second in total receiving yards w/ 1,061. Those numbers will be hard to replace, but the self-serving attitude that led to frequent run ins with the staff won't be. Peterson is the most experienced player in this group. He's started 11 games over the last two seasons and played in 23 overall. In 2000, he collected 28 receptions for 394 yards and 2 TD's. However, he lacks the necessary speed to be the playmaker Robinson was. Peterson's supporting cast is not exactly overflowing with experience. Cotchery played in 10 games last fall, but mostly on special teams. As a wide receiver, he caught 6 passes for 75 yards. Likewise, Bertrand was mainly a special teams player who managed two receptions for 57 yards. His first career reception was a 35 yard TD against Arkansas St...not a bad way to start. Graham is the player most likely to fill Robinson's role; at 6-2 he is equal in size, giving Rivers a good size target. He also has the needed quickness (4.4 40) to stretch the field. Like Clemson, if the incumbents can't get it done, it's unlikely the coaching staff will hesitate one second to unleash a talented group of recruits and see what they can do. Dovantae Edwards (6-0, 180 lb.), Sterling Hicks (6-1, 165 lb.), and Chris Murray (6-4, 195 lb.) were all highly regarded by the various recruiting gurus. State would also like to use RB Tramain Hall (5-11, 170 lb.) in a slot-back position, but he's having some problems with the NCAA clearinghouse. Despite graduating early from high school and enrolling at NCSU in January, questions exist about the score he posted on his high school exit exam. Tight Ends The Wolfpack will also lean on the Tight Ends to give Rivers more targets in moving the ball. In Willie Wright, the have one of the ACC's best. In 2000, he placed 4th on the team in receptions with 31, but 2nd in total receiving yards with 401. He also had 3 TD's. Unlike other positions, State enjoys a great deal of experienced depth at the TE position. Vanderveer has played in all 24 games the Wolfpack have been in the last two seasons. Although he only has 14 receptions in that time...5 of them have been for TD's. Joe Gray has found it difficult to actually get on the field with these two in front of him, but he did manage to catch one pass for a 30 yard TD in 2000. Offensive Line Coming out of spring practice, the State OL looked as if it might be decent unit. That was then...this is now. Now State is faced with the prospect of Kooistra not being able to come back from a serious knee injury in time for the start of the season. What really makes that troublesome for NCSU is that they apparently have already lost RT Reggie Poole (6-2, 312 lb. Sr. - a starter in 2000) to grades. That could start a chain reaction of reshuffling players. 2nd string RG Tim Turner (6-6, 301 lb. R-Jr.) would likely move over to OT. Ofcourse that would leave both right side positions without a backup heading into August drills. Last year's starting center, Derek Green (6-3, 264 lb. R-Jr.) could provide double duty at the center and guard positions. OTOH, he could be moved to starting RG since Lardino only has 3 games experience along the OL. Whatever the case, expect at least some of NC State's 5 OL signees to make the two deep and see immediate playing time. The situation is a little bit better at center and on the left side. Weir hopes to finally make it through a season injury free after breaking his leg in each of the last two season openers. Colmer and Brown are firmly entrenched at the LT and LG positions. However, neither backup brings any experience to the table. Both LT Matt Broel (6-5, 298 lb. R-Sr.) and LG Travis Brinson (6-3, 257 lb. R-So.) each have two games worth of experience in their respective careers. DEFENSE - DC Buddy Green (10th season @ NC State, 6th season as DC) Defensive Line While LB LeVar Fisher and DB Terrence Holt grab the headlines, any improvement in the defensive performance needs to start up front with this group. At first glance, it appears to be in better shape than State's OL. Corey Smith is a 3 year contributor, having played in 36 straight games, starting 13 of those. Last season he was in on 55 tackles...5 of them sacks. The staff will look to him to provide veteran leadership to his line-mates who have a decent amount of playing time already under their belt. Sean Locklear played in every game in 2000 recording 39 tackles, 9 of them for loss. He saw time at both the end and tackle positions and may pull double duty again this season. Another freshman to make an impact last season was Ricky Fowler. He made such an impression that by the end of the season he had 3 starts to go along with his 17 tackles and 3 sacks. Rounding out the front line is Jerrick Hall. He also got plenty of playing time as a reserve in 2000, making 16 stops. Darius Bryant (6-1, 287 lb. R-Sr.) give State a solid backup at DT. He started 11 games in 2000, but was beaten out by Fowler in the spring. Still, with 78 career tackles in 33 games, it's unlikely he'll spend much time on the bench. George Anderson (6-0, 231 lb. R-Jr.) and Shane Riggs (6-3, 269 lb. R-Jr.) give State some depth at DE. Both recorded over 20 tackles coming off the bench in 2000. State also signed a pair of JUCO DL (Terrance Chapman - 6-4, 240 lb.; Terrance Martin - 6-4, 290 lb.) that may come in and provide immediate help in improving their porous rush defense. Linebackers LeVar Fisher recorded an NCAA leading 166 tackles in 2000. He thinks 200 is a possibility in 2001. With his nose for the ball, I wouldn't be surprised. The number that jumps out at me is this: in 35 career games, Fisher has 357 total tackles...10 tackles/game on AVERAGE! He had double digit tackles in every single game in 2000 except SMU, (I can only assume that he sat down early in State's 41-0 rout) breaking the 20 tackle mark twice (FSU & Maryland) and 19 once. (Clemson) He was also a one man wrecking crew against Tech, with 14 stops and causing the game-turning fumble in the 3rd quarter. For the 2nd year in a row, Burnette will line up inside next to Fisher. His season wasn't too shabby either; 105 tackles, 8 TFL, and 2 fumbles recovered. Although media pundits and other assorted experts claim Burnette is undersized for his position, his 218 tackles over the last two seasons say otherwise. Brian Jamison completes the trio, moving from DE to OLB. In spring practice, he picked up the position (both inside and outside) with relative ease, even leading all tacklers in the spring game with 8. As a reserve DE in 2000, he played in all 12 games, making 42 tackles...7 of them for losses. The problem with the linebacking corps is the same problem that most of the team suffers from...a complete lack of depth. However, it's even worse here. Coming out of spring, Jamison is not only the projected starter at strong-side LB, but a backup to Burnette in the middle as well. And Roger Pollard (6-0, 212 lb. So.) is listed as 2nd string at both the weak side and strong side LB positions because the status of Corey Lyons (5-11, 196 lb.) is still up in the air following his conviction of assaulting his girlfriend. That's 4 players for 6 positions. Ouch! As a freshman in 2000, Pollard saw extensive playing time on special teams, as well as 7 games from the LB position, making 15 tackles. Once again, don't expect a whole lot of redshirting to be going on at this position. Amato needs some warm bodies, even if they have to play through those rookie mistakes. Defensive Backs Even with the early departure of Adrian Wilson to the NFL, this looks like a solid group of DB's. Williams has started every game the last two seasons, playing 1999 at FS and 2000 at CB. He has 186 tackles to his credit over that span. He's backed up by Stone Mountain native J.J. Washington (5-7, 180 lb. R-So.). Washington was making strides as R-Fr, earning 4 starts and scoring the winning points against GT (on a fumble recovery), until he tore up his knee and was lost for the season against UNC. James Walker starts at the other CB for the 2nd year in a row. Although it took Walker a few games to really catch on, he started to come on in the 2nd half of the season averaging 68 plays and 4 tackles/game. He'll be backed up the inexperienced Victor Stephens. (6-0, 176 lb. So.) Stephens played in 9 games on special teams, but only two (SMU and Duke) from scrimmage. He had 5 tackles. Terrance Holt continues to try and maintain the lofty reputation his family name has earned at Carter Finley stadium. As a first year starter in 2000, Holt was in on 89 tackles and broke up 7 passes. He's also become a kick blocking machine with 5 in his first two seasons. In 1999, he almost single handidly beat Texas w/ two blocked punts - both leading to Wolfpack scores. In 2000, he knocked down 3 FG's, including one against Indiana that could've tied the game. His teammate at SS is not as experienced. Patterson spent his first season in Raleigh as a reserve WR. In 2000 he switched to defense, and while he did see time in every game, his impact was minimal. Backing up the safeties will be Rod Johnson (FS - 5-9, 170 lb. R-Jr.), who made 1 tackle in 8 games last season, and J.J. Jones (5-11, 163 lb. Fr.) who enrolled early to participate in spring drills. Special Teams Herbert returns to handle punts, and adds FG kicking to his list of chores for 2001. As a freshman, Herbert was only adequate, averaging 37.7 yards on 59 kicks. He hasn't attempted a FG in a collegiate game, but he does hold the career record for FG's in the state of North Carolina. He replaces Kent Passingham, who actually turned into a fairly decent kicker for the 'Pack after struggling early in his career. A larger concern is going to be finding a replacement for Koren Robinson returning punts and kickoffs. He ranked 11th nationally in both categories, averaging 15.6 yards/return on punts while checking in with 25.3 yards/return on kickoffs. WR Bryan Peterson and SS Julius Patterson are two likely candidates. Coaching Still, it's only one season and while it appears to be perfect match, coaching is a business where you have to prove yourself over and over again. (Look at what they said about Holtz in '99 or JoePa in '00) It would be interesting to see how Amato handles things if his team runs into some real adversity this season. While Mark Galbraith is not going to be mistaken for Norm Chow any time soon, he brings an impressive resume that extends from the high school ranks to the NFL. On the collegiate level, he's coached at Purdue, Wake Forest, LSU, Pitt, and even Ga.Tech. (during the dark years.) I doubt too much will change under his leadership. On the defensive side, Buddy Green is on his 3rd stint at his alma mater. He was a graduate assistant on the last NCSU ACC Champion in 1979, then served as DC under Dick Sheridan in the late 80's and early '90's. From 1990 to 1992, State fielded some of the best defenses in the nation. Schedule In conference, State will host UNC, travel to Wake Forest, and then come home to face Clemson before travelling to Atlanta. The UNC game and CU game are key to the success of the 2001 season. Win both (and take care of Wake) and the showdown w/ Georgia Tech is going to be monumental. Tech gets a couple of extra days to prepare for this...courtesy of NCSU. When Tulane backed out of their game w/ Clemson, it left the Tigers with an extra week to prepare for their Thursday night game with the 'Pack, while State was getting ready on 5 days rest. They appealed to the ACC for some relief, and GT-Maryland ended up in it's place. What this all means... And as for GT...don't look for the Jackets to repeat their mistake a year ago. For some reason even George O'Leary would have a hard time explaining, Tech left it's biggest advantage on the bench while Godsey struggled to find his rhythm. In the end, a tired Jacket team didn't have the energy left to hold off a fired up State squad. O'Leary has already stated his preference to bring more power running to the GT offense...and that should serve Tech well in a game like this. The Wolfpack didn't demonstrate it could stop the run in 2000, so unless there is significant improvement in that area b/t now and then, that's where Tech will attack first. However, instead of it being JUST Joe Burns, it will be Burns...and Dixon...and Gregory...and Ford...and Hatch. Defensively, we actually did a good job of holding Rivers and Robinson in check with a poor pass defense. This year, they come to Atlanta w/o their playmaker, and we add a cornerback who appears capable of making a QB think twice. The idea here will be to force State to prove they can run the ball. Should they fail that, Rogers and Gathers will have a greenlight to go after Rivers and force him into hurried throws. He makes good decisions at QB, but even the best of them don't do so well when they're running for their life. So here I am once again, sounding very confident in a GT win over NC State. In some ways, I've done exactly what I swore I wouldn't do after I made some brash predictions about the 'Pack last year. However, on paper, State just doesn't match up well with us. That doesn't mean they don't have some talent. I wholly expect them to have a successful season. I also know that, like Syracuse, this is a team that can easily jump up and bite you if they aren't taken seriously. But given the way things unfolded last season, I don't worry much about that. Somehow, I think NC State will have our undivided attention. Happy homecoming.
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