N.C. State quickly turns attention to Miami

RALEIGH, N.C. - North Carolina State wide receiver Tramain Hall just couldn&#39;t wait to start thinking about this week&#39;s opponent.<br> <br> Normally, he and his teammates take a little time to enjoy a victory, particularly one on the road. But that changed on the plane ride back from Maryland after the Wolfpack snapped a four-game losing streak to the Terrapins.<br> <br> ``Just getting the chance to play against the Miami Hurricanes is exciting,&#39;&#39; Hall said Monday.<br> <br> The fourth-ranked Hurricanes a first-year member of the Atlantic Coast Conference make their first trip to Carter-Finley Stadium since 1981, when they beat N.C. State 14-5. Overall, Miami leads the series 6-3-1, including a 46-23 victory in the 1998 MicronPC Bowl.<br> <br> Hall is one of 27 players on the Wolfpack&#39;s roster from the state of Florida, and five are from Killian High School in Miami. They have dubbed themselves the ``Killian Killer Kats.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> One of those is tailback Bobby Washington, a freshman who joined the team in early August after he was released from his scholarship with the Hurricanes. The reason for his departure was never given.<br> <br> At Killian, he ran for 5,695 yards and scored 61 touchdowns.<br> <br> ``We&#39;re very happy he&#39;s here,&#39;&#39; N.C. State coach Chuck Amato said. ``He does very good, and he&#39;s enjoying himself up here. He&#39;s never seen the leaves on the trees change colors.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> And will he have more incentive this week?<br> <br> ``Bobby Washington playing against anybody gives him incentive,&#39;&#39; Amato said.<br> <br> According to Hall, the trash-talking already has started among the Florida natives on both teams. An unidentified player for Miami sent a text message to Wolfpack backup wide receiver John Dunlap, which said the Hurricanes only needed their ``C-game&#39;&#39; to win Saturday.<br> <br> ``I haven&#39;t told anybody yet,&#39;&#39; Hall said with a wink. ``Eventually, it&#39;ll spread around a little bit.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> He was recruited by Miami and even attended a camp there one summer, so he more than some understands the mystique around the program. Hall eventually decided to leave the state and come to N.C. State, but he remembers how just being exposed to the mentality there affected him.<br> <br> ``When I stepped on that field, I felt like I couldn&#39;t be beaten,&#39;&#39; Hall said. ``You see those coaches walking around there, you want to salute them, and I was just there for a little time.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Like many of his childhood friends, Wolfpack linebacker Pat Thomas grew up wanting to play for Miami. He still openly roots for the Hurricanes to this day, and enjoyed watching their rally past Louisville last Thursday night.<br> <br> Thomas will be facing many of his friends on the field this week.<br> <br> ``Everybody knows of everybody down there when you play little league,&#39;&#39; he said. ``That&#39;s why we&#39;re excited. When we play at Chapel Hill, all the North Carolina guys get excited, because they&#39;re going to play guys they know.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> This familiarity with each other might work in N.C. State&#39;s favor. Hall, Thomas, Washington and the rest of the Florida players are used to facing the speed, agility and aggression they&#39;ll see Saturday.<br> <br> After all, they saw it in high school.<br> <br> ``Our speed is just as good as their speed, and our players are just as good as their players,&#39;&#39; Hall said. ``We need to spread them out and get them in the open field. There&#39;s some holes we can take advantage of.&#39;&#39;