Wolfpack loses sixth consecutive conference home game

Posted 5:45PM on Friday 14th October 2005 ( 19 years ago )

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) Chuck Amato remains upbeat and defiant, much as he has for the past year. Despite six consecutive home losses in the Atlantic Coast Conference and the myriad of mistakes that caused them, the North Carolina State coach still believes he and his players eventually will be successful. ``We'll work our fannies off to make this team better and to make the fans proud,'' Amato said. ``There's no reason it can't be done. I really think these kids are winners.'' The latest defeat was the worst of all, a 31-10 home loss to Clemson on Thursday night that left the Wolfpack (2-3, 1-3) at the bottom of the league's Atlantic Division and in danger of missing a bowl for the second season in a row. And there was plenty of blame to go around. The most penalized team in the ACC added eight more to its total, although that number was down from an average of 10 in the first four games. In the first half alone, the defensive line jumped offsides six times, and there also were assorted block-in-the-back and face-mask infractions. N.C. State had five fumbles and many other mistakes that aren't as easily defined, such as missed assignments that allowed the Tigers (3-3, 2-3) to control play on both sides of the ball. ``The mistakes that we made upset me greatly, especially the ones made on simple plays,'' Amato said. ``We did not make plays at all. We must get better. We must.'' Clemson freshman James Davis ran for a season-high 143 yards and two touchdowns before leaving with a broken wrist, while Charlie Whitehurst threw for two more scores to help the Tigers win for the first time in more than a month. The Tigers gained 489 yards in one of their more balanced offensive games of the season, and for the first time, the outcome wasn't in doubt in the fourth quarter. They had lost three in a row by a total of 13 points. ``We finally put it all together,'' tight end Bobby Williamson said. ``This is the performance we've been waiting for. Everything we ran seemed to work. It's an awesome feeling, a night like this.'' Certainly, this N.C. State defense isn't quite as stingy as the one which led Division I-A in fewest yards allowed last season, but Clemson's success still was somewhat surprising. Star defensive ends Manny Lawson and Mario Williams were mostly ineffective against the run or the pass, although Lawson was credited with three hurries of Whitehurst. The Wolfpack allowed more than 400 yards for the second consecutive game. ``It just came down to them wanting it more than us,'' said linebacker Stephen Tulloch, who finished with 14 tackles. ``They ran their scheme very well, and executed very well.'' Clemson center Dustin Fry was particularly proud of the effort, considering the NFL aspirations of Lawson, Williams and their teammates. ``They've got three guys on their defensive line who are supposed to go in the first round of the draft,'' Fry said. ``When scouts look at this tape, they're going to see what we can do.'' Amato and N.C. State must now regroup for a difficult stretch of games to finish the season, including trips to No. 4 Florida State and No. 14 Boston College. They need to win four of the final six to qualify for a bowl, something they didn't do in 2004 for the first time in Amato's tenure. After starting 34-17, Amato is 7-9 over the past two seasons. ``We must stay positive,'' he said. ``We as coaches need to continue to teach and coach these kids; moreover, we need to positively coach them. We will make the fans proud of this team before the season is over. We will.'' (Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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