Darrell Blackman leads the ACC and ranks second nationally in kick return average
at 31.4 yards-per-return. He is the Wolfpack's career-leader in kick return average
as well.
NC STATE VERSUS NORTH
CAROLINA
The series started in 1894
and is the Wolfpack's oldest rivalry
among ACC teams and fourth-most
played series in the ACC. The Tar Heels
hold a 62-27-6 overall mark over the
Wolfpack and a 33-16-2 advantage in
Chapel Hill.
Chuck Amato is 2-1 in Chapel Hill,
winning in 2000 (38-20) and 2002 (34-
17) and losing in the last meeting at
Kenan Stadium, 24-30, in 2004.
In Amato's three wins against the
Heels, the average margin of victory
has been 16 points including a margin
of 17.5 points in the two wins in Chapel
Hill.
In Amato's three losses, the average
margin of victory for the Tar Heels has
been seven points, as each of the three
games have been decided by eight
points or less.
This is the first meeting in the month
of November between the two teams
since Nov. 11, 1999 when the Heels
won, 10-6, in Charlotte, N.C.
WOLFPACK ROSTER FULL OF INSTATE
PLAYERS
NC State has 57
players that hail from the state of North
Carolina on the roster and a high percentage
of those kids are listed on the
Wolfpack's depth chart as the team
readies to play in-state rival, North
Carolina.
In fact, all four captains - Leroy Harris,
Tank Tyler, Pat Lowery and William Lee
- are in-state products.
Including special teams, a total of 22
kids from North Carolina are listed on
the Wolfpack's depth chart. On offense,
12 in-state kids are listed on the two-deep,
while nine more fill the defense's
depth chart and Lee, the team's longsnapper,
is also from North Carolina.
RIVALRY GAME IS A RUSH
Over the
last 14 meetings between NC State and
North Carolina, the team that has more
rushing yards has been the victor 13
times.
NC State put up 304 yards to UNC's
164 on the ground in the 24-30 loss in
2004, the only time during that streak
that either the Pack or Heels lost when
out rushing its rival.
The 304 yards were the most for a
Wolfpack team in a game since the
Maryland contest in 1994 when NC
State put up 327 yards on the ground.
WOLFPACK HAS 16TH TOUGHEST
SCHEDULE
NC State has faced the
16th toughest schedule nationally
according to the Sagarin ratings and
the second toughest in the ACC this
season. Wolfpack opponents hold a
combined 71-31 record (.696) so far in
2006.
CUTTING IT CLOSE... AGAIN
All
seven of the Wolfpack's conference
games this season have been decided
by eight points or less and three have
been by four points or less.
In Chuck Amato's 55 ACC contests,
he has posted a 25-30 record. In 32 of
those 55 games, the final outcome has
been decided by a touchdown (seven
points) or less, 37 have been decided
by eight points or less and 41 have
been decided by 10 points or less.
Amato is 11-16 on the road in ACC
matchups and in 17 of those 27 games
the score has differed by seven points
or less, with NC State posting a 6-11
record in those games after a pair of six
point losses to Maryland and Clemson
and a seven point loss to Virginia over
the last three road ACC games this season.
Amato's ACC record includes a 14-14
mark at home and the Wolfpack has lost
just four conference games by double
digits at home in the past seven years.
In 14 home ACC wins, six have been by
double digits, and the other eight have
been by seven or less points, including
the two-point win over BC and the fourpoint
triumph over FSU.
Under Amato, NC State has lost by
20-or-more points just three times and
by more than 10 points just seven times
in ACC games.
BLACKMAN RETURNS...
Junior
return specialist and wide receiver
Darrell Blackman injured his knee on
the opening kickoff of the Southen Miss
game and missed the remainder of that
contest and the Boston College game.
Since his return from injury, Blackman
has been a valuable piece of the
Wolfpack's offensive unit, and his play
on special teams has been just that -
special.
He is the only player in the top-10 in
the ACC in returns to score on both a
punt and kickoff this season.
Blackman leads the conference in
kickoff returns and ranks second nationally,
averaging 31.4 yards per return.
His punt return mark (9.9) is sixth in the
ACC.
If his season kick return average
holds, Blackman will have the secondhighest
single season average in school
history.
He is even better against conference
foes with a league-leading 33.5 yards
per kickoff returns and is third in punt
returns (10.6).
Blackman is the Wolfpack's career
leader in kickoff return average at 29.7
and is fourth in yards with 1,099.
...AND WITH A PURPOSE
Darrell Blackman currently leads the
ACC in conference games only with
an average of 125 all-purpose yardsper-
game and ranks second overall at
112.9 yards-per-game. He collected a
career-high 234 all-purpose yards in
the Georgia Tech contest, the eighthbest
single game total in school history.
Those yards included a 95-yard kickoff
return for a touchdown, the seventh
longest kick return in school history and
the 11th longest overall play.
Blackman currently ranks 14th in
school history with 2,598 career allpurpose
yards and is the first Wolfpack
player with back-to-back 1,000 allpurpose
yard seasons since Jerricho
Cotchery (2002 and 2003). Blackman is
also on pace to post a top-10 season in
terms of all-purpose yards.
HIT THE ROAD, PACK
NC State will
play its final road game of the season
against North Carolina this Saturday
and is 0-4 in road contests in 2006. The
Pack has lost three of the four games by
a touchdown or less.
Overall, NC State is playing four of its
final six games on the road after hosting
five of its first six games at home. The
last time NC State played four of its final
six games on the road was 1995 when
the Wolfpack posted a 2-4 record to finish
the season.
NC State played five of its first six
games at home this season and posted
a 3-3 mark. The last time the Pack was
fortunate enough to begin the season with so many home contests was in 1998, when NC State
also played five of the first six at home en route to a 4-2 start.
That same season was also the last time NC State opened
its ACC schedule with three straight at home, (NC State's
2006 conference slate opened with Boston College, Florida
State and Wake Forest all visiting Carter-Finley). This season
marked the seventh straight that Amato opened the season
at home.
SHIFTING THE PROTECTION
NC State has used a different
starting lineup along its offensive line for two straight
games after playing the first eight with the same starting five.
Luke Lathan is starting at center and Meares Green starting
at tackle, with Leroy Harris moving over to guard after starting
the first nine games at center.
With both starting guards (Harris, 19 plays, and Curtis
Crouch, 23 plays) knocked out of the game early with injuries,
the Wolfpack was forced to shuffle it's alignment.
Kalani Heppe, who started the first eight games at guard,
replaced Harris when he went down, and Green was moved
inside to guard once Crouch was injured. Holt replaced
Green at tackle, a spot where Holt started the first eight
games this season.
Redshirt freshman Jeraill McCuller (16 plays) and redshirt
senior Merci Falaise (seven plays) also saw action at tackle in
the game.
Offensive line coach Pat Meyer used a season-high nine
offensive lineman in the contest.
SCORING OFFENSE LOW
NC State ranks ninth in the ACC
in scoring offense, averaging 18.5 points-per-game. If that
average holds, it will be the Wolfpack's lowest scoring output
since 1985 when the team averaged just 16.9 points-pergame.
The Wolfpack has failed to score more than 24 points in all
10 games this season. The last time an NC State team failed
to score more that 24 points through 10 games to start a
season was also in 1985 when that squad went all 11 games
without scoring more than 23 points as it finished 3-8 on the
season.
Dating back to last season, NC State has not scored over
24 points since the Eastern Kentucky game, a span of 20
straight contests. That is the longest Wolfpack streak since
1969-71 when those Pack teams went 24 straight contests
without scoring more than 24 points in a game.
FIRST QUARTER, HALF WOES
NC State is happy to see
the start of the second quarter. The team has scored just 15
points in the first quarter all season and has converted on
only 9-of-36 (25%) of third down plays in the opening quarter.
NC State is being outscored 47-15 in the opening frame
and has scored in just three of the 10 first quarters. Nine of
the Wolfpack's 15 points were scored in the opener against
Appalachian St. and the Pack has had only a field goal in the
first quarter in the Boston College and Georgia Tech game
since. NC State has scored just one touchdown all season in
the opening quarter.
NC State has trailed at the half in each of the last nine
games after leading in the ASU game, 16-7, to open the season.
The Wolfpack has trailed by an average of only 5.5 points per-
game in the nine games it trailed at the half.
BAKER HAS CAREER DAY
Sophomore tailback Toney Baker had a
career-day against Clemson, rumbling
for career-highs of 174 yards and 34
carries. It was the first 100-yard rushing
game of his career and the Tigers
were third in the conference in rushing
defense, giving up just 85.4 yards-per game.
Baker became the 22nd Wolfpack
player to rush for 1,000 career yards
with his performance against Clemson
and he did it in 21 games, the 12th
fastest to 1,000 career rushing yards in
school history.
Baker has 11 career touchdowns (10
rushing and one receiving) and 1,114
career rushing yards to his name. He
has 568 yards and is averaging 56.8
yards rushing a game this season with
five touchdowns.
BROWN WON'T GO DOWN
Andre
Brown is 10th in the conference in rushing
yards-per-game, averaging 59.8 a
contest. He has broken 22 tackles for
an additional 195 yards this season,
gaining 34% of his total yards after
breaking a tackle. He is also averaging
an impressive 5.6 yards-per-carry,
the third-best mark in the conference
among the top-10 rushers.
On the season, Brown has 598 yards
on 107 carries with four touchdowns
and is on pace to pass his total of 667
rushing yards as a freshman.
PASSING DEFENSE PASSING TEST
NC State is third in the ACC in passing
defense, allowing just 164.3 yards-per game,
the 18th best mark in the NCAA.
Opposing quarterbacks are completing
51.6% of their passes, the third lowest
in the ACC.
The Wolfpack defense had allowed
just five passing touchdowns (tied for
the league-lead in the ACC) coming into
the Georgia Tech game but has allowed
five more in the last two games against
Tech (four) and Clemson (one).
The Wolfpack defense had just three
interceptions in the first eight games of
the season, 11th in the league, but had
two picks against the Jackets and two
more against the Tigers in back-to-back
weeks.
PROTECTING THE QUARTERBACK
NC State's offensive line has done a
solid job protecting the quarterback this
season. Through 10 games this season
the line is allowing an average of just
1.5 sacks a game and is ranked second
in the ACC in fewest sacks allowed with
15.
The line nearly doubled that last season,
giving up an average of 2.9 sacksper-
game in 2005.
Offensive line coach Pat Meyer is in
his first season with the line after serving
six seasons in strength and conditioning
for the Wolfpack.
PENALTIES IN LOSSES HIGH
NC
State has committed nine or more
penalties in five of its seven losses this
season but had just two penalties for 10
yards against Clemson, the lowest penalties
and yards since the 2002 Virginia
contest. The Wolfpack is averaging 5.3
penalties a game in the three wins and
7.6 penalties in the seven losses.
The Wolfpack is ranked 10th in the
ACC in penalties, averaging 55.5 yards
a game and getting flagged 69 times,
third most in the league.