N.C. State's Amato, Rivers form bond at top of Wolfpack program

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Posted 8:19AM on Saturday, October 5, 2002

RALEIGH, N.C. - Chuck Amato and Philip Rivers first met at an Alabama high school. The coach with the quick wit somehow connected with the quarterback with a Southern drawl. The two have been working toward building a championship football program at North Carolina State ever since. "It's kind of a neat story," said Rivers, the star quarterback of the undefeated Wolfpack. "I had never seen him in my life until he walked in the door that day after he was hired. I liked him the first second I met him. "I felt like I had known him because he made me feel so comfortable. He just laid it out and said, 'Well, what's it going to be?'" Three years after that recruiting trip, Rivers has been the cornerstone of the N.C. State program and Amato's presence on the field for 30 straight games. Rivers has 21 victories while throwing for more than 7,000 yards and 54 touchdowns. More importantly, the college junior has No. 16 N.C. State (6-0) on a path toward the school's first Atlantic Coast Conference title since 1979. "It has been fun and good, but we've got to keep everything in perspective," Amato said. "If the season ended this past Monday, it would have been a whole lot of fun." N.C. State became the first ACC team to beat Florida State in Tallahassee last year, but then gave up a late lead to league champion Maryland at home a week later and lost to Pittsburgh in the Tangerine Bowl to close at 7-5. That poor ending left the Wolfpack unranked coming into the season. Rivers still remembers Maryland fans throwing oranges on the field at Carter-Finley Stadium, signifying an Orange Bowl trip for the Terrapins. "When that game was over I was sick," Rivers said. "And then I looked back on the season and saw so many missed opportunities. We as players have talked about that this season, saying, 'Let's not get through this season and look back and say we could have played better or worked harder.' That's what we've concentrated on these first six games." The Wolfpack, the only undefeated team left in the ACC, has had to defend its weak schedule as much as its end zone. The seventh 6-0 start in 111 years of Wolfpack football has come against two Division I-AA teams and four I-A schools - New Mexico State, Navy, Wake Forest and Texas Tech - with a combined record of 8-12. Still, N.C. State has outscored opponents 272-118, has 54 tackles for losses and seven TDs from the defense and special teams. After an off weekend, a trip to North Carolina on Oct. 12 begins a run of seven straight ACC games. "We've going to have our chances to show that we're a contender," Rivers said. "There are a lot of mistakes we're making and we're still winning games," he added. "If we just cut those in half, we think, 'My goodness, what we could have done.' That's saying something when you can still be undefeated." Rivers has gotten help in the backfield from bruising tailback T.A. McLendon, who set the prep record for career rushing TDs last year with 170. The true freshman has already missed one game with a shoulder problem and was operated on Tuesday for a broken wrist. However, he's got 10 rushing TDs and plans to play against the Tar Heels. McLendon has scored 60 points and is well within reach of the ACC record of 100 for a freshman, set in 1993 by North Carolina's Leon Johnson. "I never think of any records," McLendon said. "If you go out there and play hard and do what you're got to do on the field, records will fall into place. "I would like to have 1,000 yards, but if I don't, who cares?" he said. "As long as we're winning nobody is going to care about 1,000 yards rushing or 2,000 yards passing - none of that. The bottom line is to win." Amato had his share of success as Bobby Bowden's top assistant at Florida State for close to two decades. He's now enjoying a nice run at his alma mater. "It takes time to get the attitudes to change and the mentality to change," Amato said. "A lot of times you get that opportunity to be a head coach after being an assistant because they weren't winning. It's not like you step into a situation that's Utopia. "We're getting better, and the kids believe that. That's the most important thing." N.C. State's rematch with Florida State is Nov. 23 - the last game of the regular season. "If you're not hoping that game is for the conference championship and a BCS bowl, then there's something wrong with you," Rivers said.

N.C. State&#39;s Amato, Rivers form bond at top of Wolfpack program

N.C. State's Amato, Rivers form bond at top of Wolfpack program