The Wolfpacker

May 2013 Wolfpacker

The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports

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Picking Up The Pace NC State's Offense Will Move Fast In Its Quest To Score As Much As Possible T By Ryan Tice here have been several changes to the daily NC State football practice routine, but the most evident this spring was the increased tempo that the coaches want the new no-huddle offense to run at on a daily basis. The majority of players note that the unit's pace is the biggest change from last season. When asked if the players had adjusted to the up-tempo speed in the week leading up to the spring game, offensive coordinator Matt Canada was frank in his assessment. "They don't really have a choice," he said. "That's the tempo we're going to play at. I think they've gotten used to it, and they've understood what we want. Really, it will be a good tempo when it's what they want, when they see the benefits of what it does. "We're a work in progress, but they understand what we're trying to do and I think they're enjoying it." The effect of the high-octane offense could be seen in the annual Kay Yow Spring Game. After the score was tied 3-3 at halftime, the offense began to tire out the defense, and the result was 24 points after the break, despite a running clock. The team ran an astounding 131 plays in the scrimmage. When redshirt junior quarterback Pete Thomas was asked at the postgame press conference if he could see the tangible result from the fast pace, senior linebacker D.J. Green laughed and shook his head yes before the signal-caller could respond. "The offense does a great job when they're up-tempo and it does affect the defense," Green explained. "I was part of the defense and they had a pretty good tempo a couple of drives and I know I was pretty worn out. I feel like the offense does pretty good when they're up-tempo." Thomas agreed and said that the unit was most successful when it minimized the time between two plays. "I think you can tell when our offense gets Redshirt junior Pete Thomas (shown, at left) and sophomore Manny Stocker will likely be locked in a battle for the starting job at quarterback right up to the opening game of the 2013 season. photo by ken martin rolling and gets some first downs, we can get going and get some momentum," he said. "That's when we're at our best, when we're going fast, lining up quick, getting off on the ball quick, getting the play in quick. "I think on our touchdown drives, we had a good tempo. When we start slowing down, we have a negative play and we're not going at that fast pace, that's when we're not at our best." Catching Up Head coach Dave Doeren admitted that the defense is ahead of the offense at this point, but he noted that there are some similar concepts to the offensive scheme that the Wolfpack ran last year, and he expects strides to continue to be made on that side of the ball. "Offensively, there are a lot of new guys in the lineup," he admitted. "The plays are really not that much different — the tempo and the names of the plays are a lot different. I think that's the biggest thing — what they used to call, 'this' is now 'that' — but there are a lot of the same concepts in the pass game and the run game. "I think we'll catch up, and once we get some of our signees here, they'll help these guys from a depth standpoint. I know they're working with short numbers at receiver and tailback right now, there are three tailbacks and six receivers coming in so our depth will get better, which will help them play faster. "I don't think you're ever satisfied, but we got a lot of good things accomplished." Like his coach, Thomas noted that the focus is to continue improving every day before the Aug. 31 opener against Louisiana Tech. "Obviously, the entire offense is still thinking, but I think every single day, every single meeting, we're getting better and more comfortable with the terminology, the routes and I think the coaches are doing a great job of coaching us up," the quarterback said. "The summer is going to be huge for us, we can't take any steps back. We need to keep getting more comfortable, so when we show up Aug. 1 for fall camp, we're not thinking, we're hopefully just out there playing and reacting." "We always want more," Canada explained. "We're going to strive for perfection May 2013  ■  45 44-47.Spring FB Offense.indd 45 4/30/13 2:41 PM

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