The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/141892
Football 2013 Canada was the offensive coordinator at Wisconsin last year and directed an attack that ranked No. 13 in the country in rushing offense, with an average of 236.36 yards per game on the ground. Fast-Paced Attack photo courtesy nc state media relations Coordinator Matt Canada Will Build The Pack's No-Huddle Offense Around His Players' Abilities N By Jacey Zembal C State offensive coordinator Matt Canada is looking forward to developing NC State's offense around the skills of his current players. He isn't going to force a square peg into a round hole. ■ Offense Q&A Canada previously worked at Wisconsin, had a pair of stints at Northern Illinois and Indiana, and also coached at Butler. Last season at Wisconsin, his offense ranked 59th in the country in scoring (29.6 points per game), 13th in rushing offense (236.36 yards per game) and 115th in passing offense (156.9 yards per game). Here are highlights from an interview with Canada. What have you learned from different jobs you've had in your coaching career? "Going to Wisconsin was a great opportunity. It was a different style of football than I had been running for a few years in the sense of the tempo. We are a no-huddle team, and that wasn't Wisconsin's brand. They were slow, methodical, control the clock, and you learn from that and see the benefits from that. "I've always believed in running the ball, going back to Northern Illinois the first time. We believed in being balanced, and that is certainly what we strived for all the time. "My second stop at Northern Illinois, we were that. We threw for 3,000 and rushed for 3,000. That is still the goal. "You always play to your players' strengths. Our strength at Wisconsin was the running backs. That is why we did what we did. "We are going to be a no-huddle team. We are going to be a team that likes to play a fast pace. However, I've always believed the ability to slow the ball down can be beneficial to a team. "All that matters, though, is winning. Stats are irrelevant. You saw some guys 34 ■ the wolfpacker 34,36.Offense Q&A.indd 34 7/1/13 9:27 AM