NCSU ends BS of ECU in BCS w/ W in OT

'08 Football101

Pack wins in OT by a score of 30-24.

Joe Giglio of the N&O’s ACCNow did a masterful job of gradually adjusting his entries during the game to be the first with a comprehensive blog entry that can be seen here.

Andre Brown’s 10-yard touchdown run in overtime capped the Wolfpack’s comeback and charged life into a program in need of hope after a poor start to the season.

We echo Noah’s comments from below:

Fantastic win. Great game plan, great adjustments by the staff and great execution by the few players left. They kept us in it and kept us in it and in the end, we made fewer mistakes than they did.

No coaching staff is perfect, but today is a great example of the best of O’Brien and his crew. Manage the game, string it out and be in it at the end. It’s not always spectacular, but I will take it all day long.

* Tom O’Brien is now 2-0 vs ECU and Skip Holtz.

* NC State is now 16-10 all-time against East Carolina and has won 3 of the last 4 meetings between the two programs.

* TOB is a combined 3-0 vs ECU and UNC.

* We hope that Chancellor Oblinger and the Board of Trustees have forced Lee Fowler to exit the comfort of his air conditioned luxury suite and be among the masses of fans so that he will have to experience the kind of language and abusive behavior from pissed off ECU fans that the rest of the Wolfpack faithful is having to handle on the walk back to their cars. Since he is the one who wants to play this game so much he should be forced to experience it like the rest of us.

* Russell Wilson! Russell Wilson! Russell Wilson! Russell Wilson!

* We blogged about how well the offensive line played in the entries just before this one. But, we must take a moment to also personally mention the incredible play of George Bryan.

* Coach O’Brien is putting together quite a record of memories in big games at Carter-Finley against rival programs. Last year’s win over UNC-CH and this year’s against ECU are definitely two of the most exciting games played in Carter-Finley’s history.

More to come!!

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'08 Football

101 Responses to NCSU ends BS of ECU in BCS w/ W in OT

  1. CStanley 09/20/2008 at 9:50 PM #

    Wow. LSU, Good God.

  2. tcthdi-tgsf-twhwtnc 09/20/2008 at 9:53 PM #

    ^^

    CStanley- I did hear that but thought I was hearing things. I thought Evans recovered well but I was thinking he did say that because he kind of rambled for a few seconds.

  3. ChiefJoJo 09/20/2008 at 11:50 PM #

    Weighing in here after a few days away from the blog…

    – I am amazed that our staff was able to patch together a group of guys and pull this out. Noah’s comment is so true. Most of the country watching the highlights on ESPN has no idea how young, beat up and depleted we are right now. Our guys just stayed close, fought through it and made just enough big plays to win. Folks, this is why we hired Tom O’Brien & Co. They have proven themselves today.

    – We now have a QB folks. 21-31 210yds 3TDs *ZERO* INTs. Will all of the Beck supporters (that means you folks in the Wilson ‘zero mistakes’ post) please be quiet now?

    – I had not realized it until Statefans posted it earlier how quickly our defense began to break when Irving came out of the lineup. In the game, there was a noticeable change in our ability to stop the run. ECU gashed us several times in the 2nd half. He is our best player right now, and we desperately need him in there. (Our DB tackling is horrible BTW)

    – The scary thing is while we we giving up big plays, our offense actually (dare I say) caught fire. If Nate is out an extended period, we are going to need another performance like this just to keep it close vs USF, etc.

    – George Bryan is a playmaker. For a freshman, he really plays poised. I cannot recall him a dropping a ball.

    – So good to see Eugene back in there today. He looked good and added that quick burst, hard-nosed running, and ability to catch and run out of the backfield. If he and Andre can stay healthy, we will have a great combination. And what can you say about Andre Brown? He was the man today… physical, down hill, well-earned, between the tackles running, and a few nice catches too (1 TD), and of course the winning TD! Game ball!

    – I was at the game today… fun atmosphere, no problems from the stands or west parking lots to report, before or after.

    OTHER GAMES:

    – OMG, FSU’s offense and discipline is as bad as ever. Horrible. I was LMAO through the whole thing. Train wreck. What did they have 7 TOs and 14 penalties for 150 yds??? Unreal. We might even beat them. Same old story. I don’t think it will ever change until they change coaches, but ironically, if FSU keeps stinking it up this bad, ole Jimbo might not get the job.

    – LSU has defeated 6 straight top-10 opponents? Did I read that right? WOW. I didn’t think Miles could surpass Saban, but he has. Don’t give the title to USC just yet. UF and UGA looked strong too. The SEC is sooooo much better than the other conferences right now.

  4. ChiefJoJo 09/20/2008 at 11:54 PM #

    Oh yeah, I forgot the big uglies on the OL! Best performance of the young season fellas. Way to go!

  5. Ismael 09/21/2008 at 2:09 AM #

    today was a rare day, i actually watched alot of football. I saw us get a great win, i saw UNC-CH get beat, FSU looked like Free-Shoes U again, Wake looked pretty stupid too, i was surprised. Georgia is not #3, LSU AND Auburn should probably be ranked in the top 5 regardless of the fact that LSU won. Missouri is still thrashing the college of the deaf and blind which will hurt them when they actually play someone.

    UNC-CH-VT: I saw the game in HD so it was nice. There was one play towards the end when UNC (who had something like 10-12 penalites today) had a personal foul penalty near VT’s sideline. There was some Afican-American coach/assistant who went on a guiness book of world records F-Bomb tirade against some Carolina player, more of the “F-you and F-you again” type (i could actually read his lips).

    On UNC’CH’s last two drives, they GAVE UP!! NO HEART. That last controversial call, i wish they had given it to UNC-CH just so they couldn’t say they got shafted, but now im happy that they think they got shafted, knowing they will go to bed and wake up knowing they got shafted. However, the real blown call was the play before, when Paulus (who had a dookie stain when he first went out) intentionally grounded the ball in the End Zone. It should have been 2points and VT’s ball of course. The announcers were livid the refs missed that call. I can’t stand Greg Little and i’ve never met him. I actually think he is a little poisonous to the UNC team, he’s very self-centered in his comments and his antics, so i hope he stays around for 5 years.

    Everyone thought UNC was back when the beat Rutgers??? Rutgers got beat by NAVY!!!! How the mighty have fallen.

    For all the people who couldn’t see that our Offense was progressing even in the losses, you should seriously consider that you either don’t know as much about football as you think you do, or you come on public blogs and post some overly emotional stuff that should best be kept to yourself. I didn’t wanna say it, but inside, i actually thought this was how the game was gonna turn out today. It might have been even more lopsided had Beck never seen the field, God only knows.

  6. wolfonthehill 09/21/2008 at 3:11 AM #

    The ability of the Pack to overcome yet another devastating injury AND some completely one-sided officiating (personal foul on Eugene for exactly WHAT?, offensive interference and/or holding on damn near every throw into the flats by ECTC) is nothing short of amazing.

    Huge, potentially corner-turning win. We needed confidence, particularly in our ability to put points on the board. Now we’ve got it.

  7. wolfonthehill 09/21/2008 at 3:13 AM #

    And those calls overlook the obvious one, where two of three officials call Bryan’s touchdown incomplete the first time around. Thank God for instant replay, but that call is inexcusable.

  8. Astral Rain 09/21/2008 at 3:47 AM #

    Seeing those other ACC teams in action make me think State could end up 4-4 or 5-3 in conference potentially.

  9. Packaholic1 09/21/2008 at 5:52 AM #

    Great win Pack! Got a lot of good play on Sportscenter, etc.

    FSU’s offense looked really bad. I don’t know about this Jimbo Fisher choice.

  10. Lunatic Fringe 09/21/2008 at 7:44 AM #

    I am not sure if anyone saw this on Deadspin:

    “Full credit to the NC State Wolfpack fans, who got a simultaneous, cross stadium, two-tone bull-$h#t chant going after a poor call (later reversed.) It broke new ground in the mass profanity department. — Yostal”

    See – we do not need coreographed chants, songs, and the like… 🙂

    I love how the Apache dance is still alive an well at Carter-Finley.

  11. OwenDorm83 09/21/2008 at 8:08 AM #

    Is that the best game from a QB since Philip Rivers wore the uniform?

    …only if it is sustained. Daniel had a couple big games in a row, then went flat. So, good game to RW & keep it up, but let’s not ordain him as the next coming just yet.

  12. wufpup76 09/21/2008 at 8:35 AM #

    “Is that the best game from a QB since Philip Rivers wore the uniform?’

    I think so … ^Owen makes a good point, but I believe Russell is the real deal … He’s got a laser arm and almost always makes the correct decision w/ the ball … I’m stoked

  13. Wolf Dog 09/21/2008 at 8:37 AM #

    I agree that was the best quarterback play I’ve witnessed since Rivers left. I am very proud of Andre Brown. He ran hard and looked good. I am very happy for him.

  14. choppack1 09/21/2008 at 9:28 AM #

    A couple of thoughts:
    1) Wilson was incredible yesterday. The coaches have always liked his leadership – and I thought he displayed it at a key moment yesterday before the TD that put the game into OT. We had just gotten a penalty on the inch line to push us back – and chaos seemed to rain, there’s #16 telling his teams it’s OK – providing confident body language. We score 2 plays later.

    2) 2 4th quarter goal line stands by our D kept us in the game and allowed the tie. Remember, the D only gave up 17 points today. Bending, not breaking.

    3) Thank God for instant replay. 2 key calls initially went against NC State – and would have been huge shifts in momentum and HAD TO BE OVERTURNED ON INSTANT REPLAY. (Strange that both of those went against NC State.)

    4) Beck showed why he wasn’t initially considered for the starting job. Loads of talent and some heart, but just too unreliable.

    5) While today’s the first time Wilson has put up decent passing #s, he only has 1 INT in 9 quarters of football.

    6) Coaching staff finally opened up the playbook for Wilson a bit. I thought a key moment was when we went long 2 plays in a row. This backed those safeties off a little bit and opened up the middle of the field some.

    7) Great job TOB and team. TOB is now 3-0 vs. ECU and UNC.

  15. Greywolf 09/21/2008 at 10:21 AM #

    OwenDorm83
    Sep 21st, 2008 at 8:08 am
    “‘Is that the best game from a QB since Philip Rivers wore the uniform?’

    …only if it is sustained. Daniel had a couple big games in a row, then went flat. So, good game to RW & keep it up, but let’s not ordain him as the next coming just yet.'”

    Sorry Owen, but sustainability has nothing to do with whether or not the game itself was the best since PR.

    Ismael says it best in his post above: For all the people who couldn’t see that our Offense was progressing even in the losses, you should seriously consider that you either don’t know as much about football as you think you do, or you come on public blogs and post some overly emotional stuff that should best be kept to yourself.

    WTF? Gotta come on a State Fans blog/message board and piss on a good Wolfpack day? What is the point?

    For the football-knowledge disadvantaged, RW is demonstrating superior mental toughness, superior will to get it done, and superior leadership qualities, not just as compared to our team but around the league as well. (See the UNX N&O write-up for how their highly recruited Red-shirt QB did Saturday when he had to come in and replace the starter. It ain’t pretty, but is so heart-warming.)

    How many RF QBs are jazzing up Sr. running backs like Wilson did Andre “what-can-BROWN-do-for-you” when we took over in OT? Did Wilson personify the “TRUST” motto on his wrist band when he went to Jarvis Williams for a TD toss after Jarvis dropped a bomb that hit him in a bad place, his hands? Wilson is so much more to this team than his running ability – 26 yds on 13 carries – the football-knowledge disadvantaged are yaking about. You can’t find stats that measure Phillip “folk hero” Rivers’ heart and you won’t find stats that measure what Russell “the best since Phillip Rivers” Wilson means to this team for years to come either. I’ve said it before in another thread, Mike Glennon may not start here until he’s a senior. No doubt he will be nurtured and and played significant minutes in the future. Russell Wilson will be very hard to be dislodged as the leader of the Pack.

    So to the the football-knowledge disadvantaged, please spare us another demonstration of your status when RW throws another interception. It’s better to be silent and have people think you might not know what you are talking about than to post something and people KNOW you are clueless.

  16. burnbarn 09/21/2008 at 10:50 AM #

    1)What did you think about Holtz’s comment about ‘pretty good for guys not good enough to play in the ACC’?

    I like Holtz, but he played to that chip on their shoulder. Were we predicted to be last in the ACC this year?

    2) Did I hear a player get booed in Chapel Hill yesterday?

  17. Mark_Wolfpacker 09/21/2008 at 11:42 AM #

    Did anyone happen to capture the image of the ECU player making the wolf symbol with both hands as he ran on the field? I’m up to my neck in loud mouth Pirate fans here in Greenville and would love to use that image as my computer desktop background.

    Russell looked great. To me, he looked much better than ECU’s senior quarterback Pinkney.

  18. choppack1 09/21/2008 at 12:50 PM #

    Pinkney looked good – and RW can learn some things from him – like how to quickly accelerate on a run, but Russell managed the game very well.

    One quick note – my wife is an ECU grad, I can’t tell you how disappointed I was to find the ECU flag on the passenger side of the door broken. Of course, yours truly had placed his pack flag in the dashboard knowing how IDIOTS AND PUNKS can behave. So, we can’t throw too many stones when have “fans” of our own that do that.

  19. VaWolf82 09/21/2008 at 3:18 PM #

    Here’s a nice shot from Gene Galin of the winning TD run. The one ECU fan that I know will be receiving this in his Monday morning e-mail.

    http://accfootballphotos.com/2008/acc80920ncsuecu/image075.html

  20. CannonballJunior 09/21/2008 at 6:37 PM #

    Sweet, sweet cfb weekend – Pack takes down a hyped #15 ezu and then the VERY overhyped heels crumble on their home field against a decent VT squad.

    Choppack, you are so right about the instant replay – played a huge role in this game – getting 2 awful & key calls straightened out.

    Next week vs a undoubtedly inspired USF will be a tough one. Hopefully we can be just as inspired and play over our heads some to pull out a victory. BC & FSU are looking like winnable games.

  21. Ismael 09/21/2008 at 11:37 PM #

    anyone have handy the quotes of Mike Paulus when he said something about how his recruiting class was so special and something…it was a pretty cocky quote coming from a high school pipsqueak (I don’t care if he was a 4* QB from some little parochial school in syracuse (its actually about an hour from where i live now).

    Mark_Wolfpacker: if you can find the game on like a torrent or you can see it on ESPN360, you could do a screen capture and get it.

    but i saw it, a bunchhh of ECU players, when they came into C-F were doing their fingers like the wolf symbol. Why do players do stupid crap like that?

  22. Greywolf 09/22/2008 at 8:18 AM #

    Loose ends:

    Skippy, if going for it was a good idea and you would do the same thing if you had it to do over again, why didn’t you do the same thing when you DID have the opportunity it over again on your next possession?

    Did TOB hold tryouts to find those kickers and punters who performed so admirably Saturday?

    Where did the new OL come from. The old one sucked.

  23. bigjohn 09/22/2008 at 9:06 AM #

    I was livid on the personal foul on Eugene. The #9 (I think) db for ECU came in at the end and kicked into the pile, and then the flag went up, I was screaming for them to throw him out of the game. Did anyone catch it on a recording? My seats are in the end and I don’t know what TV views showed.

    Just in case anyone is wondering, we have some sick fans, as well. I saw 3 grown men, at 3 different times, just taunting the hell out of a female ECU student as she walked back to the parking lot. She never said a word, but she did almost stick a middle finger up one of the guys nose.

  24. PackToTheFuture 09/22/2008 at 9:37 AM #

    I know ECU fans have a history but I didn’t see one ECU fan on Saturday taunting anyone, the people I saw were being respectful on both sides which is how it should be. We, State fans, have our own history and in all fairness we need to watch how we handle ourselves. I have seen our fans scream at 10 year old kids in the parking lot from the other team and I saw a UVA fan get his car keyed one year – that’s ridiculous.

    Great win on Saturday, I thought the team looked great and built off of our previous games well!

  25. ChiefJoJo 09/22/2008 at 12:03 PM #

    BTW, I didn’t mention how ecstatic I was to see the two goal line stands (especially the first) without our best player (Irving) and best DT (Cash). GL stands get me as fired up as any play in FB–love ’em! It reminded me of the 2002 season, where is seemed we had at least one every game (Thunder Dan, Jerrick Hall, Freddie A-L, etc).

    Those big uglies rarely get credit, but Holmes is one strong dude inside, and Burgess held up pretty well in Cash’s spot.

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