N.C. State Wolfpack

The Lowdown
Coach: Chuck Amato
(5th season, 34-17)
2003 record: 8-5
(Beat Kansas in Tangerine Bowl)
ACC finish: 4-4 (t-4th)
'03 I-A Offensive Rankings:
Rush: 107th (100.9 ypg)
Pass: 3rd (352.3 ypg)
'03 I-A Defensive Rankings:
Rush: 40th (136.9 ypg)
Pass: 116th (284.1 ypg)
2004 Schedule
Date Opponent
Sept. 4 Richmond
Sept. 18 Ohio State
Sept. 25 at Virginia Tech
Oct. 2 Wake Forest
Oct. 9 at North Carolina
Oct. 16 at Maryland
Oct. 23 Miami
Oct. 30 at Clemson
Nov. 6 Georgia Tech
Nov. 11 Florida State
Nov. 27 at East Carolina
Depth Chart: Offense
8 returning starters in bold
% - starter in 3-wide sets
Ps. No. Player Yr. No. Player Yr.
FL 6 Richard Washington Jr. 13 Lamart Barrett So.
SE 87 Brian Clark Jr. 11 Chris Hawkins So.
LT 70 Chris Colmer Sr. 78 James Newby So.
LG 64 Leroy Harris So. 66 Yomi Ojo Fr.
C 53 Jed Paulsen Jr. 63 Kelani Heppe Fr.
RG 76 Ricky Fowler Sr. 77 John McKeon Jr.
RT 71 Derek Morris So. 79 Jon Holt So.
TE 80 T.J. Williams Jr. 15 John Ritcher Jr.
%HB 21 Tramain Hall Jr. 7 Fred Span Jr.
QB 10 Jay Davis Jr. 9 Marcus Stone Fr.
FB 49 Chance Moyer Sr. 37 Avery Gibson Sr.
TB 44 T.A. McLendon Jr. 20 Reggie Davis So.
Depth Chart: Defense
9 returning starters in bold
Ps. No. Player Yr. No. Player Yr.
DE 9 Mario Williams So. 96 Renaldo Moses Jr.
DT 90 John McCargo So. 99 Kennie Covington Sr.
DT 62 Dwayne Herndon Jr. 72 DeMarcus Tyler So.
DE 91 Manny Lawson Jr. 42 Chip Cross Jr.
SLB 31 Freddie Aughtry-Lindsay Sr. 45 Ernest Jones Fr.
MLB 22 Oliver Hoyte Jr. 56 Pat Lowery So.
WLB 52 Pat Thomas Sr. 50 Stephen Tulloch So.
CB 14 Dovonte Edwards Sr. 1 Marcus Hudson Jr.
CB 28 Lamont Reid Sr. 3 A.J. Davis So.
ROV 36 Andre Maddox Sr. 19 Garland Heath So.
FS 27 Troy Graham Sr. 4 J.J. Jones Jr.
Special Teams
Ps. No. Player Yr. Ps. No. Player Yr.
K 12 John Deraney So. P 12 John Deraney So.
KR 28 Lamont Reid Sr. PR 21 Tramain Hall Jr.

Shortly after N.C. State's spring game in early April, Jay Davis, Philip Rivers' understudy for three seasons, met with a half-dozen media members, all wanting to pick the brain of the Pack's eldest returning quarterback.

"I've never had so many microphones in my face in my life," Davis said.

The significance of the statement wasn't lost on anybody. Davis has attempted just 28 passes with the Wolfpack while biding his time behind Rivers, one of the finest quarterbacks in ACC history. The job won't be simply handed to Davis, however. Marcus Stone, an athletic redshirt freshman, will be given an opportunity to win job in preseason camp.

The quarterback question is a top concern for Chuck Amato as he shoots for a fifth bowl game in five seasons in Raleigh. It's never easy to enter a season with an inexperienced quarterback, but Amato got it right the last time he had to break in a new signal-caller. Of course, that quarterback's name was Rivers.

Offense
Davis will have to fend off competition from from Stone in the fall. The 6-foot-4, 226-pound Stone threw for more than 5,100 yards and 50 touchdowns in high school.

"There's no secret that Marcus is a very good athlete," Amato said. "But he's green. He's young."

T.A. McLendon has been the Pack's primary ballcarrier the past two seasons, and in his short, injury-plagued career he has amassed over 1,700 yards and 27 rushing touchdowns. Senior Chance Moyer will open holes for McLendon at fullback.

Three game-tested receivers return: Tramain Hall, who caught 69 passes for 799 yards a year ago; Brian Clark, who had 548 receiving yards; and Richard Washington, who had 500 yards and six touchdowns. T.J. Williams was an honorable mention All-ACC tight end last season after grabbing 28 passes for 444 yards and three scores.

The NCAA granted left tackle Chris Colmer a fifth season after he suffered from a rare viral infection. Sophomore James Newby is the most likely candidate to start if Colmer is unable to go. Mammoth tackle Derek Morris (6-6, 332 pounds) will be a more experienced and seasoned athlete. Ricky Fowler began his career on the defensive line, but he'll bring great strength to one of the guard spots. All-ACC center Jed Paulsen will get the nod for the third straight season, bringing consistency to the line.

Defense
End Manny Lawson is a former linebacker, and his speed off the ball will be key. Tackle John McCargo led N.C. State with 16 quarterback pressures as a freshman, and Dwayne Herndon came on strong last year after playing sparingly early in the season.

Speedy strong-side linebacker Freddie Aughtry-Lindsay will be an invaluable player on defense, while on the weak side Pat Thomas was State's second-leading tackler in '03 with 130 stops.

Senior corners Dovonte Edwards and Lamont Reid may enter the season as the starters, but A.J. Davis and Marcus Hudson will push the upperclassmen. Senior rover Andre Maddox was a first-team All-ACC pick last season after leading the Pack in tackles with 145.

Specialists
State's kicker and punter from last year graduated, but John Deraney should help ease the loss at both positions. As a freshman, Deraney sent more than half of his kickoffs into or out of the end zone.

The toughest loss was that of long snapper Danny Young, perhaps college football's most consistent player at his position the past few years. William Lee will be asked to step into Young's shoes.

Final Analysis
The defense should be improved with new coordinator Reggie Herring at the helm, and that's a necessity. Amato doesn't have the luxury of an experienced quarterback this year, meaning any chance of a winning record against a brutal schedule may depend upon the defense.

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