The football team’s 4-0 record and No. 23 ranking in the AP top-25 poll following last week’s 45-28 drubbing of defending ACC champion Georgia Tech have created quite a stir around campus.
Saturday’s showdown against Virginia Tech (2-2, 1-0 ACC) is perhaps the Wolfpack’s most anticipated game since a 44-38 triple overtime loss to Ohio State in 2003, the last time State was nationally ranked.
Despite the excitement the team has generated through its first four games, the coaching staff knows the season is a marathon and not a sprint. Right tackle R.J. Mattes said the coaches have been urging players to be cautious of buying into the hype.
“I’ve got to go with what coach Bible has been preaching,” Mattes said. “He said, ‘don’t drink the kool-aid’. Everyone’s going to be coming over to you saying that you’re great.
“We still had a few mistakes and there’s stuff we have to work on. We’re not a bad team, but we’re not as good as people are telling us we are.”
After being picked to finish in fourth place in the six-team Atlantic Division during the preseason, State is now the only undefeated team in the ACC. The Pack will be looking to match its 2009 win total and stretch its record to 5-0 to begin the season, something Tom O’Brien has never accomplished as a head coach.
The Wolfpack defense will have its hands full trying to contain Virginia Tech running back Ryan Williams. The reigning ACC Rookie of the Year torched State’s defense for 120 yards and four touchdowns in a lopsided 38-10 Hokie victory a year ago.
In addition to Williams, State’s defense will also have to keep its eye on Hokie signal caller Tyrod Taylor, a dual-threat quarterback who leads the ACC in passing efficiency. Defensive tackle Natanu Mageo said Taylor is more dangerous than any other quarterback the Pack has faced so far this season.
“He’s a better runner,” Mageo said. “He’ll extend plays and he’s more like a Russell Wilson. He’ll extend plays and then throw the ball down the field and make big plays. I think we have a good game plan for him though.”
The Wolfpack defense, a unit that received a great deal of criticism during the offseason, has turned things around in a hurry, surrendering only 18.8 points per game after allowing 31.2 last year.
The undisputed leader of the defense, middle linebacker Nate Irving, will be counted on to help slow the Virginia Tech offense. Although he may not be able to duplicate his performance from last week, when he notched a career-high 16 tackles, two sacks and 4.5 tackles for loss, it appears Irving is finally back to being the dynamic linebacker Wolfpack fans remember from 2008.
Mageo said Irving, along with fellow linebackers Terrell Manning and Audie Cole, have been covering up mistakes on defense and providing confidence to players along the defensive line.
“Nate Irving, that’s Iron Nate,” Mageo said. “Sometimes when we [the defensive line] make mistakes they’ll cover up for us. It gives you that confidence that you really need. When you push the o-line back and then you’ll know in the back of your head that the linebacker will come free and make the play. That’s why I like those three linebackers in the backfield, especially leading with Iron Nate.”
Quarterback Russell Wilson will play a vital role in the Wolfpack’s 57th meeting with the Hokies. After an offseason spent playing minor league baseball, the dual-sport star appears to have regained the rhythm and touch that helped him throw a conference-leading 31 touchdown passes last year. One thing that has never waned is Wilson’s leadership ability, according to Mattes.
“Obviously we embrace Russell,” Mattes said. “He’s a great leader. He’s always doing the right thing, always leading us in drills, always being the first in everything. Russell is a special player.”
The atmosphere inside Carter-Finley Stadium is sure to be lively as the Pack seeks its fifth win of the season Saturday at 3:30 p.m. in front of a sellout crowd.
“I know the atmosphere is going to be wild and we’re ready for it,” Mageo said.
