Columbia, S.C. — I know that initially a 34-0 final score may not convince you that the N.C. State defense played well, but they did.
After losing safety DaJuan Morgan, lineman DeMario Presley, and all three of the team’s starting linebackers last year, many had low expectations for the defense. In the first three quarters, however, the Wolfpack defense restricted No. 26 South Carolina to a mere 106 yards – a big difference for a team that averaged 371.8 yards per game in 2007. On a number of plays, the Pack defense, behind defensive end Willie Young burst through one of the nation’s most experienced offensive lines, pressuring quarterback Tommy Beecher.
Take redshirt freshman Jimmaul Simmons for instance. On the very first play of his college career, Simmons intercepted a South Carolina pass at the State 47-yard-line.
“This game was a chance to show what we had,” Simmons said. “The defense played well, but we still have a long way to go if we’re going to be a good ACC team.”
Simmons’ interception sparked a string of defensive stops, including a one-handed interception by redshirt sophomore linebacker Nate Irving in the second quarter. Irving added two tackles for loss to his tally for the night. Aside from Irving, redshirt sophomore DeAndre Morgan and freshman Justin Byers both picked off Gamecock passes bringing the total number of interceptions to four. In fact, Morgan, Byers, Simmons, and Irving had never posted a collegiate interception prior to this year’s season opener.
The last time that any Wolfpack team nabbed four interceptions in a game was in 2000 against Southern Methodist University.
While the majority of the defense may not be quite as deep as various offensive positions like the running back group, they do play with full intensity. After three grueling quarters of holding off Beecher, wide receiver Kenny McKinley and a resilient Gamecock offense, State’s defensive starters were out of gas. Starting with Morgan cramping up late in the third quarter, Pack players began dropping left and right. Coach Tom O’Brien admitted that his defense could only be pushed so far.
“I was impressed with a lot of guys on defense until the fourth quarter when they got tired,” O’Brien said. “The problem is that you want to substitute to get them out, but the longer they stayed on, the more you had a chance for cramping. If you take them out to rest them, then they don’t make plays.”
In the first half, the defense didn’t give up any points – the offense did. After a bad snap with about 1:31 left in the half, the Gamecocks were able to recover the Wolfpack fumble. From there, the Wolfpack defense didn’t give up any yards, yet USC capitalized on the offensive mistake and grabbed a field goal.
“We put the defense in a bad situation,” senior halfback Andre Brown said. “Our defense played a great game. They kept fighting and getting the ball for us, but we just couldn’t get in.”
If the Pack can improve their offensive production for future games, then the powerhouse defense of this team will be a force to be reckoned with, not just for three quarters, but for the entire game.
