TCY Groupthink - North Carolina State Wolfpack

[CraigSca]

Recruiting Phase-

QB Ty Chavez - mildly pleased, liked OC, better than scouted
C Orlando Force - happy to receive visit, liked OC, little worse than scouted
G J.T. Torres - mildly pleased, better than scouted
DT Gino Powell - mildly pleased, quite a bitter better than scouted
OLB Rod Rice - a little surprised by our visit, significantly worse than scouted (ugh)
S Kendall Reese - happy to receive visit, didn't like DC at all, better than scouted

No longer benefit from phone/visit

ILB J.B. Stephenson
DE J.J. Heath
DE Richard Feliciano
DT Casey Batista
DT Terrell Morris
CB Wade Copperfield

[CraigSca]

N.C. State Coach to Terps: "Come and Get Us"

In a surprising move, especially from a normally low-key coaching staff, the head coach of the North Carolina State Wolfpack had some choice words for the Maryland Terrapin running attack in today's pre-game workout. "Bring it on, guys! We're ready. Defensive coordinator MikeVick and myself worked hard formulating a gameplan that's going to stop [Omar] Keeton in his tracks," said coach Craigsca.

The Maryland Terrapins enter today's game with the 24th best rushing attack in the nation, but that raking skyrockets to #9 when only yards per carry (4.71) are taken into account. Maryland has a tendency to run the ball down their opponent's throat and why not? They have the nation's #2 rusher in Omar Keeton, a do-it-all back out of Detroit, Michigan's King HS. Keeton is averaging 5.9 yards per carry as well as 10 TDs. "The kid has devastating breakaway speed. You might stop him for a few yards early on, but by the 4th quarter - you just know he's gonna break one," said Maryland head coach Al Hamby. Unfortunately for the Wolfpack, he holds on to the ball as well, only fumbling once in 5 games (and that one was recovered by the Terps).

North Carolina State hopes to counter Maryland's running attack with upstart quarterback Justin Amaya. Despite battling post-combat stress syndrome (after watching "Saving Private Ryan" one night, against his coach's wishes), Amaya turned in an incredible performance last week (17 for 23, 295 yards, 1 TD) against the Tar Heels of North Carolina. Said Craigsca, "He's a real sensitive kid. I told him not to watch the movie, but he did anyway. Still, we feel he's going to be ready against a tough Maryland secondary." Justin's favorite target has been junior Donald Clark who is first in the ACC in receiving despite starting only two games for the Wolfpack. "Coach Ravenhawk believed in me and told me I was a starter, not a second-stringer. I just wanna prove him right," offered Donald over a pre-game onion sandwich.

[CraigSca]

North Carolina State (3-2) at Maryland (3-2) (-2), no TV

Weather: 77 degrees, Sunny

We win the toss and elect to receive. Kickoff to our 5, returned 27 yards by Kenneth Wertz. 1st and 10 at our 32.

On 1st and 10 we come out throwing. Justin Amaya throws away from double coverage (Donald Clark?) and connects with Earnest Sweeney for the 9 yard gain (6 YAC). 2nd and 1. Trying to get the first down, Orlando Macri gets a carry and is stuffed for a 2 yard loss. 3rd and 3. Amaya throws a screen to Macri 2 yards behind the line of scrimmage and Orlando wills himself the first down by gaining 5 yards on his own - just enough for the first down. 1st and 10 at the NC State 42. Gino Linquist runs a trap off the right tackle and is stuffed for no gain. BTW, Maryland is in a 3-4 alignment for the game. 2nd and 10. Amaya fades back but is hurried into an incomplete pass - Orlando Macri was the target. 3rd and 10. 3-4 alignment from UMD again - and I've noticed their secondary is in the bump & run, daring us to go long. Amaya takes the snap and throws to Donald Clark as he comes across the middle of the field - complete - 16 yard gain! 1st and 10 from the MD 42. Macri gets the hand off from Amaya and rides Newt Lentzner's block for a 9 yard gain. 2nd and 1. Offensive holding. Ugh. 2nd and 11 at the MD 43. Illegal Shift. Jebus. 2nd and 16 at the 48. Amaya snaps and passes to Earnest Sweeney who is immediately brought down after a 5 yard gain. 3rd and 11. Justin Amaya calls on his old friend Donald Clark, but he's well defended by the Maryland secondary and ball drops harmlessly to the ground. 4th and 11 at the MD 43 - time to punt. Attendance was just announced: 36,500. On the punt, someone misses and assignment and it's blocked by Hill - Schultz recovers for Maryland, and the Terps will start at our 49 . Time for the coaches pre-game challenge to put up or shut up as Omar Keeton steps onto the field.

1st and 10 Maryland at the NC State 49, 10:04 left in the 1st. Not surprisingly, Keeton gets the carry and the Wolfpack respond like...a pack of wolves. Keeton is dropped for a 3 yard loss by Herman Sanderson! 2nd and 13. Keeton gets the call again and this time tries to catch us offguard by finessing a trap - it gains 4 yards - Sanderson and O.J. Brooks combine for the tackle. 3rd and 9. N.C. State offsides - our 3rd penalty in the first 6+ minutes. 3rd and 4. Engel fades back for MD on the pass play, but he overthrows his intended receiver. 4th down! 34 yard punt, 1 yard return and our 4th penalty: illegal block on the return . We'll begin on our own 5 yard line.

1st and 10 at our 5, 8:29 left in the 1st. False Start! Can you believe this?! 1st and 12 at our 3. A trap by Macri gains 6 yards, but the ball comes loose and is recoveredat the Maryland 9 by UMD's Almond. 1st and goal for the Terps.

[CraigSca]

1st and goal at our 9. Keeton goes around the left end and picks up 6 yards - Sanderson and C.J. Schmaltz on the tackle. 2nd and goal at the 3. Keeton gets the carry and is STUFFED! Sanderson AGAIN, assisted by David Finley. 3rd and goal at the 3 and our defense is buzzing...we're caught offguard as Engel floats one to his receiver Hastings for the 3 yard TD. Drive is 3 plays, 9 yard - 1:12 taken off the clock. Maryland 7, N.C. State 0 - 7:01 left in the 1st. 5 penalties and a fumble in the first 8 minutes - we're killing ourselves.

[CraigSca]

Ok...time to start fresh - plenty of game left. Kickoff is two yards deep in the end zone to Trent Brodie...he's got it, he looks like he's stopped around the 20....no...he's still on his feet....he breaks to the outside...he's got daylight...TOUCHDOWN WOLFPACK! Trent Brodie goes 102 yards on the kickoff return to tie the score at 7-7!!!!

[QuikSand]

Nice!

[CraigSca]

We kickoff, and it's a short one - to the 9 - returned 31 yards to the Maryland 40.

1st and 10 Maryland ball at their 40, 6:23 left in the 1st. Hastings goes offtackle for a yard, the safety O.J. Brooks on the tackle. 2nd and 9. Keeton runs up the middle but is dropped after only a yard by Thurman Arnswaldt. 3rd and 8. Maryland delay of game (finally!). 3rd and 13. Engel throws into double coverage and it's well defended by O.J. Brooks - 4th down. 38 yard punt, 4 yard return (Wertz).

1st and 10 NC State ball at our own 29. 4:55 left in the 1st. Orlando Macri runs around the right end and picks up 4. Macri has 17 yards on 4 carries so far. 2nd and 6. Trick play - Brodie gets the ball on a reverse (why not, he scored on the kickoff return) and gains 4. 3rd and 2. We run the ball again and Kelvin Miller picks up a KRB driving Macri forward just enough for the first down. 1st and 10 at our 39. Amaya intends a pass to Clark but the Maryland lineman runs over Kelvin Miller and forces a bad throw - incomplete. 2nd and 10. Amaya attempts one to Clark again but he's double-covered - Justin plays it safe and overthrows him. 3rd and 10. Maryland's in a dime coverage and this time - unfortunately - Justin doesn't play it safe. The pass is intercepted at the 49 yard line by Cleveland - he takes it the distance and Maryland takes a 14-7 lead with 2:27. Maryland has scored two touchdowns with only 12 yards of total offense.

[CraigSca]

Time to regroup - again. 60 yard kickoff by Maryland's Mannix, taken by Ralph Spaulding (I assume they kicked it away from Brodie ) and he takes it for 28 yards to the N.C. State 33.

1st and 10 at our 33, 1:54 left in the 1st. You have to hand it to Justin Amaya, despite his bouts with post-combat stress syndrome, he's not lacking in confidence. Amaya audibles a pass play on first down and connects with the senior tight end Jack Mackie for 20 yards. 1st and 10 at the MD 47. Gino Linquist gets a carry to offload Macri, but fails after he's dropped for a 3 yard loss. 2nd and 13. Amaya fades back and throws away from the double coverage - it's intended for Wertz but it's incomplete. Amaya is 5 for 11 for 53 yards. 3rd and 13. Maryland in that dime defense again - gulp. Justin fades back and throws away from the double coverage (again) - he connects with Earl Forbes, but's 3 yards short of the marker. 4th and 3 at the Maryland 40. Do we go for it? Apparently so - another pass - intended for Clark but he's hurried into an incompletion (note: no one was blitzing for MD, must have just been good coverage). Maryland ball at their 40, 17 seconds left in the 1st.

1st and 10 Maryland. Engel overthrows his receiver on first down. 2nd and 10. Omar Keeton takes the handoff and is dropped for a 2 yard loss - the safety O.J. Brooks "looked very familiar with that play". That's the end of the 1st, Maryland 14, N.C. State 7. We've outgained them 83 yards to 10.

Goal for the remainder of the game: CUT DOWN ON THE MISTAKES....and we should be able to take this one.

[CraigSca]

2nd quarter-

MD ball, 3rd and 12 at their own 38. Oddly, they play it conservative and watch Omar Keeton get dropped after a 2 yard gain - O.J. Brooks AGAIN moves up from the safety position to make the tackle. MD sends in the punting unit. Wertz calls a fair catch at our own 25.

We're going to pick up the pace now...

Macri and Linquist combine for a first down on the next series. On a 3rd and 1, Amaya connects with Orlando in the flat and Macri razzle dazzles his way for a 31 yard gain. 1st and 10 at the MD 25. The drive ends with a 1 yard TD pass to Kenneth Wertz - 11 plays, 75 yards, 5:17 taken off the clock. Maryland 14, N.C. State 14. Our numbers look even gaudier as we've outgained them 158 to 12 now.

[CraigSca]

Maryland gets the ball back at their own 27 with 8:21 left in the half.

Yet another 3 and out by our defense! Follow that up with a horrible Maryland punt and a nice 21 yard return by Donald Clark and we have a 1st and 10 at their 32!

Amaya finally connects with Clark on a long pass (as he's been trying all day) - 26 yards down to the Maryland 6. 2 plays later, Gino Linquist takes it on the 4 yard TD run! 3 plays, 32 yards, 1:09 off the clock. N.C. State 21, Maryland 14 - 6:08 left in the 1st half. Yardage now at 190 to 12.

[CraigSca]

Maryland starts on their 19 and finally begins to move the ball. A 12 yard pass completion, and then a 13 yard run by Keeton. On the next play, Estermayer goes offtackle and scampers 56 yards for the touchdown. (SON OF A.....!). Maryland 21, N.C. State 21, 4:02 left in the half.

[CraigSca]

Our next drive goes nowhere, and Maryland begins with great field position at our 49. Wasting no time, Engel completes a 20 yard pass to Anhanotu, putting them on the cusp of FG range. 1:54 left in the half. Eschewing the FG, they decide to go for the score...2 plays later CB Henry Westbrook picks off and Engel pass and downs it in the end zone. Our ball at our 20 with 1:37 left.

That's the way the half ends. Maryland 21, North Carolina State 21 at halftime.
First Downs: N.C. State 12, Maryland 5
Rushing Yards: N.C. State 62, Maryland 78
Passing Yards: N.C. State 152, Maryland 35

[CraigSca]

Maryland will start with the ball in the 2nd half. A great kickoff by Vincent Allen is inexplicably returned 9 yards deep in the end zone. Not surprisingly, Maryland will start with poor field position at their own 16.

Maryland picks up a first down behind the running of Keeton, but their drive stalls at their own 27. Maryland punts the ball 32 yards, and Donald Clark calls for a fair catch at the N.C. State 41.

Cedric Wayne gets a monster block on first down and springs Orlando Macri on a 22 yard run around the right end (Macri has 68 yards on 13 carries). 1st and 10 at the Maryland 37. After another first down, the drive comes down to a key 3rd down play at the Maryland 14. Justin Amaya fades and finds a seam between the double coverage on Trent Brodie - he throws and connects! 14 yard touchdown! N.C. State 28, Maryland 21 - 8:50 left in the 3rd.

[CraigSca]

Our kickoff is returned to the Maryland 23 yard line.

1st and 10 for Maryland. Keeton runs around the right end and is bowled over by the DE Blaine Finch for a 6 yard loss! Keeton has 28 yards on 12 carries. 2nd and 16. Engel fades back to pass and is hurried by Mario Beethoven - incomplete. 3rd and 16. Another pass - this time complete, but only for 9 yards. MD will have to punt again. 30 yard punt, 4 yard return for Kenneth Wertz and we have the ball back at our own 48.

1st and 10. Ricky Bednarsh gets a KRB and opens up a huge hole for Orlando Macri - 19 yard gain (Macri now has 95 yards on 15 carries). 1st and 10 at the Maryland 33. Amaya goes medium-long to Clark and it's complete! 19 yard pass and Clark takes it an additional 7 for the 26 yard completion! 1st and goal at the 7. Linquist gains zilcho on first down, then Macri goes off the right tackle for 4. Big play - 3rd and goal at the 3....

Macri again, this time from the opposite direction and he barrels in from the 3 yard line! KRB by Nathan Matthews. 5 plays, 52 yards, 2:20 taken off the clock. N.C. State 35, Maryland 21, 4:32 left in the 3rd.

[vex]

Yes!

[CraigSca]

Kickoff by Allen, 9 yard into the end zone, but this time the Maryland return team thinks better of it and takes it for the touchback.

1st and 10 MD ball at their 20. Keeton gets the call and goes around the left end for one yard - Ethan Alexander and Bubba Flynn on the stop. Engel calls pass on 2nd down and completes it to Walton for 17 yards. 1st and 10 at the MD 38. Keeton receives the hand-off, but O.J. Brooks was cheating and takes him down for a 4 yard loss (Brooks has been unreal today). 2nd and 14. A reverse to Walton (good call, I think) picks up 9 yards - C.J. Schmaltz makes the tackle. 3rd and 5. The 3rd down pass by Engel to Wagner is dropped by the receiver. 4th down! 32 yard punt, 21 yard return by Kenneth Wertz - N.C. State ball at their own 46. 2:53 left in the 3rd.

Amaya throws into the flat to Macri and he picks up 16 yards on the completion (2nd time that play has worked for good yardage). 1st and 10 at the MD 38. Amaya spots Clark open for a 10 yard pass. 1st and 10 at the 28. Macri runs off tackle for a couple yards, and that's followed-up with a quarterback draw for 5. 3rd and 3. Justin takes the snap and fires a bullet to Orlando Macri again for an 8 yard gain and the first down. 1st and 10 at the 13. Macri gets the hand-off on first down and is pushed out of bounds after an 11 yard pickup. Get this comment: "[Cedric] Wayne annihilated MARY 55 Stafford to set up the play." Sweet! 1st and goal at the 2! In an odd move, Craigsca calls for a reverse - Brodie is stopped for no gain. 2nd and 2....and that's the end of the 3rd quarter.

N.C. State 35, Maryland 21

BTW, for you statistics people, we outgained them 163 to 42 that quarter.

[CraigSca]

The 4th quarter begins...

2nd and goal at the 2 for N.C. State. Ricky Bednarsh gets a KRB, and Orlando Macri falls into the end zone for the 2 yard TD run. 8 plays, 54 yards, 2:59 taken off the clock. N.C. State 42, Maryland 21. 14:54 left in the game.

[CraigSca]

Maryland begins their next drive at their own 35. Are we going to start seeing some more passing?

We switch to a nickel pass defense and give up a 9 yard completion. On 2nd and 1, we switch to a prevent and Mario Beethoven forces Engel into a bad throw. 3rd and 1. We send Thurman Arnswaldt on the blitz, but it's freshman Myron Branch who comes up with our first sack on the day! 4th and 5 from their own 40 - do they go for it? Nope...they instead opt for the horrible 24 yard punt. N.C. State ball at our own 36 yard line.

This looks like it may turn into the Orlando Macri and Gino Linquist show to run off some clock. Linquist gains 1 on first down. 2nd and 9. Amaya feeds a screen to Macri and he gains 12 on his own (note: short passes to Macri have worked tremendously well today). 1st and 10. For some reason, Justin can't help himself when he spots Donald Clark open on the fly pattern - Clark catches the pass in stride at the 24 yard line and is finally stopped at the 8 - 46 yards total. Go figure. 1st and goal at the 8. Macri - off left guard - TD. Vincent Allen get the KRB. 4 plays, 64 yards, 1:18 taken off the clock. So much for conservatism . N.C. State 49, Maryland 21, 11:35 left.

[CraigSca]

Maryland begins on their 26. We go to the nickel defense, and that little jerk Estermeyer (who had the 55 yard TD run earlier) finds a hole and goes 45 yard to our 27. Estermeyer looks like a world beater as he has 103 yard on 3 carries . A few plays later, MD kicks a meaningless FG - N.C. State 49, Maryland 24, 8:09 left.

We start our next drive at our 25. We obviously start goofing off and suffer two penalties, forcing a 3 and out for us. Maryland gets the ball at our 45 after a poor punt.

On this next series - nothing much eventful except Keeton was dropped for another 2 yard loss, giving him 22 yards on 16 carries on the day. 3 plays later, MD scores a TD (Keeton gets his 11th of the year). N.C. State 49, Maryland 31 - 3:54 left in the game.

No onside kick - odd. We return to our 40. 3:44 left. Macri gains 3 on the rush and the scoreboard shows he has 132 yards on 24 carries. Wahoo! Another holding call, and another 3 and out. 2:23 left.

Maryland ball at their 25. Ball turned over on downs - N.C. State ball at the MD 37. 1:23 left in the game.

GAME OVER: North Carolina State 49, Maryland 31

Total Yards: NC State 475, Maryland 278

Great game, guys!

[CraigSca]

9 emails to sort through...btw - we're now tied for 3rd in the conference (behind Virginia Tech and Miami FL) with FSU and Clemson.

[CraigSca]

QB Ty Chavez has accepted our scholarship offer.
WR Gino Tarkenton will attend Miami (OH).
C Orlando Force will attend South Carolina.
DE J.J. Heath has accepted our scholarship offer.
DE Richard Feliciano will attend Texas Christian.
DT Casey Batista has accepted our scholarship offer.
ILB J.B. Stephenson will attend North Carolina.
OLB Clarence Anthony will attend Wake Forest.
CB Edward Fleming will attend Wake Forest.

[CraigSca]

N.C. State players of the Week:

Justin Amaya, 20 for 32, 294 yards, 2 TDs, 1 Int
Donald Clark, 5 receptions, 124 yards
Orlando Macri, 25 carries, 136 yards, 3 TDs

[vex]

Wow, Chavez was a suprise, this was only the 2nd week we've been recruiting him.

Heath and Batista will be good ones.

I thought we might get Fleming and Stephenson, but I'm really happy with our three commits this week.

[MikeVick7]

Man...what a revival the offense is experiencing. Good work. I didn't think we would dominate a better team...talent-wise...on the road like that. Niiiice.

[CraigSca]

Of course, our next game is against Miami of Florida, on TV4. Miami is 5-0 (2-0) and ranked #2 in the country. Gulp. They've annihilated everyone they've played (including #7 Florida State, 42-17). They're 4th in the country in scoring (49.2 ppg) and 3rd in scoring defense (7.2 ppg). I'm really feeling good about our team right now, but playing Miami is almost unfair.

In other news, we're currently #7 in the country in passing defense (132.8 ypg). Justin Amaya, if he had enough passes to qualify (which he doesn't....yet) would be the #1 passer in the ACC with a 176.2 QB rating. Donald Clark is now tied for 1st in receiving in the ACC (with Georgia Tech's Doug Luong), and Macri is 4th.

Edit: Updated files are now available.

[CraigSca]

For those following along....here's today's boxscore:

Box Score: North Carolina State at Maryland
College Park, MD.

Week 8, 2004

Attendance: 36,500 (48,100).


Weather: 77 degrees, fair.

1Q: 07:01 MARY - Wes Hastings 3 pass from Matt Engel.
1Q: 07:01 MARY - Eddie Mannix extra point.
1Q: 06:52 NCST - Trent Brodie 102 kickoff return.
1Q: 06:52 NCST - Vincent Allen extra point.
1Q: 02:27 MARY - Shannon Cleveland 49 interception return.
1Q: 02:27 MARY - Eddie Mannix extra point.
2Q: 08:51 NCST - Kenneth Wertz 1 pass from Justin Amaya.
2Q: 08:51 NCST - Vincent Allen extra point.
2Q: 06:08 NCST - Gino Linquist 4 run.
2Q: 06:08 NCST - Vincent Allen extra point.
2Q: 04:02 MARY - Vincent Estermeyer 56 run.
2Q: 04:02 MARY - Eddie Mannix extra point.
3Q: 08:50 NCST - Trent Brodie 14 pass from Justin Amaya.
3Q: 08:50 NCST - Vincent Allen extra point.
3Q: 04:32 NCST - Orlando Macri 3 run.
3Q: 04:32 NCST - Vincent Allen extra point.
4Q: 14:54 NCST - Orlando Macri 2 run.
4Q: 14:54 NCST - Vincent Allen extra point.
4Q: 11:35 NCST - Orlando Macri 8 run.
4Q: 11:35 NCST - Vincent Allen extra point.
4Q: 08:09 MARY - Eddie Mannix 35 field goal.
4Q: 03:54 MARY - Omar Keeton 11 run.
4Q: 03:54 MARY - Eddie Mannix extra point.

Game MVP: NCST 46 Orlando Macri

North Carolina State	7	14	14	14	-	49
Maryland	14	7	0	10	-	31

Team Statistics		NCST		MARY

First Downs		27		12

Total Rushes		44		27
Net Rushing Yards		181		162
Yards Per Carry		4.1		6.0
Rushing Yards		191		184
Tckld Loss/Yards		5-10		6-18
Sacked/Yards Lost		0-0		1-4

Pass Attempts		32		27
Completions		20		10
Passing Yards		294		116
Yards Per Attempt		9.1		4.2
Interceptions		1		1
Fumbles/Lost		1/1		0/0

Total Plays		76		54
Total Yards		475		278
Yards Per Play		6.2		5.1

3rd Down Plays		9/15		2/12

Penalties		10		4
Penalty Yards		66		25

Avg. Drive Start		OWN 35		OWN 37
Time Of Possession		35:28		24:32

North Carolina State Individual Statistics

Rushing		Att	Yards	Avg	Long	TD	Stufd	Sackd
46 Macri		25	136	5.4	22	3	2	0
21 Linquist		12	16	1.3	7	1	5	0
45 Ramirez		3	21	7.0	14	0	0	0
17 Amaya		2	4	2.0	5	0	1	0
6 Brodie		2	4	2.0	4	0	1	0

Passing		Att	Comp	Yards	Yd/Att	Long	TD	Int
17 Amaya		32	20	294	9.1	46	2	1

Receiving		Catch	Yards	Avg	YAC	Long	TD
46 Macri		6	81	13.5	73	31	0
80 Clark		5	124	24.8	26	46	0
94 Mackie		2	33	16.5	5	20	0
82 Sweeney		2	14	7.0	6	9	0
87 Wertz		2	10	5.0	11	9	1
6 Brodie		2	22	11.0	21	14	1
84 Forbes		1	10	10.0	1	10	0

Punt Returns		Att	Yards	Avg	TD
87 Wertz		4	29	7.2	0
80 Clark		1	21	21.0	0

Kick Returns		Att	Yards	Avg	TD
6 Brodie		3	158	52.6	1
87 Wertz		1	27	27.0	0
47 Spaulding		1	28	28.0	0

Punting		Punts	Yards	Avg	Long	In20
11 McCarthy		3	87	29.0	33	0

Kicking		FG	FGA	Long	PAT	Att
7 Allen		0	0	0	7	7

Defense		Tackle	Assist	Sack	Int	IntYds	IntTD
98 Sanderson		8	1	0.0	0	0	0
27 Brooks		5	1	0.0	0	0	0
47 Spaulding		4	1	0.0	0	0	0
73 Schmaltz		3	1	0.0	0	0	0
30 Flynn		2	2	0.0	0	0	0
83 Rivers		2	0	0.0	0	0	0
57 Alexander		2	0	0.0	0	0	0
41 Alexander		2	0	0.0	0	0	0
55 Roberts		2	0	0.0	0	0	0
40 Montgomery		2	0	0.0	0	0	0
97 Branch		1	0	1.0	0	0	0
31 Westbrook		1	1	0.0	1	0	0
91 Finley		1	1	0.0	0	0	0
59 Arnswaldt		1	1	0.0	0	0	0
21 Linquist		1	0	0.0	0	0	0
82 Sweeney		1	0	0.0	0	0	0
54 Finch		1	0	0.0	0	0	0
90 Beethoven		1	0	0.0	0	0	0
36 McKenzie		1	0	0.0	0	0	0
32 Murphy		1	0	0.0	0	0	0
26 Cortez		0	1	0.0	0	0	0

Miscellaneous		Fumb	FForc	Recov	MiscTD	KeyRBlk	SckAlwd
50 Bednarsh		0	0	0	0	4	0
62 Wayne		0	0	0	0	4	0
79 Matthews		0	0	0	0	3	0
69 Miller		0	0	0	0	2	0
46 Macri		1	0	0	0	0	0
77 Lentzner		0	0	0	0	1	0
65 Frederick		0	0	0	0	1	0

Player		Stokes Awarded
46 Orlando Macri		13
17 Justin Amaya		3
21 Gino Linquist		3
6 Trent Brodie		2
69 Kelvin Miller		2
90 Mario Beethoven		2
97 Myron Branch		2
30 Bubba Flynn		2
27 O.J. Brooks		2
87 Kenneth Wertz		1
54 Blaine Finch		1
91 David Finley		1
98 Herman Sanderson		1
55 Lorenzo Roberts		1
31 Henry Westbrook		1

And...as a follow-up to my "mouthing off" before the game about Omar Keeton, here are his stats:

Rushing		Att	Yards	Avg	Long	TD	Stufd	Sackd
47 Keeton		17	33	1.9	13	1	7	0

[CraigSca]

Current ACC Standings:

The College Years
2004 Season Standings, Atlantic Coast
   
  School                 W  L  T  Pct   PF  PA  W  L  T  Pct   PF  PA  Streak  
Virginia Tech            4  1  0  .800  131 36  3  0  0  1.000 95  19  Won 1       
Miami of Florida         5  0  0  1.000 246 36  2  0  0  1.000 91  26  Won 5       
Florida State            5  1  0  .833  250 76  3  1  0  .750  156 56  Won 5       
**North Carolina State   4  2  0  .666  179 106 3  1  0  .750  124 75  Won 3       
Clemson                  4  2  0  .666  150 79  3  1  0  .750  99  59  Won 2       
Georgia Tech             4  2  0  .666  184 124 3  2  0  .600  132 124 Won 2       
Virginia                 4  2  0  .666  198 124 1  2  0  .333  77  73  Lost 2      
Maryland                 3  3  0  .500  191 174 1  2  0  .333  108 117 Lost 2      
Wake Forest              2  4  0  .333  109 161 0  3  0  .000  16  94  Lost 3      
Duke                     2  4  0  .333  115 150 0  3  0  .000  44  100 Lost 1      
North Carolina           2  5  0  .285  87  274 0  4  0  .000  22  221 Lost 3  

[CraigSca]

This will sound silly, but as I sit here with a case of insomnia, I decided to go over our roster and list the players I'm going to "miss" next year. Since I watch the games as they happen and provide the write-ups, I think I've developed a keen sense of who our most valuable players are, just by referencing them so often. The team really seems to be coming together recently and the game against Maryland (in particular) was a lot of fun to "watch". Here then, are the players I'm most going to miss when we hit the field next year:

QB Justin Amaya - in only 2.5 games, this guy has come out of nowhere to hook up with Donald Clark as the ultimate QB to WR duo in the ACC. Sure, he makes mistakes, but he comes back onto the field the next series and isn't afraid to air it out again. He's made me completely forget about Kenny Spragan, though I think we may be in for a rude awakening against Miami. In the meantime, it's fun just watching this guy rip through opposing secondaries.

S O.J. Brooks - unheralded coming into the year, Brooks has been greatly responsible for shutting down opposing runningbacks (see Omar Keeton).

RB Gino Linquist - Orlando Macri's right-hand man. Provides a change of pace for opposing defenses, forcing them to think (at least a little) about who they're going to key on. Had 90 yards on 17 carries against North Carolina.

OLB Thurman Arnswaldt. Playing on the inside in Neal Hollins' absence. Never complained about the move, though his statistics have suffered just a bit (1 tackle against Maryland). Paired with Herman Sanderson, makes an excellent 1-2 punch on the inside.

TE Jack Mackie - an excellent alternative target for Spragan/Amaya. Just when the opposing secondary keys on the outside threat, Mackie will take one over the middle for a 15 yard completion. Also an excellent run blocker.

G Cedric Wayne - part of an underrated offensive line but has turned into a monster lineman. 18 KRBs with a 39.1% blocking percentage, he also had one of the monster blocks of the year against Maryland's freshman ILB Grant Stafford. Welcome to the ACC, Grant!

CB Ralph Spaulding and Henry Westbrook - part of our shutdown secondary. Have combined to defend 10 of 27 passes thrown in their direction. Both have contributed to our run defense, Spaulding in particular with his 2 TFLs.

[Raven Hawk]

Justin Amaya just came out of nowhere. I didn't think that he could be this good. As long as he's doing so well, I'm pretty much letting him run with it.

Truth is if Spragan would have gotten hurt later in the game that Amaya came into in relief . . . we wouldn't have seen much of Amaya. I probably would have totally overloaded the run for the following week, or activated our redshirt.

Since Amaya got to show is stuff, I'm pretty comfortable now letting him run the offense and call a couple of audibles if he gets single-coverage on Clark.

[vex]

Wow, I just realized that Ty Chavez, our new QB committment, this was the VERY first week we had recruited him.

[vex]

Offensive Recruiting Strategy - Week 9


Current Recruits


QB

***Committed - Ty Chavez QB (62+) (West Chester (East), PN)

RB

Mario Burgess RB (64+) - None (I don't think his interest is genuine)


FB

Perry Hughes FB (74) - Phone (He's from Virginia, he strongly wants to stay close to home, and he's visiting us and Colorado St. I'd say we have the lead.)


TE

***Committed - Corey Adams TE (74) (Lake Waccamaw(E. Columbus), N.C.)



WR

None




Center


None



OG

J.T. Torres G (78+) - Phone (We entered this one late, but he's already visiting; would be a real nice grab)

Mack Moorthy G (72-) - None (He's visiting, he favors distance(We're 7 miles away), and he has a HS teammate on our roster. I'd say he's in the bag)

Shane Sanderson G (67-) - None (He's visiting and I believe we'll get a commitment in a week or two)


OT

***Committed - Bo Blackwell T (76+) (Lumberton, N.C.)

Bruce Middleton T (85++) - Phone (I'd hate to see his talent get away, even though we don't need another OT)



New Recruits

Erik Pinkney C (FL) (72) - Visit, then Req. Visit, and Offer if BTS

[vex]

Defensive Recruiting Strategy - Week 9

Current Recruits


DE

***COMMITTED - J.J. Heath DE (63++) (Atlantic City, New Jersey)


DT

***COMMITTED - Casey Batista DT (68++) (Toms River (East), New Jersey)

Gino Powell DT (67++) - Phone (He wants academics, and we lead that BIGTIME, he's also visiting)

Terrell Morris DT (57++) - None (He's only visiting us, I see a commit this week)

Leonard Compton DT (70-) - None (He's visiting, but we don't really care. No strippers for him)



ILB

None


OLB

Rod Rice OLB (91--) - Phone (My money is on Virginia here)

David Palma OLB (53+) - Phone (As long as BC doesn't get into the mix, he's ours IMO)

Arnie Higbee OLB (65++) - Phone (I would guess W. Virginia here)



CB

Lawrence Rasmussen CB (69+) - Phone (I think we'll grab this guy from Bob Stoops' hometown)

Wade Copperfield CB (72+) - None (Oh great, he favors prestige and Miami just offered...next)


Safety

None


New Recruits

Brant Daniels ILB (MN)- Visit, Req. Visit, and Offer

Kenneth Cote ILB (FL) - Visit, Req. Visit, and Offer

Brenden Young CB (MN) - Visit, Req. Visit, and Offer

Ellis Pearson S (NC) - Visit, Req. Visit, and Offer

Daniel McKnight S (MT) - Phone

Craig Ford CB (VA) - Phone

[CraigSca]

Mike and Raven - think we'll get the gameplans in for tomorrow's game? I'm scheduling a 12pm start time. If you can't get them in, no biggie - I'll "run" with it...(not literally, though ).

[MikeVick7]

You asked and you shall receive. I made a few tweaks to the gameplan...nothing major though.

Tweaks in bold.

Defensive Gameplan vs Miami

Primary Formation: 3-4

Depth Chart

Defensive Line - (Playing Time)
LE - Blaine Finch (3)
RE - CJ Schmaltz (6)
DE3 - Timothy Carter
DE4 - Mario Beethoven

NT - David Finley (5)
DT2 - Myron Branch (3)
DT3 - Ian Lynnwood
DT4 - Harold Alston

Linebackers
WILB - Thurman Arnswaldt (4)
SILB - Herman Sanderson (6)
ILB3 - Neal Hollins
ILB4 - Ethan Alexander

WOLB - Lorenzo Roberts (5)
SOLB - Steve Durham (4)
OLB3 - Leslie Davis
OLB4 - Darryl Staggs

*Orient LB by Weak/Strong

Defensive Backs
CB1 - Ralph Spaulding (5)
CB2 - Henry Westbrook (5)
CB3 - Jorge Montgomery
CB4 - AJ McKenzie
CB5 - Jessie Cortez

FS - Bubba Flynn (7)
SS - OJ Brooks (6)
S3 - Roy Murphy
s4 - Jessie Cortez

Orient CB by placing top CB against top WR
Double Cover top WR - 30
Double Cover 2nd best WR - 30


Run Expectation
First Down  - (54/53/44/33)
Second Down - (54/49/35/30)
Third Down  - (55/23/16/19)
Fourth Down - (56/22/13/21)

Tendencies
Goal Line - 50
Nickel Package - 75
Tendency to blitz - 60
Dime Package - 75
Prevent Package - 30
Blitz multiple players - 65

Blitz percentage by position
WOLB - 15
WILB - 15
SILB - 30
SOLB - 15
CB1 - 0
CB2 - 0
SS - 20
FS - 5

Pass Coverage in normal situations
Man to Man - 45
Bump & Run - 15
2-Deep Zone - 15
3-Deep Zone - 15
4-Deep Zone - 10

[Raven Hawk]

Same starting lineup as last game.

Also, we're changing things up a bit . . . Cedric Wayne is going to be abused as a run blocker. I'm ramping up the screen passes. That seemed to work pretty well last game. But I'm giving Justin the green light to throw down field if he sees Clark in single coverage.

Percentage by Down and Distance	
 1-2/3-7/8-10/11+
1st 70/60/55/48
2nd 70/55/45/50
3rd 80/15/10/5
4th 80/0/0/0
 
Go For it on 4th?  40  
Run inside the 20?  50  
 
Direction ......  Pass 
LE 4 ......... Screen 25
LT 10..........  1-10 35
LG 15 .......... 11-20 22
C 22 ........... 21-30 14
RG 25 .......... 31+ 4
RT 16   
RE 8   
 
Finesse Running Percentage	
 1-2/3-7/8-10/11+
1st 5/25/15/20
2nd 20/15/15/20
3rd 5/20/0/0
4th 0/0/0/0
 
Option Plays  0  
RB 95   
FB 5   
QB 0   
Wing 0

[CraigSca]

Player Who No Longer Benefit from Contacting:

T Bruce Middleton
OLB David Palma
CB Lawrence Rasmussen

New Recruits:

ILB Brant Daniels - quite a bit better than scouted
CB Brenden Young - better than scouted
ILB Kenneth Cote - a little worse than scouted
S Ellis Pearson - better than scouted
CB Craig Ford - phoned
S Daniel McKnight - phoned
C Erik Pinckney - a little worse than scouted

[CraigSca]

Gametime in 40 minutes.

Weather: 59 degrees and sunny in Raleigh. #2 Miami is a 6 point favorite.

[Balldog]

Go State!

[Raven Hawk]

Originally Posted by CraigSca

Gametime in 40 minutes.

Weather: 59 degrees and sunny in Raleigh. #2 Miami is a 6 point favorite.

Justin Amaya is going through his pregame ritual of dodging paintpalls that I shoot at him.

[CraigSca]

#2 Miami, Florida (5-0) (-6) at North Carolina State (4-2), TV4

Weather: 59 degrees, Sunny

Miami wins the toss and elects to receive.

Kickoff by Allen goes 67 yards, two yards into the end zone. Bertrand of Miami decides to return the ball and scampers 102 yards untouched for the first score of the game. Good Lord. Miami 7, N.C. State 0, 14:53 left in the first.

[CraigSca]

Ok, our turn. Miami's Arnold kicks the ball and it's 6 yards deep into the end zone. Our return team thinks better of it and settles for the touchback. Somehow, NC State sophomore Jorge Montgomery is hurt on the play, but it's not considered serious. Well, this is working out great so far, isn't it?

NC State ball, 1st and 10 on our own 20. Miami's in a 34 alignment. Macri gets the handoff on a trap and goes down for a 3 yard loss. 2nd and 13. We try Macri again, this time on the counter - 1 yard loss. Ugh. 3rd and 14. Amaya's 3rd down pass to Jack Mackie is incomplete as he's hurried by the Miami rush. 3 and out. 44 yard punt, no return.

Miami ball, 1st and 10 at their own 40. C'mon boys, let's bring it on! Summers throws away from double coverage and Leopold comes up with a 10 yard completion - Bubba Flynn on the tackle. 1st and 10. Summers pass falls incomplete - OLB Lorenzon Roberts defended the pass. 2nd and 10. Zytniak takes the hand off and runs a counter - Schmaltz and Finley take him down after 3 yards. Big 3rd down play here - 3rd and 7. Summers pass is completed to Hoover for 10 yards - Ralph Spaulding on the stop. 1st and 10 at our 37. Summers attempts a pass but is snowed over by C.J. Schmaltz and David Finley - 6 yard loss on the sack! 2nd and 16. Summers passes again and connects with Braswell for 11 yards. 3rd and 5. Another big 3rd down pass - intended for Braswell again but falls incomplete as Arnswaldt defends. 4th and 5 at our 32 - do they go for it? Yes they do...and they get the first down via another 10 yard completion, this time to Kenny. 1st and 10 at our 22. Offensive holding, Miami. 1st and 20. Hoover runs around the left end for 7 yards - Sanderson and Flynn make the stop. 2nd and 13. Summers fades back and throws a pass intended for Francis, but he's hurried by Schmaltz and it's incomplete. Another big 3rd down - 3rd and 13. Offsides, NC State - argh. 3rd and 8. Summers pass is incomplete as he was hurried again by Schmaltz (Schmaltz drove the offensive lineman into the ground)! Unfortunately, Thurman Arnswaldt is hurt on the play, and it looks serious 4th and 8 at our 20. 37 yard FG is good, 11 plays, 45 yards, 5:19 taken off the clock.

Miami 10, N.C. State 0, 8:08 left in the first

[CraigSca]

After the kickoff, NC State ball at our 19.

1st and 10. Amaya throws a screen to Macri on first down and let's him do it on his own for 8 yards. 2nd and 2. Macri gets a handoff on 2nd down and takes it around the left end for 6 - Newt lm

Jebus....I my hand hits the keyboard funky, and I lose 1.5 paragraphs. Whatever.

We pick up the game late in the 1st quarter, with Miami driving on our 17. 3rd and 10. NC State offsides. 3rd and 5. Completion to Hoover for 9. 1st and goal at the 3. Zytniak loses a yard - Steve Durham with the stop. 2nd and goal at the 4. 4 yard completion to Kenny for the touchdown. Miami 17, NC State 0, 59 secs left in the 1st.
Sigh.

[CraigSca]

Poor kickoff is down to our 17 - Trent Brodie finds a seam and is stopped at our own 47. Nice return!

Linquist runs around the left end for 2, and ends the awful first quarter.

2nd and 8. Amaya finds Macri in the middle of Miami's dime package and picks up 7 yards on the completion. 3rd and 1. Getting cocky, Amaya calls pass and Kenneth Wertz comes down with it at the Miami 34 - gain of 10! 1st and 10. A pass in the flat to Macri one yard beyond the line of scrimmage - Macri adds 7 more for the 8 yard gain. 2nd and 2. We cross them up by calling a counter to Macri over the left guard - Newt Lentzner runs over Miami's Schwartz and opens up a hole and Macri is finally stopped after 16 yards! 1st and 10 at the 10. Amaya calls his own play and fires a bullet to Jack Mackie over the middle - TOUCHDOWN! 6 plays, 53 yards, 3:13 taken off the clock.

Miami 17, NC State 7, 12:46 left in the half.

[CraigSca]

Ok, time for the defense to kick it up a notch!

Kickoff is down to the goal line and returned 14 yards by Henry. Miami ball on their own 14.

1st and 10. A counterplay to Hoover picks up 10 - Sanderson and Flynn share in the tackle. 1st and 10. Summers throws to Hoover, but O.J. Brooks cheats and bats it away. 2nd and 10. Summers fades back again and throws to Leopold, but Herman Sanderson is there to defend, bringing up 3rd and 10 (Summers is 9 for 17, 112 yards). Big 3rd down here...nickel package, 3-deep zone for the Wolfpack. Summers snaps the ball and looks in Leopold's direction. C.J. Schmaltz is chasing him, and forces Summers to release before he's ready - incomplete! The defense holds! 48 yard punt and Wertz calls for the fair catch. N.C. State ball at their own 28, 11:17 left in the half.

[Wolfpack]

Originally Posted by CraigSca

#2 Miami, Florida (5-0) (-6) at North Carolina State (4-2), TV4

Weather: 59 degrees, Sunny

Miami wins the toss and elects to receive.

Kickoff by Allen goes 67 yards, two yards into the end zone. Bertrand of Miami decides to return the ball and scampers 102 yards untouched for the first score of the game. Good Lord. Miami 7, N.C. State 0, 14:53 left in the first.

I see the game properly gave the 'Canes a Devin Hester clone to handle kick returns. Seriously, what is the likelyhood that FOF would actually duplicate something that really did happen? (That is, Miami returning the opening kickoff out of the end zone for a touchdown?)

[CraigSca]

1st and 10 Wolfpack at their on 28. Orlando Macri gets the carry on first down and runs behind Ricky Bednarsh's block - gain of 11. 1st and 10 at our own 39. Macri runs again, this time off the right guard and there's nothing there, loss of 3. 2nd and 13. Amaya snaps it and throws to Mackie - complete over the middle for a gain of 10. 3rd and 3. Big play here...Amaya fades and sees double coverage on his intended receiver so he changes on the fly, zipping the ball to Donald Clark - complete and enough for the first down! 1st and 10 at the Miami 46. Donald heads to the huddle and tells Amaya that he can beat his man, Miami's feeling too confident. On first and 10, Amaya audibles a post pattern to his right-hand man...Clark has a step on the defender Mayes and Amaya floats one in for a 31 yard completion! 1st and 10 at the Miami 15. The crowd is going nuts! Amaya finds it hard to bark the signals so he waves his arms frantically to calm the partisan crowd down...the hand off is to Orlando Macri and he gets 3 off the left guard. 2nd and 7. Amaya attempts a pass to his 2nd favorite target (Jack Mackie), but it's incomplete. 3rd and 7...big play again...the crowd is willing them on...pass to Donald Clark....but Schwartz of Miami is there to defend. 4th and 7. Vincent Allen heads on the field and delivers on the 29 yard FG, cutting the Miami lead to 7. 8 plays, 60 yards, 3:47 taken off the clock.

Miami 17, N.C. State 10, 7:30 left in the first half.

[Raven Hawk]

C'mon boys!

[CraigSca]

Vincent Allen kicks the ball a yard deep into the Miami end zone, and the return team will have nothing to do with it. Touchback.

1st and 10 at the 20. A pass to Hoover is broken up by Herman Sanderson. 2nd and 10. Zytniak runs over the left guard on 2nd down and is dropped immediately for no gain by Jessie Cortez and Jorge Montgomery. 3rd and 10 and the crowd is roaring! Summers pass is intended for Leopold and he drops it! Is the Raleigh crowd getting to them?! 44 yard punt is returned 2 yards. NC State ball at their own 38.

[Raven Hawk]

Good field position. Amaya needs to take a shot down the field.

[CraigSca]

1st and 10 at our own 38. Amaya fires a bullet to Donald Clark, and it's a 9 yard completion. 2nd and 1. A counterplay to Macri gains just enough for the first down. 1st and 10 at the NC State 49. Linquist runs a counter, but he's stopped for no gain. 2nd and 10. Macri goes offtackle and finds a seam for 6 (Macri has 37 yards on 9 carries). 3rd and 4 at the Miami 45 - yet another big third down play. Amaya takes the ball and fades back to set up a screen to Macri, but the play is read and the ball is batted away. 4th down . 31 yard punt, 15 yard return . Miami ball at their own 29 with 4:23 left in the half.