Sept. 14, 2002

Box Score

By DAVID DROSCHAK
AP Sports Writer

RALEIGH, N.C. - Chuck Amato's first 4-0 start at North Carolina State two seasons ago was filled with nail-biters. That's quite a contrast to this undefeated beginning.

Philip Rivers threw for 223 yards and T.A. McLendon returned from an injury to score two touchdowns as the 19th-ranked Wolfpack beat Wake Forest 32-13 Saturday night in the Atlantic Coast Conference opener for both teams.

The Wolfpack, playing with their highest ranking since the final poll of the 1994 season, improved to 4-0 for the second time in three years under Amato and have now outscored opponents 165-46.

"Two years ago, we all had to have our hearts checked after every Saturday," Amato said. "Hey, 4-0 feels good any time. The object is to win a football game no matter how you win it. It's hard to win. I'll take 4-0 every time."

Wake Forest (1-2, 0-1) fell to 1-10 in its last 11 ACC openers and hasn't won at Carter-Finley Stadium since 1984.

The Demon Deacons continued to have trouble with their kicking game, missing a 44-yard field goal on their first drive and an extra point on their first TD.

"We've got freshmen kickers," Wake Forest coach Jim Grobe said. "I can't grow them. The experience isn't going to come overnight."

Wake Forest also had a 36-yard field goal blocked by Terrence Holt with 9:08 left. It was Holt's 12th career block, which set an ACC career record. Duke's Ray Farmer blocked 11 kicks from 1992-95.

Rivers, the top-rated passer in the nation, threw for 160 yards in the first half as the Wolfpack snapped Wake Forest's streak of nine straight games decided by seven points or less.

"We're certainly not where we want to be yet, but I think we're going to be really good," Rivers said. "And when you're 4-0 you're doing something right."

Rivers, who had plenty of time to throw most of the night, finished 17-of-27 with no interceptions.

"He may not be the best athlete on the field, but he's a winner," Wake Forest defensive lineman Calvin Pace said. "He makes that team run."

McLendon, a freshman, missed last week's 65-19 win over Navy with a sore shoulder. But he showed he was healthy by powering his way through Wake Forest tacklers for TD runs of 5 and 3 yards in the opening 30 minutes as the Wolfpack went up by 14.

"I was very, very anxious to get back in there," McLendon said. "I was kind of mad last week that I couldn't play. I wanted to come back with a bang."

The Demon Deacons closed to 23-13 with 9:04 left in the third quarter on a 53-yard TD pass from James MacPherson to Jax Landfried.

But less than four minutes later, Shawn Price made the defensive play of the game. The defensive end sacked MacPherson, stripped the ball - and after trying to pick it up for several seconds - finally corralled it and rambled 13 yards to give N.C. State a more comfortable margin.

"The defense is making it easy for us," Rivers said. "They are playing great and coming up with stops."

Wake Forest's already potent ground game was expected to get a lift by the return of 1,000-yard rusher Tarence Williams, who broke his foot in late June. But after carrying twice last week in a win over East Carolina, he logged just one rush against the Wolfpack in the first three quarters.

The Demon Deacons were held to 149 yards rushing - more than 100 below their average.

"The big thing going into tonight is we felt we needed to be able to throw the football and we weren't able to do that," Grobe said. "That's the thing that hurt us more than anything."

Rivers completed all five of his passes on N.C. State's first drive for 67 yards, capping the 73-yard march with a 5-yard slant to Jerricho Cotchery.

The Demon Deacons responded three minutes later as a 36-yard run by Fabian Davis set up a 6-yard TD by Cornelius Birgs.

But Wake Forest couldn't do much offensively the rest of the half as Rivers heated up.

A questionable pass interference call near the goal line set up McLendon's first of two first-half scoring runs.

Rivers completed passes of 38, 15 and 22 yards midway through the second quarter to set up another short McLendon burst from 3 yards out as the Wolfpack went up 20-6.

The Demon Deacons had a chance to cut into the lead late in the half after recovering a fumble by Greg Golden near midfield. But after driving to the 20, Wake Forest lost yards on a pair of runs and backup quarterback Cory Randolph fumbled the snap from the shotgun on fourth-and-4.

"The defensive touchdown in the third quarter had more to do with us losing than anything," Grobe said.

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