N.C. State has confidence for trip to Florida State

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) Marcus Hudson remembers it all so well. The eerie silence from the home crowd at Doak Campbell Stadium, and the contrasting celebration by the small yet raucous North Carolina State fans.<br> <br> ``I remember not wanting to leave the field,&#39;&#39; the Wolfpack cornerback said Monday. ``I get chills thinking about it right now.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Four years ago, N.C. State became the first Atlantic Coast Conference team to win at Florida State, ending a 39-0 run by the Seminoles. Hudson was only a freshman then, yet he recalled details from that victory as if it happened last week.<br> <br> No wonder. At the time, the Wolfpack was the first conference foe to beat Florida State twice since the Seminoles joined the ACC, and they added another the next year in a previously unheard of run of success against the program built by coach Bobby Bowden.<br> <br> And it took one of Bowden&#39;s own longtime assistants to do it. N.C. State coach Chuck Amato spent 18 years on Bowden&#39;s staff with the Seminoles before turning to his alma mater in 2000.<br> <br> Now, Amato and the Wolfpack get another chance this week against No. 9 Florida State.<br> <br> ``It is special, but you know what? This game is not about Chuck Amato. It is not about Bobby Bowden,&#39;&#39; Amato said. ``It&#39;s about North Carolina State playing Florida State.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> It comes at a particularly critical time for the Wolfpack (3-4, 1-4 ACC), who snapped a two-game losing streak by rallying to beat Southern Miss on Saturday. The victory was their first at home over a Division I-A opponent in more than a year.<br> <br> Perhaps more than anything else, it gave the players the opportunity to have fun for the first time in a long while.<br> <br> ``We really needed it,&#39;&#39; wide receiver Tramain Hall said. ``It restores confidence and also the joy of the game.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> N.C. State came from behind with new starting quarterback Marcus Stone and third-string tailback Andre Brown. Not surprisingly, Brown moved to the top of the depth chart this week after rushing for 248 yards against the Golden Eagles, only 3 yards short of the school record.<br> <br> After watching a tape of Brown&#39;s performance, Hall was even more impressed. He even received a couple of low marks for ``loafs,&#39;&#39; a term used when a player doesn&#39;t fulfill his duties on a certain play.<br> <br> ``I was a spectator, watching this kid run,&#39;&#39; Hall said with a smile. ``It was kind of like, &#39;Where has 24 been?&#39; He was making things happen for us.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Amato doesn&#39;t expect Brown to get all the carries against Florida State, preferring to share the ball among his talented yet experienced group of tailbacks. But he does plan to continue the emphasis on running the ball.<br> <br> ``We&#39;ve been trying to do that most of the year,&#39;&#39; Amato said. ``We won and the way in which we won is just great. To do what we did was a big boost for everybody.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Simply getting the chance to see Bowden again likely will be a big one for Amato. Over the past six seasons, they have become closer than ever, and they often speak on the phone.<br> <br> Amato still values the lessons he&#39;s learned from his former mentor, and he made good use of them during the Wolfpack&#39;s struggles this season.<br> <br> ``He always told me never to get too high after a win or never to get too low after a loss,&#39;&#39; Amato said. ``Boy, is that true. It&#39;s a universal problem.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> (Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)