July 24, 2005

BY TIM PEELER

HOT SPRINGS, Va. - The annual ACC Football Kickoff, where coaches and players from around the league meet with the media to talk about the upcoming football season, began here Sunday at the Homestead Resort and Spa.

Up first were the players, and NC State was represented by seniors Tramain Hall and Oliver Hoyte. Over the next couple of days, gopack.com will share a sampling of what the two players and Wolfpack coach Chuck Amato had to say about the season, which begins Sept. 4 at home against Virginia Tech.

First, Hall will share his excitement about the upcoming season, and the prospects for the offense under new coordinator Marc Trestman.

Question: How have you been preparing to become a more effective leader going into your senior season?

HALL: If something isn't going good during seven-on-seven, I am about to jump in somebody's face. When it is your last season, you want to leave a legacy, like Torry Holt or Koren Robinson. It comes to a point where you want your name on that balcony (at Carter-Finley Stadium). Nothing is impossible to me. When I went out there my sophomore season and caught 69 balls, no one thought that could happen. But it did. And I know in Coach Trestman's offense, a lot of our receivers are going to catch a lot of balls and put up a lot of numbers. The whole offense will be great.

My sophomore year, I stepped it up, and that is what has to happen this year. My junior year, there was a new quarterback and I kind of got banged up a little bit. I have to forget about that. I am working harder than I have ever worked. I want people to remember me as a great player who gave it all he had, all of the time.

Question: You didn't have as big a role in the offense last year as a junior. Will that change this year under Coach Trestman?

HALL: It's a matter of where Coach Trestman puts you. He puts you against people who shouldn't be guarding you. His offense is marked by allowing people to get open.

Question: So many people expect you to be a ground-oriented team because of all the depth in the backfield. But does that also make up for some of the problems Jay Davis had at times last year at quarterback?

HALL: Jay Davis isn't a young guy anymore. He is a mature guy. He can put the ball in the air. The run game is strong for us because of all the backs we have, but there will be times when we are going to stretch that field. We have the confidence in Jay. He can make that throw.

Question: So what are you most excited about this season?

HALL: If I could name one thing I am most excited about this season, it is Jay Davis' maturity. The maturity of knowing that our quarterback will not let us lose. That is a big thing for me.

Question: What do you think of the season opener being against Virginia Tech?

HALL: It is big. The people (in Virginia) know what team beat them. It's plain and simple, and they know they want to come down to Raleigh and get us. We know they are going to come here and it is going to be a dogfight. We will have our fans behind us. Having a homefield advantage will give us a great opportunity to show up and compete with them. We can make a statement and start ourselves off on a right path. If we take care of business the way we know we can, it starts our team out on a great path.

We are a hungry team. There was a quote I heard from Julius Hodge "The Pack is hungry, and we got to eat." He's right.

Question: Can you reflect on all you have been through to get to NC State and get to your senior season?

HALL: That fuels me a whole bunch. I was just talking to my folks and talking about how this was the last time you will see me in Red and White. I didn't have to be at NC State, but I am glad to be here and my senior season will be a good one. I am just like the rest of the seniors who are willing to make this season a good one. I am ready to jump in people's faces to get it done. You all know what I have been through to be here. So I am not trying to be selfish, but we need everybody on our team to think that way. If I have to step up and assume a leadership role, that is what I will do.

Question: So is that the biggest thing you have done during the off-season, to step up and be a bigger leader?

HALL: Oh, yeah. I did a little of that last year. But you want to leave a lot of that to the seniors on that team. There comes a time when you have to take a leadership role on your team. If you have to get in someone's face in practice, then that's what you are going to do. You have to fight to the end to set them straight, and I bet they won't make that mistake again.

Question: The defense was the top-ranked defense in the country but you guys finished at 5-6. Does the offense feel mostly responsible for that?

HALL: It's plain and simple, defense held us up last year. We made the defense look bad. Our offense knows this year, we have go in there and make things happen. I have told a lot of people, we will put points on the board. We are coming in with a new scheme. You never know what Coach Trestman may throw at you. He is that great of a coordinator. He is smart. He wants his players around him to be smart. He wants us to be students of the game, and go out on the field and apply what we have learned.

Question: Did you find it a little surprising that you could get a guy like that to be your offensive coordinator?

HALL: It was a blessing in disguise. We never saw it coming. Boom! All of a sudden he was in our back pocket, and we are looking at this guy saying "Are you serious?" He came in here and started making all these demands on us. "You will learn this." We were like, "Whoa, hold up!" The guy who just left here made demands, but not like this. He gives you a sheet and says learn this. When you come to practice, you better know it. You know what that gives you? Responsibility. That is what this team needed, responsibility. Not for someone to write it up on the board. No, take the stuff home and learn it yourself. And when you come to practice the next day, know it. He gave us responsibility right off the bat and that made us respect the guy. We respect him to the utmost.

Question: How will that change the discipline of the offense, which had trouble with that last year?

HALL: It changes the discipline a whole bunch. If you come to Coach Trestman's meetings late, you don't come in. You see it already. People are there five minutes before the meeting starts. The point is, nobody wants to make a mistake. When we were out there in the spring, nobody wanted to make a mistake. We wanted to make plays and show Coach Trestman that we are disciplined players and he could work with us.

He makes you responsible for your teammates. No matter what the situation, you have to be able to look at your teammate and say "Let's go."

Question: Do you need to get the ball more for this team to win?

HALL: It just comes down to doing what ever I need to do to make this team win. If we are down, I'm willing to say "Coach, I will make the play. Just get me the ball." And he told us, "I will get the ball to the playmakers." You feel in your heart he is going to make that happen.

Question: What do you think of all these running backs you guys have?

HALL: It's amazing. We have six of them who can run the ball. Two of them have to be good. Do the math.

Question: What do you think about Toney Baker so far?

HALL: Baker is good. He's a good back. He catches it out of the backfield. He has a little move in him. He's a smart player and he wants to learn. But Andre Brown... Whew! I have seen him during our seven-on-seven workouts this summer, and just the explosion he has, at 230 pounds. He wants to work and he wants to learn. There is just something about a guy who wants to learn. He has a passion you feed off of. He is not one of these guy who just comes in chilling during seven-on-seven. He wants to know: "Jay, what do I do?" You can't help but think "This kid is going to be good."

Question: You talked about Jay Davis a little bit. What have you seen in him?

HALL: It's all about confidence with him. There is a definite difference in him. When we go out in our seven-on-seven drills, the guy you knew who stayed in the pocket and threw it down field into two safeties, he doesn't do that anymore. He hits the check-off man. That shows you he has gotten a little bit of maturity. He is constantly doing that, day-in and day-out. Every day he is learning to do the right thing. That is maturity.

Question: What about the offensive line and the depth it has?

HALL: The depth right now on offensive line is tremendous. We had some defensive linemen who transferred over to offensive line. You know what that brings? Aggression. The thing is, all those guys want to play. Everybody want to learn from Coach (Mike) Barry. There is something about the chemistry we have on this offense right now that is special. You look in guys eyes and they want to win. We are going to be real good and we are going to score some points.

Question: What do you think about Oliver Hoyte, someone not a lot of people in the conference know about?

HALL: People are going to learn to respect him. He is a great player. A great leader. There is nothing else I can say about Ollie, other than he goes out there and gives it everything he has and everybody on the defense can see that.

Question: Is there any doubt in your mind that the defense can be as good or better than it was last year?

HALL: Defense will be as good as it was last year, no matter who they are going against, because of the four front people. The most dominant group in the country will be those four people. We have Mario Williams, Manny Lawson, John McCargo, DeMario Pressley, with Tank Tyler behind him. People haven't even seen some of the guys who play behind them, like (redshirt freshman) John Bedics. You will see him this year and he is going to be a great player. The secondary is also going to be good. It is going to be a whole lot faster than they were last year.

Question: Tramain, we kind of get the sense you are a little excited about the season.

HALL: I am so excited. I am excited about the whole new offense. We are going to put points on the board. That is what I am excited about. It's time to go out there and do what we need to do.

Question: I have to think that you guys have given more thought to the virtues of instant replay more than any other team in the conference, because of what happened against North Carolina. Is that something you like, or don't like, or do you even care?

HALL: It matters to me. Instant replay will be big. It can help us a lot. Any team. You want to the correct call. The eye in the sky don't lie. That's good.

Question: So do you have any specific goals for yourself for the coming year?

HALL: I want to catch 70 balls. I want to break records at NC State that people say can't be broken. And it can happen. My personal goal is to be one of the best who ever stepped foot on NC State's campus. I want to be a record-breaker.

Contact Tim Peeler at tim_peeler@ncsu.edu.