Technician Online

November 3rd, 2007

NCSU vs. Miami Game Updates

Pack keeping it close
Posted 2:42 p.m.

Hauschka nailed a 31-yard field goal to cut the score to 13-10. State’s very much in it, but it’s going to have to hold Miami’s offense. The Pack can’t afford to let Miami bleed the clock and kick another field goal.

If the Pack can hold Miami and come up with a stop, they could be OK in the end. But State’s going to have to avoid the costly penalties that have been on its shoulders all afternoon. With just more than 14 minutes to play, it’s getting down to crunch time at the Orange Bowl.
Canes picking up pressure

Posted 2:19 p.m.

As soon as I praised State’s defense, Miami’s rushing offense began to have its way with the Pack, driving 59 yards before Kirby Freeman scrambled for a three-yard loss. Miami kicker Daren Daly proceeded to miss the 41-yard field goal attempt, keeping the score 10-7.

State’s defense will need to pick up its play against the run. Miami ran nine plays before the field goal attempt, and all of them were runs. If the Pack can play like it did in the first half, it should be fine.

Evans, however, continues to struggle with his passes.

Defense continues strong play
Posted 2:10 p.m.

The Pack defense continued its strong play with DaJuan Morgan picking off Kirby Freeman’s pass for State’s second interception of the game. Freeman has two interceptions and one completion on the game so far with 10:40 left in the third. But Freeman’s one completion was an 84-yard touchdown pass.

State’s offense sputtered, though, and failed to take advantage of the team’s sixth turnover over the past two-plus games.

Halftime: Pack fights back
Posted 1:34 p.m.

N.C. State became the first team this season to score points in the first half against the Miami defense at home. Quarterback Daniel Evans scored on a one-yard touchdown run to cut into the Hurricanes’ lead.

State appeared to score on the play before when Evans found receiver Owen Spencer streaking across the middle, but a review of the play ruled Spencer was down inside the one-yard line before crossing the goal line.

Evans punched it in a play later, making the Wolfpack the only team to score points in the first half against Miami at the Orange Bowl this season.

Needing points after Miami’s 84-yard touchdown pass, the Pack offense moved the ball well on the drive, keeping the game close at halftime. The nine-play, 66-yard drive stole some momentum back from the Canes, who were threatening to run away with the game.

Evans played well on State’s scoring drive, but has looked off-kilter throughout the first half, often missing wide-open receivers. Eugene is running the ball well, picking up 52 rushing yards on 14 carries.

The defense, aside from a 54-yard run that set up Miami’s field goal and the 84-yard touchdown pass, has looked strong all afternoon thus far.

If the Pack is going to win its third straight, State needs its defense to keep it up, and it needs its offense to eliminate the penalties that have affected the team’s first half.
Miami comes up big
Posted 1:14 p.m.

Graduate kicker Steven Hauschka missed his first kick attempt of the season late in the first half. First, redshirt junior quarterback Daniel Evans missed senior receiver John Dunlap who was wide open for first down on third-and-three from inside the 20.

Then, Hauschka came in and missed is first field-goal attempt of the season, missing out on the opportunity to be the first team to score points in the first half against Miami’s defense at the Orange Bowl. He had been 10-for-10 on field-goal attempts prior to the 30-yard miss.

The Canes responded with an 84-yard touchdown pass to go up 10-0. It looked as though State would sack Kirby Freeman inside the five-yard line. But Freeman found Darnell Jenkins wide open behind State’s secondary for the long score.

Defense looks strong
Posted 12:55 p.m.

Senior Miami native Miguel Scott picked up his first interception of the season on pass from Kirby Freeman that looked to be intended for Scott. Scott almost dropped the pass with no one within 30 yards. Then, Scott almost fell down inside the 15-yard line before turning it upfield and gaining 19 yards.

Aside from three runs early on (a 10-yarder, an 11-yarder and a 54-yarder), the Pack defense is playing well so far, picking up its fifth takeaway since the bye week.

The Pack offense picked up its first first down of the game on the final play of the first quarter, but it’s beginning to look like the offense from the first six games of the season with all the penalties.

With 11 minutes remaining in the first half and the Pack driving near midfield, State is looking to be the first team all season to score against Miami at the Orange Bowl in the first half.

Game time
Posted 12:28 p.m.

At best, the Orange Bowl is half full. Several minutes into the game, and there are as many empty seats as full seats.

N.C. State’s defense looked good on Miami’s first two possessions, allowing only one first-down run by Javarris James until Derron Thomas broke a 54-yard run on the Hurricanes’ third possession, leading to Miami’s first points: a 22-yard field goal.

The defense came up big after allowing the long run, holding Miami to a field goal after the Canes had 1st-and-goal from the six-yard line.

The Wolfpack’s offense sputtered its first two times out, but redshirt sophomore running back Jamelle Eugene is running well, picking solid chunks of yardage. State has been unable to pick up a first down, but as long as Eugene continues to work like he’s doing, he should break a big gain soon enough.
Arrival at the Orange Bowl
Posted 11:34 a.m.

J. Mike Blake and I arrived at the Orange Bowl approximately an hour and a half before kickoff. On our way to our seats in the press box, I bumped into former Miami coach Larry Coker, literally.

Coker is serving as the color analyst for ESPNU’s broadcast of the game. I wonder what he’s feeling about being back at the Orange Bowl for the game.

Pre-game warm-ups are taking place on the field below us. We’ll be with you all afternoon here. Stay tuned to blogs.technicianonline.com for blog updates throughout the game.

Brian Grossman
Deputy Sports Editor

This entry was posted on Saturday, November 3rd, 2007 at 11:34 am and is filed under Miami Musings. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

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