CNNSI.com - 2000 College Football Preview - CNNSI.com's N.C. State preview

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N.C. State Wolfpack

Amato begins daunting task of rebuilding alma mater

College Football: The New Century

'99: 6-6, 3-5 ACC

Coach

Chuck Amato (first season)

Key offensive players

Ray Robinson, TB, Jr.
Bothered by ankle and knee injuries as a sophomore, Robinson is anxious to return to the form that made him the ACC Rookie of the Year in 1998, when he rushed for 822 yards on 154 carries.

Koren Robinson, WR, So.
Provided he stays out of Amato's doghouse (he needs to work harder, in the coach's opinion), Robinson could be a star in offensive coordinator Norm Chow's passing offense.

Philip Rivers, QB, Fr.
After enrolling at the school in January, Rivers went through spring practice and won the starting job over his inexperienced competition.

Key defensive players

Jeff Fisher, DT, Sr.
The strongest player on the team will have to anchor a defensive front that needs to be more productive.

Ivan Maisel's Player of the Century: Jim Ritcher, C, 1976-79
"Two-time All-America remains one of the ACC's best offensive linemen ever."

Brightest Moment: On Oct. 7, 1967, the Wolfpack's famed "White Shoes" defense, led by middle linebacker Amato, came away with a 16-6 victory over No. 2 Houston and eventually reached a No. 3 national ranking.

Lowest Moment: In 1957, N.C. State won its first ACC championship, thanks to a season-ending win over South Carolina in which Dick Christy scored all 29 of the Wolfpack's points, but was ineligible for the Orange Bowl because of recruiting violations -- by the basketball team.

Clayton White, LB, Sr.
The best player in a strong linebacking corps, White has started 25 games in his career and finished with 16 tackles-for-loss last season.

Levar Fisher, LB, Jr.
His seven tackles, interception and fumble recovery were the talk of the spring game.

Key newcomer

Rivers, QB, Fr. Chow has never started a quarterback younger than a redshirt junior. Now, he will put this true freshman in charge of the Wolfpack offense.

Throwback player

Amato wasn't particularly impressed with the work ethic of any of the players he inherited, but he was thrilled with the way new QB Philip Rivers worked and learned the game.

21st century player

Koren Robinson. In the mold of Torry Holt, this talented wide receiver might be the Wolfpack's star of the future.

Fast fact

The Wolfpack has produced the ACC's last two Rookie of the Year winners, Ray Robinson and Koren Robinson (no relation).

Outlook

It took more than two decades for Amato to finally land his dream job -- head coach at his alma mater. He was a middle linebacker for some of N.C. State's most successful teams in the mid-1960s and helped head coach Lou Holtz's teams go to four consecutive bowl games in the 1970s. For the last 18 years, he's helped Bobby Bowden build a college football dynasty at Florida State. Amato has assembled the nation's highest-paid group of assistant coaches, headed by former BYU offensive coordinator Chow. Amato will demand a strong defense and, unlike Mike O'Cain before him, has plenty to work with. The offense will no doubt suffer growing pains behind an inexperienced quarterback and won't be as productive as Chow wants until he gets his own players on board. Amato went to a bowl in each of his 18 years at Florida State. It may be a few years before he starts a streak with the Wolfpack.

-- Tim Peeler