The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/535299
54 ■ THE WOLFPACKER FOOTBALL PREVIEW 2015 BY MATT CARTER I n its first three ACC games last year, NC State's defense gave up an aver- age of 478.3 yards and 42.3 points per contest. That is when defensive coordinator Dave Huxtable and his staff evaluated the di- rection of the unit and made the tactical decision to amp up the aggressiveness. The result was holding five of the last six oppo- nents to less than 375 yards of total offense and giving up 17 points or fewer to three of them. The Wolfpack defense remains young, but is noticeably more experienced this season. They also have a year of the sche- matic shift from a 4-3 alignment to a 4-2-5 under their collective belt. Thus it is understandable why Huxtable has higher expectations this fall entering his third season at the helm of the Wolfpack defense. Here are highlights from an inter- view with Huxtable. What are your feelings about the de- fense as a whole coming out of spring practices? "I felt the defensive players really gave us a good day's work throughout the spring and the 15 practices. I think we had great momentum going into our offseason after the bowl win. The guys worked extremely hard with a great attitude, and then going into spring practice kept that momentum going. "They really came out and did a great job. They had a great attitude and had a much better understanding. This spring practice went so much smoother with a much better understanding of the defense and what we're asking them to do within the defensive structure position-by-position with fundamentals and techniques. "I felt like they really had a lot of confi- dence, and I am very excited about where we're at right now." Was the switch from a 4-3 (four defen- DEFENSE Q&A Building Excitement Coordinator Dave Huxtable Sees Confidence Growing On The Defense "We've got good athletes. We want to let them pin their ears back and have some fun and get after it a little bit. Take the attitude and approach of stressing the offense rather than being stressed by the offense." ■ Huxtable Huxtable's defense limited five of the Wolfpack's last six opponents in 2014 to less than 375 yards of total offense, and held three of them to 17 points or fewer. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN