12 Days of Wolfpack Football (Day 11: UNC 2010)

48 hours til game day!   And today's choice was a difficult one.  When you have a rivalry that's been fought as closely as this one in the last quarter century (NC State leads the series in that span 13-12) you are bound to have some great ones.

There was 1986: Dick Sheridan's first year where we stopped a game deciding 2 point conversion with 7 seconds left to win 35-34.
In 1990: We had the Damon Hartman 56 yard field goal to win it.
How about 1991 or 1992 where we pushed our streak to five in a row.  '92 was a personal favorite as it was my first trip to Chapel Hill to see the Pack, and we drove 78 yards in the closing minutes to win 27-20.
In 2000, Philip Rivers caught his one and only receiving touchdown to win 34-17.
O'Brien's first State-UNC game in 2007, the 41-10 blowout in 2008, and the regular season finale in 2009 were all pretty sweet.

But to get pumped for the 2011 season, why not go with the most recent game, the 2 yard Hail Mary game in the 100th game in the series, that simultaneously gave us our fourth win in a row over the Heels, and put us in a position to play for a division title.

It was a high noon showdown amongst the intimidating pine trees in Chapel Hill, and Carolina carried the play in the early going.  An early drive down to the State 28 was ended by Nate Irving causing the first turnover of the game, forcing a fumble, and setting the tone for the Heels on how hard it would be to get in the end zone this day.  After another State punt, UNC took over on their own 19.  From there they marched 81 yards and with a 7 yard TD pass to Anthony Elzy, they went up 7-0 with 4:34 to go in the 1st quarter.

State's offense continued to struggle to get in gear, and after another 3 and out, UNC started to drive again as the first quarter ended.  They entered State territory again, but this time the defense held and forced a punt that was down at the 13.  This time the Moose got loose with a couple of runs and an 11 yard reception to get State near midfield.


Then a 48 yard pass to Owen Spencer gave NC State first and goal, where on 2nd down, Russell Wilson hit Darrell Davis on the slant for the touchdown and the game was tied 7-7.


A quick 3 and out and the momentum was on the Pack's side, but an interception on the next drive swung it right back to the Heels.  UNC with the ball now on the Pack 39, drove to the 10.  1st and Goal.  On third down a swing pass to Elzy and he raced to the corner.  CJ Wilson knocked him out of bounds as he dove for the pylon.  No touchdown.  The play was reviewed and the call upheld.  4th down, and UNC elected to kick the field goal.  10-7 Heels.

On the ensuing kickoff, TJ Graham returned it 35 yards, and with a penalty tacked on, State had the ball at midfield.  Wilson with passed to Spencer and Davis quickly moved into field goal range, and Josh Czakowski, who had been declared out for the season with a hamstring injury just two weeks ago, came on and kicked a season long 47 yard field goal to tie it back up at 10.


With 1:08 to play, the Heels had just enough time on the clock to get something going and they did.  A 29 yard TJ Yates pass on first down immediately got them close to field goal range.  Another 7 yarder got them even closer with the clock ticking well under a minute.  Two incompletions later, Casey Barth was trying a career long 49 yarder, and he was down the middle.  To the locker rooms, both teams went with UNC up 13-10.

The third quarter started with everything going Carolina's way.  On State's first drive, a trifecta of penalty, sack, and then fumble, had us punting out of the end zone.  UNC with the ball on the 39 quickly raced down the field and had 1st and goal at the 7.  But on 3rd down, Nate Irving with the pass knockdown, and UNC was forced to settle for another field goal.  16-10 UNC.


Another three and out, and another drive by UNC.  This 67 yard drive got them into field goal range again, but the Pack defense held, and Barth came on for another field goal.  UNC led 19-10 with 4:30 to play in the third and it wasn't looking good.  But it was time for Russell Wilson to make his move.  A nice TJ Graham 26 yard return got it started, and then a Wilson to Spencer 20 yarder crossed midfield.  A Paige-Moss sack though, put the Pack in 3rd and 18.  Then came the kind of play that defined Wilson's career at State.  He dropped back, scrambled to his right.  Takes off running, cuts, back left, the stiff arm.....


Gets a block and turns the corner near the sideline.  Finally pushed out of bounds at the 8.  Plus an extremely late hit by Coples and the Pack had first and goal at the 4!


Three plays later, the Pack was on the two, and O'Brien had a choice to make. He was going for it! Wilson rolls right, stops, spins, scrambles left some more. Looking, looking, drifting back, to the 20 with defenders closing in. He heaves it to the end zone, back of the end zone, tipped by Jarvis Williams left hand and UNC's Searcy's right hand...


Owen Spencer sees it...


...he dives...


GOT IT! TOUCHDOWN WOLFPACK!


The two-yard hail mary works!  NC State has cut the lead to 19-17 late in the third and the Pack has the momentum.  Next drive, Audie Cole with the sack on 2nd down, Earl Wolff with the sack on their, and now it's TJ Graham's turn.  The UNC punt came down on the 13, he cuts up the left side.  Gets a block.  The blocking wall is formed, one man to beat, he races past the punter and nothing green grass in front of him and red Wolfpack fans to his left.  He takes it to the house, check that, to the construction site, and NC State leads!


Now it's the time for the defense to step up and they do. Rieskamp with a sack, and another 3 and out for Yates. NC State has the ball with 12 to play, and it's time for another Moose crossing. On the strength of Greene and Washington, NC State marches from the State 37 to the UNC 3. But a huge false start penalty on 2nd and goal, ends the momentum, and the Pack has to settle for 3. It's now 27-19 NC State with just 5:41 to play.

Now the senior TJ Yates with once last chance to try and beat State comes on the field. He hits Elzy on a 17 yard screen, and Elzy again on a 42 yard screen. Three stops for the Pack and it's 4th down. But freshman Josh Adams tips his own pass but holds on for the first down and goal. On first down, a huge sack by Nate Irving pushes UNC to the 16....tick tick tick...they are letting a lot of time go. Incomplete on 2nd, but on 3rd and goal, Yates on the check down to Highsmith and he pushes towards the end zone. Audie Cole drags him down, and what was originally ruled touchdown is reversed to down at the 1. 4th and goal now 70 seconds to play. Yates keeps the Heels alive with a 1 yard TD pass, 27-25 with a 2 point conversion attempt coming. Yates rolls right, heaves it in the end zone, it's tipped, but this one falls to the ground, NO GOOD!

1:04 to play, and a failed onside kick attempt allows NC State to force UNC to burn all of their timeouts. Under a minute now and State's got to punt from the 39. Jeff Ruiz, gets it off, and it's the punt of his life! It rolls all the way to the four, with just 36 seconds to play. Does Yates have a miracle in him? Is 36 seconds and no time outs long enough? The answer was given by Terrell Manning, and it was an emphatic NO! On 2nd down, Manning with the delayed blitz up the middle...SACK...


..SAFETY....


29-25 and this baby is over! A failed onside free kick, and one kneeldown, and the Pack has a four game winning streak over UNC! Let the celebration begin.


Today's honorable mention:
Many are mentioned above, but for the last 25 years, they all deserve a mention:
1986, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010!

Up next:
The 12 day finale: Florida State

Also, another big note of thanks and credit to Gene Galin of accfootballphotos dot com His work is incredible, particularly on the 2 yard hail mary!

12 Days of Wolfpack Football (Day 10: Clemson 1998)

Under 100 hours to go.....only three days left.

And this one against Clemson was a tough call. It's hard to decide which win is greater. One that is a statement or one that is exciting. Certainly the 1986 win at home on CBS with Brent Musberger was a great one. 27-3 win in Dick Sheridan's first year. This in-game interview with Jim Valvano is an an absolute must watch 5 minutes for any combined Wolfpack football and basketball fan. That was certainly a great time in Wolfpack Sports.

And of course, the 2002 game in Death Valley may have been the all-time peak in the program. We were 8-0, #9 in the country going on the road for a Thursday Night ESPN against Clemson. There were doubters going on that night, but with an early Manny Lawson punt block for TD and then this TA McLendon 4th and 1 run that went for 31 yards and another score put the Pack put the doubters to bed early. Going up 15-0, and absolutely dismantling the Tigers, only giving up a late score on a kickoff return TD, but ultimately winning 38-6


But despite those two great ones, there is another that stands out as my favorite Clemson win of all time, and although pictures from the internet of this game is scarce, it was "one for the books".

The year was 1998. The Pack had already beaten #2 Florida State and #11 Syracuse earlier in the year, but the Pack still needed a big win to end their three year bowl drought. And so NC State went down to Death Valley. It was Torry Holt's day right from the start. He grabbed three catches in the first drive alone, but on a 4th and 1, Clemson got a stop and grabbed the early momentum. Clemson used that momentum, and later in the 1st quarter drove from midfield and took the first lead of the day on a Brandon Streeter 5 yard QB keeper. 7-0 Tigers.

Then on one of the stranger kickoffs you will see, future NFL star Brian Williams fumbled the ball off of future All-Pro true freshman Adrian Wilson right at the goal line. While still in the end zone, Williams grabbed the ball that was just over the line and took a knee in the end zone. Oops, can't really do that, and Clemson took the free two points on the safety to go up 9-0.

Clemson maintained that lead right on through the rest of the first quarter, and well into the second. But with 5:35 to go in the 2nd quarter with NC State on their own 15, Jamie Barnette and Torry Holt decided to take over. Barnette dropped back and heaved a long one over the middle that Torry caught in stride crossing midfield and raced to the corner of the end zone for an 85 yard TD and the lead was cut to 9-7.


That was just the wake up call that the Pack needed for this noon kick off. A couple of plays later, one of the "Rough Riders" (NC State's secondary, who was 2nd in the nation in interceptions) came up with another pick. This time Tony Scott with the interception and State was in scoring position again.


After a couple of runs, NC State had first and goal at the 4 yard line, and true freshman Ray Robinson ran it over the left side for a score and NC State now had the lead at 14-9.


With just 3:11 left in the half, Clemson hoped to drive and retake the lead, but instead a Clemson fumble on 2nd down gave NC State the ball in the red zone again. The Wolfpack, with a 2nd down and 1:15 to go....who you going to? Of course, Torry Holt with the bubble screen and he easily runs into the end zone on a 17 yard TD Pass from Jamie Barnette. The Pack now led 21-9 and took that lead to the locker room at half. Already in the first half, Jamie Barnette had set the all time passing career yardage mark for NC State and added to his all time TD mark. And it was a good thing because he was going to need every one of them in this contest.

As the 2nd half began, the Pack kept the heat on. On 2nd down for Clemson, another turnover. This time a fumble that was scooped up by Jason Perry and raced 36 yards for a TD. The rout was on, right? Not so fast my friends.

Clemson regrouped on the very next possession. 83 yards they marched down the field, eating almost 7 minutes off the clock in 14 plays, and on the last play, a 1 yard TD run plus a 2 point conversion on a shuffle pass cut the lead to 28-17.

A couple of traded punts worked out much better for Clemson as NC State now had the ball pinned at the 1, and Clemson's defensive coordinator Reggie Herring (who would be our defensive coordinator in 2004 when we got the Virginia Tech win mentioned two days ago...how about that little nugget) kept the pressure on the NC State offense, and NC State punted from their end zone, giving Clemson the ball on NC State's 39.

As the 4th quarter started, Clemson marched down the field and Brandon Streeter threw a 14 yard TD pass to cut the lead to 28-24, and the Tigers were on the prowl. No concern for the NC State offense this time. Barnette hit Holt three times in a five play drive that covered 78 yards. The last one, a 41 yarder for a TD that gave Holt his 3rd TD of the day.


Surely this 35-24 lead with 11:44 to play would be enough. Not even close. It looked like the defense had left the building on this warm October day. Clemson with a five play drive of their own gained 84 yards, with the highlight a 52 yard TD pass from Streeter (who would set a school record of his own this day). This time though, the 2 point conversion failed, and the score now sat at 35-30. After the kickoff, Clemson got NC State into 3rd down and a key dropped pass by Ray Robinson, forced a punt. Clemson now had the ball on NC State's 44 with 7:29 to play. Streeter is on fire now, and in 3 plays, Streeter with a 25 yard TD pass to take the lead. But another failed 2 point conversion left the game at 36-35.

6:19 to play now, and Jamie Barnette was going to have to lead his troops back on top.

He was ready, and on first down, a 51 yard pass to Ryan Hamrick who made one of the best one handed catches you'll even see on the dead run. It wasn't enough for a TD, but it was enough to pick up a field goal, and NC State now led 38-36 with 3:40 to play. One more stop needed for a Wolfpack victory. But the special teams gave up a 45 yard return, and Clemson had the ball on their own 47.....3rd and 3...3:09 to play....gotta get a stop. Bubble screen for 18 yards, and Clemson is on the edge of field goal range. Clemson gets conservative and forces NC State to use up all of our timeouts. 2:19 to play. 40 yard field goal attempt. The snap...it's up....Good. Clemson leads 39-38.

One last chance. A touchback on the kickoff, and 80 yards between us and the end zone. The crowd was roaring. Can Barnette do it again? First down, bubble screen to Holt for 9. The clock is ticking....1:43 to go....Barnette back to pass again. Slant to Hamrick...complete, up the seam for 23, and we are at the Clemson 48 (with a walk-on kicker waiting on the sidelines with a "long" range of 39 yards)...Barnette drops back...scrambles right, hits Chris Coleman between two defenders and he gets pushed out at the 22....1:17 to go...Handoff to Ray Robinson, he breaks a tackle and gains 4 yards...clock ticking, down to 52 seconds...Barnette to Holt, bubble screen to the left, 9 yards and a first down to the Clemson 9. Time out Clemson with 42 seconds to go, First and Goal!

Barnette drops back....


....to Holt....



TOUCHDOWN WOLFPACK!!!!!......throw in a 2 point conversion and it's 46-39. One final interception by Lloyd Harrison, and it's a ball game. NC STATE WINS!

Torry Holt with 11 receptions for 225 yards and 4 TDs. Truly one of the greatest!


Today's honorable mention:
1986 NC State over Clemson 27-3
2002 NC State over Clemson 38-6

Up Next:
Thursday: UNC
Friday: Florida State

12 Days of Wolfpack Football (Day 9: Boston College 2006)

Start getting the tailgate menu organized, we are just four days away! And only four days left of the 12 days of Wolfpack Football!

Today's entry is against Boston College and brings us back to 2006. A game for the ages. Daniel vs Goliath. Maybe not exactly Goliath, but the QB comparison could not be more different. Matt Ryan, a junior at BC had won his last eight starts for the Eagles, and would go on to be a first round draft pick, an NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year and a 2011 Pro Bowler. Daniel Evans on the other hand was an unheralded legacy QB recruit that picked up an NC State offer on signing day when one of the Wolfpack targets went elsewhere.

In retrospect, it seems even more amazing now that Evans would help the Pack win in his first career start over Ryan and the Eagles. But it was really the NC State defense that kept the game in check for 59 minutes before Evans could deliver the magic.

The Pack was 1-2 going against the 20th ranked, 3-0, seven point favorite BC Eagles. The game started ominously for the Pack as BC took the opening drive 83 yards for a score, capped off by a 22 yard Matt Ryan TD pass.


But there was a silver lining, just five minutes into the game. The extra point was missed, and it would prove vital. Eagles 6, Pack 0. NC State's first drive on offense didn't look too good either. The 3 and out went for just 1 total yard, and BC had the ball again. But it was here that State began to gain some traction. A 3 and out for BC gave State the ball back, and this time they did something with it. A 49 yard Andre Brown run followed by a 22 yarder by Toney Baker gave NC State a first and goal. We didn't punch it in, but the field goal by Deraney cut the lead to 6-3.

The teams exchanged punts to close out the 1st quarter, and early in the 2nd, BC was on the move again. They marched 71 yards into the red zone, but a big Demario Pressley sack on third down forced a field goal try, and the lead was now 9-3. The rest of the 2nd quarter moved quickly, with four punts exchanged, and neither team crossing midfield with the ball, so this Saturday night ESPN2 game went to halftime with the score BC 9, NC State 3.

Nothing doing on NC State's first drive of the 3rd, but the NC State defense again held it's own against a BC team averaging 32+ points on the season with another stop. This time NC State capitalized on good field position, and moved the ball down to the BC 26, where on second and ten, Andre Brown plowed through the BC defense, and NC State took it's first lead of the game at 10-9.


On the ensuing kickoff, a 36 yard kickoff return proved costly in this field position battle. Although BC didn't gain a first down, their punt pinned State at the 2, and Deraney's ensuing punt from the end zone gave BC the ball at the 46. But State's defense stood tall. This time on a pass to the end zone, Jimmie Sutton came up with the pick and the lead stayed intact.


Still the Pack offense struggled and a 0 yard possession gave BC the ball back around midfield again as the 4th quarter started. This time, BC wasn't denied as they marched 49 yards for the go ahead score. However, with the score 15-10 in this low scoring affair, BC had to go for 2, and they tried, but failed, so the score held at 15-10.

NC State drove to the 50 on the next possession, but had to punt, and from here BC grinded out a 5 and a half minute drive, and the Pack got the ball back on their own 20, with only 4:30 to play. With only 1 timeout left, this looked like the last chance, and an 8 yard pass pulled State to a 3rd and 2, but the 3rd down pass was incomplete, and the 4th down pass was picked off at the 35, sending a few Pack fans to the exits with 3:08 to play.

On the next possession, the clock started to tick before first down (as it did in 2006) and 1st down went for no gain. Then came the second down play that was the first in a series of miracle/turning points. This being the one that noone really remembers or even noticed. Callendar with a run around the left side and with a hard charge towards the sidelines he would have gotten the first down, and this puppy would have been over. But because he didn't want to go out of bounds he essentially gave himself up to stay in bounds and only gained 9 yards. NC State called timeout with 1:37 to play, and a 3rd and 1 coming up.

On third down there was a fumbled snap that Ryan fell on and now it was 4th and 1. The clock ticked under a minute, and on the 27 BC elected to go for it instead of trying a risky field goal. It was the right call, especially with their kicking woes, but the handoff to Toal was STOPPED! NC State ball with 46 seconds to play!

No timeouts and 73 yards to go. And it was only made worse by the fact that our offense had to run on the field and snap it was quickly as possible. The crazy 2006 time rules started the clock on change of possession after ready for play, so we lost about 4 seconds before the first snap. After an incompletion, 2nd down with to Anthony Hill for 18 yards.


But Hill couldn't get out of bounds, so quickly to the line we went. An incompletion, and then a 20 yarder to Dunlap along the State sidelines. Now we had the ball on the 34. Just 16 seconds left. Then, Evans drops back to pass, he pumps, eludes the pressure, shuffles left, sees Dunlap in the right corner and heaves it towards the end zone......










CAUGHT! TOUCHDOWN! TOUCHDOWN! CARTER-FINLEY EXPLODES!

8 seconds to play and NC State has the lead! We tack on the extra point, and after the kickoff runs off the 8 seconds, we have the victory 17-15!

More youtube highlights of the game from ESPN

Today's honorable mention:
2010 NC State 44 Boston College 17

Up next:
Wednesday: Clemson
Thursday: UNC
Friday: Florida State

Also of note, a big thanks to accfootballphotos dot com for many of the pictures in this thread. Gene Galin's pictures are really the best in the business.

12 Days of Wolfpack Football (Day 8: Virginia Tech 2004)

Game Week!  Just five days to go.

And today's recap is Virginia Tech, and it was a pretty easy choice.  We've only played VT 9 times since 1964, winning just two of them.  This one brings us back to 2004.  Our first game against Virginia Tech as a conference game in the ACC.

It was a September day in Blacksburg.  The Hokies were 2-1, with their only loss to eventually national champion USC.  We were 1-1 with our only loss to Ohio State.  Tech was a nine point favorite, but this one was going to be much closer than that.

Right from the start, you knew it was going to be about defense.  The Pack was coming off a loss to Ohio State where we had only given up 137 yard total.  Still, the Pack offense got things started on the right foot.  After the opening kickoff, State  marched into Virginia Tech territory, and even though the drive stalled, John Deraney came on for a 53 yard field goal and a 3-0 lead.




On the Hokies first possession, the Pack defense showed it's might.  Two plays for negative yards, and VT ended up punting after a negative 7 yard possession.  But on the next possession, a Jay Davis interception set the Hokies up with great field position.  This time they drove to the Wolfpack 9, but a Brandon Pace missed field goal left the score 3-0, and foreshadowed what was to come.

On the next possession, Marcus Stone took a turn, but fumbled on the four play of the drive, and Tech was in business again.  This time they completed the drive, going 36 yards for a touchdown, capped off by Bryan Randall 4 yard touchdown pass.  7-3 Virginia Tech early in the 2nd quarter.

Another Wolfpack drive went nowhere, and after a 58 yard punt return by Eddie Royal, Lane Stadium was rocking.  But that return only got the Hokies to the 15, and the Pack defense held again.  This time Pace got it through the uprights and it was now 10-3 Hokies.


The Pack went nowhere again, and a Deraney punt into the end zone, gave the Hokies first and ten on the 20.  It was here that the defense started to take over.  A first down sack of 10 yards by Manny Lawson, and a second down sack of 8, left the Hokies with 3rd and 28.  A run up the middle lost another yard, and Tech had to punt from the 1. 



The 43 yard punt was returned 10 yards, and NC State was set up on the Tech 34.  No messing around with passing on this drive.  The six play drive consisted of one QB draw and five handoffs to TA McLendon.  The last play of the drive was a 6 yard TD run by TA, and the game was back even at 10-10



With only 1:14 left in the half, Virginia Tech ran out the clock and the halftime score was 10-10.

The third quarter was defense, defense, defense.  Tech's first two drives went for negative four and negative five yards.  The Pack sprinkled in one first down, but it was the Hokie's third drive the turned the game.  A Mario Williams sack on 3rd down had Tech punting from their own 16.  The punter fumbled the snap, and the Pack smothered him at the five.  First and Goal NC State!



This time Marcus Stone did the honors, sneaking in on 3rd and goal at the 1, and putting NC State up 17-10 with 4:31 to play.  On the next drive, more of the same.  First down, sack by Autry-Lindsay.  Second down sack by Autry-Lindsay.



It was at this point in the game with 2:52 left to go in the 3rd quarter that Virginia Tech had a combined six yards in total offense for the game. SIX!  On 3rd and 32, Tech did manage a 25 yard screen pass to get off the goal line and quadruple their game's offensive output, but the following punt gave NC State the ball where they would close out the third quarter.

Early in the 4th, Tech had the ball and a big 41 yard run by Mike Imoh seemed to turn the tide.  The Hokies penetrated the red zone, but another Manny Lawson sack kept VT out of the end zone, and a Pace field goal make it 17-13.  With Lane Stadium rocking again, Tech got the stop that they needed, and with 10:10 to play started another march down the field.  Passes to Eddie Royal of 15 and 32 yards got the Hokies in field goal position again and Brandon Pace cut the lead to 17-16 with just 8:10 to play.

The Pack stalled again, but the next Tech possession was stalled by another Wolfpack sack.  NC State would get 10 sacks on the day.  The most ever against Virginia Tech at that point in history (and probably still).  The Hokies punted and NC State had the ball with 3:55 to play and a chance to run out the clock.

Nothing doing on this possession again.  But at least State made the Hokies use all three timeouts, and Virginia Tech got the ball on their own five yard line with 2:44 to play.  The Pack forced a 4th and 3 on Tech's 36 with about 1:30 to play, but Bryan Randall kept VT alive with a 7 yard pass play.  Two plays later, NC State with another big sack by Manny Lawson.  Now it was 3rd and 18 with 42 seconds left.  But Randall completed a 38 yarder to put the Hokies in field goal range on the 26 with 35 seconds to play.  No timeouts for the Hokies, so on first down, they rushed it up the middle for 2 yards, but left it on the left hash.  With the clock ticking, Randall spiked it with 3 seconds to play.  17-16, Pace on for the 43 yard attempt.  The snap is clean, the kick....



WIDE RIGHT! WIDE RIGHT! GAME OVER PACK WINS 17-16!



Youtube highlights...all Hokie highlights, but the final play is included

Today's honorable mention:
1991 NC State over Virginia Tech 7-0

Up next this week:
Tuesday: Boston College
Wednesday: Clemson
Thursday: UNC
Friday: Florida State

12 Days of Wolfpack Football (Day 7: Miami 2008)

SIX MORE DAYS TIL KICKOFF!

The year was 2008. Last game of the season, but to set the stage for this one, you had to go back a year. Last year, the Pack entered the final game with a chance to get bowl eligible, and they totally laid an egg. Now this year, after a 2-6 start, State had rebounded with three straight over in-state opponents including a 41-10 thrashing of UNC. Now at 5-6, the only thing standing between the Pack and the postseason was 7-4 Miami.

The crowd was cold, but electric as the game started. It couldn't have started any more perfectly for the Pack. A quick 3 and out by Miami, gave NC State the ball after a 61 yard punt on the 4 yard line. First play from scrimmage, Senior Andre Brown showed he wasn't going to be denied on this day. A 15 yard run by Brown carrying tacklers got the ball out of harm's way, and started a 96 yard drive that culminated in a 2 yard pass from Russell Wilson to Brown for the TD. 7-0 Pack!


Another defensive stop by the Pack and the momentum was clearly with the Red & White. But Miami followed with a stop of their own, and on their first play of the next drive, Robert Marve threw a 69 yard TD pass and suddenly we had a ball game. That play seemed to stun the Pack, and on the next drive a halfback pass by Andre Brown was intercepted, which this time led to a long Miami drive that resulted in another TD early in the 2nd quarter, and now Miami led 14-7.

But all it took to get the momentum back was a little Russell Wilson magic. NC State took the ball at the 36 and marched all the way to the Miami 13. However, on first down a bad snap rolled all the way back to the 29, and NC State was looking at 2nd and very long. On the snap, no one was opened, so Russell scrambled to his right, avoided the sack, cut up field, the started to cross the field, angled to the corner of the end zone, picked up a Spencer block, and he was in for the score. It was simply a thing of beauty!


On the next drive, Miami drove into Wolfpack territory, and picked up a first down into the red zone, but on the next pass, Bobby Floyd got the deflection and DeAndre Morgan got the pick to keep it tied at 14.


As the 2nd quarter was winding down, NC State embarked on another long drive, and this time Josh Czajkowski hit a 39 yard field goal and NC State led 17-14 going into halftime.

State had the ball to start the second half and they drove it down the field again, this time with some big plays by Jamelle Eugene. The Pack got all the way to the 3, but ultimately had to settle for another field goal. 20-14 State.


Miami had an answer of their own driving for 64 yards and a TD which put them up 21-20, and put some uneasiness back in the crowd. But it was just meant to be the Pack's day. On the next drive, a 42 yard pass to TJ Graham, was followed up with a 32 yard TD to Owen Spencer and the Pack was back on top. Throw in a 2 point conversion to Eugene, and it was 28-21.


As the 4th quarter began, NC State's ground game continued to pound away at the Miami defense, and with another long drive, the Pack picked up another field goal, and led 31-21 with just 8:57 to play. Miami tried to cut the Pack lead, but with 5:23 Nate Irving came up with the back breaker. An interception of Jacory Harris that was returned 40 yards deep into Miami territory that pretty much sealed the deal. On the next possession, the Pack went with Senior Andre Brown on five straight plays, and he delivered with a 4 yard TD run that was icing on the cake (youtube clip) NC State now led 38-21 with only 2:35 to play.

A late Miami touchdown and offside kick recover with 43 seconds to play kept the suspense going for a few more minutes, but a Jeremy Gray interception officially sealed the deal. As a final tribute, senior Daniel Evans, who had a few spectacular wins of his own in his career, got to take the final kneeldown and the Pack was going bowling! The only business left was to track down Coach O'Brien with the Gatorade bucket.






Game Highlights from youtube here

Today's honorable mention:
2007 NC State over Miami 19-16

Up next tomorrow: Virginia Tech

12 Days of Wolfpack Football (Day 6: Maryland 2005)

One week to go til kick!  Today's entry takes us back to 2005.  NC State and Maryland were on the rise early in the decade, but both didn't go bowling in 2004, and now on November 26th, 2005, both teams had a 5-5 record.  The winner goes bowling, the loser calls it a season.  Winner take all.  Or as I liked to call it, "winner take bowl".

High noon...


The crowd was roaring and it was a defensive struggle right from the start. The Pack held and the Terps did the same to start the game, but on NC State's first punt, it was muffed by Maryland, and Marcus Hudson picked up the fumble.



Already in Maryland territory, the Pack didn't move the ball much, but just enough for Deraney to knock in a 38 yarder and put the Pack up 3-0. A long Maryland drive ate up much of the first quarter, but it resulted in a missed field goal. Meanwhile the Pack offense was sputtering big time. A couple of 3 and outs later, NC State was punting from the 6, giving up great field position. Maryland quickly marched 39 yards for the go ahead touchdown on a one yard run from Lance Ball. 7-3 Terps.

Another 3 and out for State, this time for negative 2 yards, and Maryland was taking the momentum. On the ensuing possession, Maryland was driving again, this time down to the 26, but State held, and Maryland missed another field goal with 1:09 to play. Down 7-3, the Wolfpack was content to run out the clock and go into halftime. The quick moving first half saw Marcus Stone only go 1 of 5 in the passing game, and overall the Wolfpack only gained 39 yards in the entire half.

But this Senior Day wasn't going to be won on the offensive side of the ball. It was going to be won with defense! Senior Marcus Hudson, and Mario Williams who as it turned out was also playing his last game in Carter Finley were about to take over.

On NC State's first possession of the second half, they got the momentum going with a couple of first downs and after a punt had pinned Maryland deep. On 3rd down, Tank Tyler picks up a big sack, leaving Maryland on the 6.



Maryland's punt left NC State on the Terp 49 and it was there that Andre Brown and Toney Baker went to work. Sharing the load, State marched right down the field to earn a first and goal at the 2. Maryland held for three straight plays, but Toney Baker was not to be denied. On 4th down, he plowed in from one yard out and NC State now led 10-7.



The teams traded punts to reach the end of the 3rd quarter, setting the stage for a nerve racking final 15 minutes. With 11:18 to go a long Marcus Stone pass was intercepted, but it may have been a blessing in disguise as it pinned Maryland on their own 11. On first down, Mario Williams starts it off with the sack.



Two plays later, Mario with the pressure again, this time forcing an underthrow. Marcus Hudson steps in front, wrestles the ball away and has nothing but green grass ahead.



28 yards later Marcus had taken it to the house and the Pack was up 17-7. Under 10 minutes to play and Maryland with the ball. 1st down, a 4 yard loss. 2nd down, another sack by Super Mario. Fumble Maryland, and NC State got it.





Maryland held to 4 yards on the next possession, but it was still enough for a John Deraney field goal and the lead grew to 20-7. Maryland now with 6:44 to play finally found their rhythm again. After a couple of first downs, a big Manny Lawson sack put the Terps in 4th and 16. But they converted with a 32 yard pass to JJ Walker. Four plays later, a 15 yard TD pass to Vernon Davis closed the gap to 20-14 and the game was still in doubt.

With 4:21 to play, two Toney Baker runs left the Pack with 3rd and 1. This time Marcus Stone on the keeper for the big first down. Maryland, who was down to 1 timeout just had to let the clock tick. Two more Baker runs, and Maryland uses their last timeout. 1:49 to go. On 3rd and 8, Baker only picks up 5 and Deraney is called on for one last punt. He gets it off cleanly and Maryland only has 39 seconds left for a 75 yard miracle drive. Marcus Hudson has other plans. On first down, Hudson comes up with the pick. His forced turnover of the day. And the Wolfpack finished Senior Day in style, with a big 20-14 win, and earning a trip to a New Year's Eve Bowl in Charlotte!

Youtube highlights: HERE and HERE

Today's Honarable Mention:
1994 NC State over Maryland 47-45

Up next tomorrow: Miami