Oct. 12, 2000

WHEN NC STATE HAS THE BALL: The Wolfpack offense has gained yards and scored points against every defense they have seen so far this season. They feature a ball control passing game designed to quickly deliver the ball to a variety of highly skilled runners and catchers, and they currently rank #2 in the nation in passing offense.

Coordinator Norm Chow gives QB Phillip Rivers a great deal of freedom to change plays and protection schemes at the line of scrimmage, and State does a nice job of attacking the specific coverages they see. For example, if Rivers spots a linebacker or two blitzing, he'll throw hot to the tight end Willie Wright in the spot vacated by the backers. If Rivers sees man coverage, he'll check pre-snap into a crossing route pass play that man-to-man coverages have trouble with. If he smells zone, he'll signal his receivers to run to the zone's soft spots, turn, and wait there for the football.

NCSU's half a dozen running plays are not complex, but they execute them well and Ray Robinson is a tough, talented back.

To be successful, Carolina can't afford to allow the Pack to be multi-dimensional. The Heels must dominate the run, and then hope to confuse Rivers with their stunts, stems, shows and bluffs.

WHEN CAROLINA HAS THE BALL: State's defense is typical NC State. They are not deep but they play hard, they run well, they hit, and they hate Carolina.

And how will their personnel be aligned? Will they play with five defensive backs and a three man line like they did against Clemson, or will they be the 4-3-4 team that they were prior to last Saturday?

The Heels are not sure, but will be prepared for either look. Carolina's offense seems poised to put a complete game together, and the Pack secondary has given up yardage.

TURNOVER MARGIN: State is a plus 7, 16th best in the nation. UNC a minus 5, 104th out of 114 schools.

KICKOFF RETURNS: State is 8th best nationally. Carolina 84th best.

HOW I SEE IT: To me, the game's most compelling question is: How good is this Carolina defense afterall and why aren't we calling the names of Peppers and Sims more on the radio? Okay, that was two questions, but the Tar Heels plain and simply need their star players on D to play like stars. I further think that Carolina will need 40 points, 150 yards or more rushing and more takeaways than giveaways to win the game.