Over the next three contests, the Wolfpack will face
some frightening demons. A priest is not necessary for
State to rid itself of these ghosts, but smart
football could very well do the trick.
First up on Thursday night is the Georgia Tech Yellow
Jackets.
In Atlanta.
Uh-oh.
It's been a long time since the Pack won a game in
Atlanta that wasn't a Peach Bowl. In fact, in all
probability most of the State players don't remember
when the Pack last beat the Jackets there. It was
1988. Ronald Reagan was president of the United
States. The Soviet Union was still a superpower.
A Fish Called Wanda and
Bull Durham had movie audiences
laughing.
That's a long time to go without success.
Unfortunately, the Pack doesn't have recent history
against Tech to use for confidence either. The Jackets
have won four games in a row in the series, including
last year's 24-14 win in Raleigh.
And one week to the day after tackling the Great Tech
Problem, State hosts Clemson.
Last year, turnovers and penalties (sound familiar?)
haunted the Pack in Death Valley. The aforementioned
Davis threw five interceptions, yet State still had a
chance to pull out the win, but on the final play of
the game the QB threw a pass that was picked off to
preserve the Tigers' 26-20 win.
In Davis' defense, he did throw two TD tosses in the
first half that were negated by illegal formation
penalties.
Spooky.
The terrifying trifecta ends with a visit to
Winston-Salem on Oct. 22 when the Pack takes on Wake
Forest. Sure, State beat Wake last year, but the Pack
needed overtime to do it. The fact of the matter is
any State fan who EVER says they feel good about their
team going into Groves Stadium is a liar.
Two seasons ago, a pretty decent quarterback named
Philip Rivers led his 11th-ranked team into Winston
and limped home with a 38-24 loss (and it wasn't even
that close).
The bright side to all of this is Amato himself: The
Chest is 4-1 against the Demon (shudder) Deacons.
But if State is to right the ship and make something
of this season, it all starts on Thursday in that den
of dead dreams that is Dodd Stadium.
"I don't think too much about the past," wide receiver
Sterling Hicks said at last week's press conference. "All I'm
thinking about right now is what we can do next
Thursday night."
It should start with bedtime prayers on Wednesday
night.
ACC Football Rankings - One Man's Unimportant
Opinion
1. Virginia Tech: I'll say it: Hokies are the best
team in the nation.
2. Florida State: Bobby's offense is picking up steam
at the right time.
3. Miami: Quietly the Canes have regained some
momentum.
4. Boston College: Only blemish on Eagles' slate so
far? A loss to FSU. Not bad.
5. Georgia Tech: Jackets have had some time to stew
about getting thumped by VPI.
6. Maryland: Maybe the Fridge has figured out what
makes his guys tick.
7. Virginia: Wahoos appeared to be making great
progress before taking on the Terps - and taking a
tumble.
8. North Carolina: Far and away the best team in the
Carolinas. And that's not even a put-down.
9. Wake Forest: Deacs pulled out a gutsy win over
Clemson.
10. Clemson: Tigers can't seem to catch a break.
11. NC State: Based on talent, the Pack should be much
higher than this.
12. Duke: Same old story for the Blue Devils.
This week's predictions
NC State at Georgia Tech (Thursday): State's in a
must-win situation, whereas Tech is playing loose and
confident.
Tech 27, State 17
Wake Forest at Florida State: This one will be closer
than the final score will show.
FSU 38, Wake 28
Marshall at Virginia Tech: The Thundering Herd invades
Blacksburg, but the only thing thundering is the roll
Tech is on.
VPI&SU 44, Marshall 26
Virginia at Boston College: Cavaliers have to put the
loss at Maryland behind - just in time to hit the road
again.
BC 20, UVa 17
Maryland at Temple: This one should
be over before the end of the first quarter. Maryland 50, Temple 14
Duke at Miami: This one also should
be over before the end of the first quarter.
Miami 34, Duke 6
North Carolina at Louisville: The Tar Heels have a way
of sticking around with teams that are superior to
them. Why would this one be any different?
Louisville 35, North Carolina 32
This year's record so far (based upon
picking the correct winner): 8-4. (Should have known
better than to pick State to beat UNC when the Pack is
favored.)