Wolfpack 'waxed'

Penalties and turnovers cost N.C. State, but coach Chuck Amato says the game is lost at the line of scrimmage. Freshman Damion Fletcher rushes for 177 yards and three touchdowns, and the Eagles pile up 261 yards rushing

HATTIESBURG, MISS. -- N.C. State running back Andre Brown walked slowly to the locker room Saturday night, his eyes down, as if carefully measuring his steps, as if wondering where the Wolfpack's season now will lead.

After a 37-17 hammering by Southern Mississippi, who can really say? After being pushed around and humbled by the Golden Eagles for most of 60 minutes at M.M. Roberts Stadium, who really knows about the Pack?

The loss to Akron, decided on a controversial, last-second play, was unexpected. But so was this unexpectedly wretched performance by the Pack (1-2) -- a rout at "the Rock," as USM fans like to call their stadium.

"We got waxed," NCSU coach Chuck Amato said.

That's one way of putting it. Freshman running back Damion Fletcher rushed for 177 yards and three touchdowns, junior quarterback Jeremy Young was efficient enough and an inspired Southern Miss defense was more than tough enough.

Amato bemoaned a rash of penalties in the second half. He wondered what might have been had quarterback Marcus Stone not had a pair of interceptions, including a team confidence-killer in the third quarter when State trailed 23-10 and Stone's first-and-goal pass from the USM 6 was picked off in the end zone.

But this lopsided game -- the margin of defeat was the largest to a nonconference team in Amato's seven-year tenure -- was more about Southern Miss' strong play than Pack mistakes, and Amato knew it.

"We couldn't control the line of scrimmage," Amato said. "They knocked our fannies around. They were whipping people up front."

The game started ominously for the Pack: Darrell Blackman sprained his right knee returning the opening kickoff and spent the rest of the game on crutches, his leg in a brace. Just nine seconds into the game, State had lost its most versatile offensive player, most dangerous receiver and its top kickoff and punter return man.

"It definitely hurts to lose an athlete's of Darrell's caliber," Stone said.

The Pack still had Brown, who riddled the Eagles for 248 yards rushing last year, spurring a 21-17 comeback victory that led to a late-season surge by the Pack. But Brown never could shake loose this night, finishing with 48 yards on 13 carries, with his longest for 9 yards.

Instead, it was Fletcher who was a freshman star, exploding through the gaps and breaking off the big runs.

"Some of those holes," Fletcher said, "were big enough to drive a truck through."

The first half ended with USM (2-1) leading 13-10 -- a deceptive score considering how badly the Eagles had outplayed the Pack much of the half. Stone did fire a 46-yard scoring pass to freshman receiver Donald Bowens, catching the Eagles in single coverage, and John Deraney kicked a 54-yard field goal, the longest of the senior's career and tied for the second-longest in school history.

"But the first possession of the second half is so important," Amato said. "They took it 77 yards in four plays."

These were the four: Fletcher ran for 25 yards, Young passed to Damion Carter for 39, Fletcher ran for 12 more and then got the final yard for the TD.

"They ran the ball right at us," State linebacker Pat Lowery said. "We couldn't stop it. It was a challenge to our manhood."

Stone's first pass of the second half was intercepted, leading to the last of Darren McCaleb's three field goals. But the Pack, trailing by 13 points, forced a fumble on a big hit by defensive tackle Tank Tyler and then moved to the USM 6.

On first down, Stone scrambled to his left and attempted to squeeze in a throw to Bowens, but Eagles cornerback Caleb Hendrix picked if off.

"He could have run or thrown it away," Amato said. "He made a huge mistake, no question.

"No one is more critical of himself than Marcus. But first-and-goal ... if we put it in there, we're just six points behind with a lot of football left."

USM controlled all the football that was left. Young and Fletcher both scored on short runs to push the lead to 37-10 before sophomore quarterback Daniel Evans came into the game for the Pack to throw a 21-yard TD pass to flanker John Dunlap -- a career first for both players.

The Pack's poise had disintegrated by then. The penalty flags were flying.

And Tyler, a senior, was ejected after a personal-foul penalty. But the mistakes were many this night.

"We have to do better," Lowery said. "That was embarrassing."

For the Pack, that it was.