Young Wolfpack front to get tested against Wake Forest

WINSTON-SALEM, NORTH CAROLINA - Chuck Amato looks at his young defensive front and dreads what will likely be some harsh training on the job at Wake Forest this weekend. <br> <br> The Demon Deacons (1-0) have led the Atlantic Coast Conference in rushing each of the last two seasons under coach Jim Grobe and could pound it right at No. 14 North Carolina State (1-0) on Saturday. <br> <br> Amato saw plenty of mistakes by his young defensive players in a season-opening 59-20 win over Western Carolina. <br> <br> ``They went the wrong direction,&#39;&#39; Amato said. ``This week if they go in the wrong direction it may be the right direction. <br> <br> ``We&#39;ll screw them all up. We&#39;re going to put in a defense that&#39;s called the scramble defense and the guys can do just whatever they want to.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Amato was joking, trying to add some levity to a part of the game he expects will help decide the outcome Saturday afternoon. <br> <br> ``I know this much,&#39;&#39; he said. ``In the close games if you don&#39;t have defense you&#39;re not going to win.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> In the last two seasons, Grobe&#39;s teams may have had an edge with tested offensive lines. This time, he&#39;s not so sure. <br> <br> ``If we weren&#39;t so young, maybe,&#39;&#39; Grobe said. <br> <br> Amato said Wake Forest&#39;s flexbone offense is often difficult to match up with early in games. ``It takes the defense a good quarter just to really see it, get used to it and grasp the speed of it,&#39;&#39; Amato said. <br> <br> Wake Forest&#39;s challenge on defense will be more varied than the Wolfpack. N.C. State has a host of gamebreakers, all directed by senior quarterback Philip Rivers. <br> <br> ``Every way you want to attack him the guy figures you out and he finds the right guy to go to,&#39;&#39; Grobe said. ``The thing that drives you crazy is he has such great decision-making skills and he can make them on the spur of the moment. <br> <br> ``He makes throws when you think you&#39;ve got him sacked. He might throw the ball behind his back or between his legs. This is just a guy who finds a way to make plays.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Eleven different players caught passes from Rivers in N.C. State&#39;s opener. <br> <br> ``If you know he&#39;s got one or two key guys he can go to it makes playing defense so much easier,&#39;&#39; Grobe said. ``In this case, a five-yard throw to any of the guys out there can turn into an 80-yard play. That&#39;s the thing that is so tough on defenses. N.C. State doesn&#39;t have to throw the ball very far down the field to get a big play.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Wake Forest has won two of the last three meetings in Groves Stadium, losing 17-14 two seasons ago. That, and the fact that it&#39;s the ACC opener, should hold the attention of the Wolfpack before heading to No. 2 Ohio State next week. <br> <br> ``Chuck has been running around in practice,&#39;&#39; wide receiver Tramain Hall said. ``He&#39;s going crazy. If you watch film on Wake Forest, they come to play. Coach has talked to us about that intensity, we&#39;ve got to have that intensity.&#39;&#39;