Amato status 'not an issue'

N.C. State athletics director says coach's job is secure despite some fans' gripes

RALEIGH -- N.C. State athletics director Lee Fowler, while acknowledging the mounting frustration of a four-game losing streak, said Monday he firmly supports Wolfpack football coach Chuck Amato.

"I'm 100 percent behind Chuck," Fowler said in an interview. "We've had disappointing losses; and when you lose four in a row by a touchdown or less, things come up such as, 'If we had just done this or done that.' I know the frustration of our fan base.

"But I've watched Chuck closely this year. He's coaching just like he did when we were 11-3. He's remaining very positive. Recruiting is going well."

The Pack, after topping nationally ranked Boston College and Florida State, opened 2-0 in the ACC and State fans were stoked about the possibility of winning the Atlantic Division. But losses to Wake Forest, Maryland, Virginia and Georgia Tech -- all by eight points or fewer -- have followed. Now State is one defeat away from a losing season, with a game coming up Saturday at Clemson.

Amato insisted he is upbeat Monday at his weekly press conference, saying he felt "better than great." But his mood appeared to change, and he seemed surprised later when questions arose about his job status.

Asked if he had received assurances he would return next season, Amato said, "I haven't received assurances that I'm not going to be back, I can tell you that right now."

Pressed further and questioned if he had discussed the situation with his players, Amato tartly said, "Absolutely not. Stop right there. ... Next question.

"I don't like to use this, but I have no comment."

Fowler said Amato, who has three years remaining on his contract after this season, would be evaluated at the end of the year. An extension on Amato's contract will be considered by the NCSU board of trustees in April in addition to recommended extensions for women's basketball coach Kay Yow, baseball coach Elliott Avent and cross country and track coach Rollie Geiger.

Fowler said he had not discussed Amato's job performance with chancellor James Oblinger. Nor, he said, had the subject been broached in his talks with Amato.

"It's not an issue at this point," Fowler said. "Some fans talk, and there's the Internet squawk; but it's not an issue with me."

Senior safety Garland Heath said Monday that he was aware of various rumors circulating about Amato but said he "put nothing into it." Heath insisted such chatter would not distract the Wolfpack players from focusing on winning the last three games.

"That's our goal. We've still got a chance to make it to a bowl," Heath said.

Even at 6-6, State could be squeezed out of the ACC's eight allotted bowl slots. Six ACC teams already have seven or more victories, and Florida State and Miami both are 5-4.

Bowls without an ACC tie-in cannot take a 6-6 ACC team over a seven-win team from any other conference. The Poinsettia Bowl, played Dec. 19 in San Diego, may have an at-large slot available. But it could be filled by a seven-win team from, say, Conference USA or the Big East.

"If that's the best we can do: [finish] 6-6 and kind of hope we can reach a bowl game. Then that will be great," junior receiver Darrell Blackman said Monday. "Then the season wasn't as disappointing as it looks, because you still get to play in [the] postseason, still get to a bowl game and go somewhere and have fun."

State played in bowls in five of Amato's first six seasons, going 11-3 in 2002 after beating Notre Dame in the Gator Bowl. The Pack won five of its last six games a year ago to close 7-5, shutting out South Florida 14-0 in the Meineke Car Care Bowl.

Amato, in his seventh season at NCSU, often has said he sets high standards and would not change them, that he wants to build the program to the point it can win an ACC title and contend for a national championship. The Pack under Amato has not closed higher than fourth in the league.

On Monday, Amato said a 6-6 finish and a bowl this year would constitute a "successful season."

"You don't go to a bowl unless you've had a successful season, period," he said. "It's a reward for everybody: the university, the fans, the players."

It's also a financial reward for the coaches. Amato and his staff receive bonuses for reaching a bowl.

A bowl game means additional weeks of practice, all the better to help the younger players improve. It can enhance recruiting.

"Everything, everything, everything, everything," Amato said.

But Amato noted that Maryland missed out on a bowl the past two years, closing 5-6 each season. The Terrapins, despite the slip, have had solid recruiting classes and are 7-2 this year and tied for the Atlantic Division lead at 4-1.

"It's all in how you respond to the problem," Amato said. "Right now, we're in the process of having an awfully good recruiting class, with or without a bowl."