I spent most of yesterday contorted in agony watching the Wolfpack self-destruct against Ohio State. Thirteen penalties. Three interceptions. Not to take anything away from Ohio State, who played consistently well, but we were our own worst enemy.
Ohio State played with cool heads, whereas we were excitable puppies, thrilled to be running with the big dogs. You’d think this team had never played and beaten Florida State and Notre Dame before. The players are responsible for running their plays, and the coaches are reponsible for making sure their heads are screwed on straight. Amato failed to find a way to keep his team loose, and we paid for it.
That’s just one of the things that Rivers brought to the game. He just wasn’t one to be rattled, and his demeanor carried through to his teammates. Jay Davis will get there as he gets more comfortable. Perhaps this loss will help him find it.
On the positive side, our defense looks much, much improved. If we can get our offense shored up, then pairing it with our defense should make us a formidible challenge for the rest of the new, improved ACC.
So we lost to Ohio State. Been there, done that. Let’s get on with the rest of the season.
Although the penalties were bad, what killed us was three turnovers inside our own 20. Yep, our own 20. Can’t do that and win. It set up 13 of their 22 points.
Honestly, we ran better than them and our defense played better than theirs. They ran into a young qb who choked under pressure. Oh well…