NC State 28, UNC 27 (Updated at 9:45am)

'09 Football67

With 16 scholarship players out and two more defensive starters hurt during the game, the Wolfpack looked like longer shots than the oddsmakers’ mere touchdown. – WSJ.com

The Houston Texans' Mario Williams shows his Wolfpack pride in a 'Tweet' on Saturday afternoon

The Houston Texans' Mario Williams shows his Wolfpack pride in a 'Tweet' on Saturday afternoon

ESPN2’s Todd McShay and Robert Smith had nice things to say about the Wolfpack and the win in their post-game comments…and, I appreciate them focusing on the winners today as opposed to the losers.

 

Our Message Forums some great commentary and the post game comments started flowing on page 9 of this thread.

Heather Dinich called this a great win for us.

NC State coach Tom O’Brien threw both of his hands in the air in celebration. He even added a fist pump and a smile.

That’s more emotion than O’Brien typically shows in an entire season, and it was a longtime coming.

After a disasterous, injury-laden season that was made even worse this past week by the news that NC State offensive coordinator Dana Bible was diagnosed with leukemia, NC State finally had something to celebrate with its 28-27 win over rival North Carolina. For the third straight year, the Pack got the upper hand in this rivalry. UNC lost its chance at a better bowl game, but NC State gained pride, bragging rights, and a sense of accomplishment in their final game of the regular season.

 

This is a good article from Brett Friedlander in Wilmington.

That’s the way it usually goes for State against the dreaded Tar Heels these days. No matter how bad the situation might look at the start, everything always seems to work out at the end.

In this case, a disappointing season full of injuries, lopsided losses and unfilled expectations ended in the best way possible as the Wolfpack rallied from an early 10-point deficit to beat UNC for the third straight year.

“I don’t know who scheduled this game last,” State coach Tom O’Brien said, referring to his initial opposition to moving the traditional rivalry to the end of the season. “But I’m kind of happy about it now.”

Happiness isn’t something that has abounded around the Wolfpack program for the past six months.

The downward slide began last summer when star linebacker Nate Irving apparently fell asleep behind the wheel and nearly killed himself in a one-car accident on Interstate 40. It continued with a deflating opening- night loss to South Carolina and a string of injuries that left more than a dozen players on the sideline with season-ending injuries.

Then came the defensive meltdown that led to six losses in seven games and ended whatever hopes State (5-7) had of making its second straight bowl trip.

But all that was forgotten Saturday, at least until the party on Hillsborough Street finally begins to wind down Sunday morning.

Love the melt down amongst Carolina’s fans.

heelatious23 who has been around long enough to have 4264 posts:

Absolutely true. Butch can talk all this national program BS he wants, but if he can’t take care of those sorry bastards in Rawlee, then 8-4 is the best we will ever do. Thanks for nothing Butch.

Another poster said:

What a perfect ending to an absolultely miserable, pathetic and embarrasing performance by the Heels. I can’t wait to hear how BD explains this in his post game. He should just say we were terrible, I coached a terrible game, John Shoop is fired and I’m going to do everything in my power to fix the schedule so we never have to play State again because they own us and as long as I’m coaching I will never be able to beat TOB because he has the best program in the state and proves it every year. PS I’m sorry to all the Tar Heel fans for the embarrasment I have caused you and when we get back to Chapel Hill everybody is going to run wind sprints until they need to be hospitalized including our coaching staff!!

KingofTarHeels05:

I am going to love to hear what Butch Davis says about this game, as we were winning up until the 4th quarter. We had bad play on defense compared to how they were all season long. TJ was lights out in the first half but it is pretty fitting he throws a pick to end the game. I literally was saying, anything but throw a pick, anything but throw a pick. This loss hurts more than any of the others this year. TOB owns Butch Davis, and another year we have to hear about it.

Another poster with over 1,500 posts said:

UNC fans deserve 2+M worth of answers. This was embarrassing to watch. Don’t call Yates any direct names…on my other sign-on, the mod police banned me for calling Yates a name that began with an M, ending with an N and has five letters.

Others of interest…

If somebody comes after Butch, let his *** go! What a waste

Coach, you better figure out this freaking game! And if you can’t get a better QB than Yates, then you will never do anything at UNC. 8-4 sucks.

If things don’t change then you’ll be saying this same thing for the next five years. This team needs some changes to the staff plain and simple.

Holy crap! on Twitpic (Click for clearer image)

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'09 Football

67 Responses to NC State 28, UNC 27 (Updated at 9:45am)

  1. Wulfpack 11/28/2009 at 8:13 PM #

    As bad as our defense was all year, they got it together in the second half. You have to give those boys credit. They came up huge and RW finished the Heels off. Congratulations.

  2. buttPACKer 11/28/2009 at 8:40 PM #

    great game guys, and i hate i missed it (esp. the 2nd half)!

  3. packgrad94 11/28/2009 at 8:50 PM #

    Maybe I missed the reason, but anyone know why Glennon was in street clothes today?

  4. PackerInRussia 11/28/2009 at 8:52 PM #

    ^ Clavicle Injury.

  5. ncsufan13 11/28/2009 at 8:53 PM #

    ^ He Broke his clavicle either during the VT game or during practice this week.

  6. newt 11/28/2009 at 9:07 PM #

    I was at the game today and really enjoyed the UNC players’ hissy fits after we intercepted Yates’ final pass, which resulted in unsportmanship flags all over the field. Class-y. I hope their actions got some play on TV.

  7. waxhaw 11/28/2009 at 9:10 PM #

    Beating UNC-CH never gets old.

    Butch’s recruits are a classless bunch of thugs and they showed it during the game and after the game.

    Toney Baker is a wrecking ball.

    Draining the clock when they know you are running is a sweet thing.

    Lastly (forgot who said it but), YOU WOULD NEVER GO FOR TWO IN A TIE BALL GAME WHEN AN EXTRA POINT WOULD GIVE YOU THE LEAD. NEVER!!

  8. transylvania 11/28/2009 at 9:11 PM #

    I was dreading this one as I was driving the fans down to the in-laws’ house today — mother-in-law is a UNC alum. Caught the first half on the radio during the drive (unfortunately Woody Durham was all I could pick up) and once again our D sounded abysmal, so no reason to hope. Then once I got here, I refused to park in front of the TV and watch us get smeared by the Holes, so I wandered in and out of the TV room during the second half, waiting for the Heels to commence the butt-whipping in earneest. Finally glued myself to the tube for the last half of the 4th quarter and was the most surprised person in the room when we actually hung on to win. So many chances to blow it there at the end, but somehow we hung on. Unbelievable.

  9. wolfman72 11/28/2009 at 9:22 PM #

    Who is in charge of calling time outs. Time management has been a continual problem throughout the year. The defensive problems is not just Archer, it is TOB as well. Players don’t run to/through the ball or tackle, that is a fundamental problem that coaching can fix. Putting players in schemes that they cannot execute is another problem. Adjust to the personnel you have (like Skip Holtz does at ECU). I have been a true NCSU fan all my life and I am sure TOB can get things going eventually, but fundamental issues need to be addressed. BTW, for all the R. Wilson fans (including myself) he was an Amato (neutral on that topic)recruit.

  10. Alpha Wolf 11/28/2009 at 9:26 PM #

    Oh we of little faith.

  11. LRM 11/28/2009 at 9:32 PM #

    I’ve got two Carolina fans in my living room in complete meltdown mode. What a great day.

  12. GAWolf 11/28/2009 at 9:40 PM #

    I was driving back from a funeral during the early second half of the game on I40. Somewhere around Smithfield we scored a touchdown and I pumped my fist in the car and started clapping and laughing. I looked over at the car beside me and the guy driving was doing the same thing. We looked at each other and gave each other a thumbs up and a grin.

    At the graveside service you could see folks in their cars listening to the game. My uncle, I’m sure, would have been doing the same. There was a jovial attitude about the game at the lunch afterward given the obvious somber realization that it was completely inconsequential in the grand scheme of things. Nonetheless, it just seemed the entire time that maybe there was some luck in the air for the Pack today.

    It’s certainly a great and much needed win. I’m happy for the kids that they can write off the season with some dignity and their heads held high. These kids deserved this. The staff did as well.

    It will be interesting to see how things play out this off-season as to which faces of NC State football will be back and which will not.

  13. ADVENTUROO 11/28/2009 at 9:42 PM #

    I was at the game today….I have LTR with backs and a good parking pass….and if someone had offered me $250 for them, I would NOT have been there.

    However, after walking OUT to keep from watching some of the travesty in the second quarter, it really became a great game.

    I have listened to and watched the endings of many UNX games this season and remember all the “yellow ribbon gifts” that the other teams gave them. I commented to my SIL, a UNX Grad and Fan, that history would even out the calls….and today, the UNX Defense more than proved my theory.

    The utter stupidity of their pass defense and the “less than up and up tackling” resulted in our scoring and keep the game within reach.

    The Pack did NOT give up. TOB didn’t seem to understand how a clock works in the first half, but he could have taught the course in the second half.

    I also appreciated his emotion at the Ref’s for the obvious….”poor baby in blue is down and hurt…” play. I still think that some of the UNX players are required to take the “fake injury” course at the UNX School of Drama….it is taught by the instructors that Dean hired when he perfected the art of falling backwards to simulated being fouled.

    NUFF SAID….we won….BD will probably get a RAISE and a contract extension….like in year’s past.

    GO PACK…

  14. GAWolf 11/28/2009 at 9:54 PM #

    When UNC went for it on the 4th and long around our 30 yard line in the fourth quarter, Carter Finley was LOUD. You could hardly hear Johnny on the radio. So good work… all of you who were there.

  15. ryebread 11/28/2009 at 10:01 PM #

    I walked into the stadium expecting a 14-20 point loss. I walked out a happy man. Along the way, I saw amazing play by RW, great catches by the receivers (almost no drops), RBs that held onto the ball, linemen who got pressure on UNC and some big individual plays. Amazingly, we kept the ball away from their opportunistic defense. I loved it.

    Really though, we won in part because UNC kept shooting themselves in the foot — the goal line fumble, the penalties that kept drives alive, the questionable play calling, etc.. I also thought we won (much like Pitt) because we ran into a team with worse overall coaching than ours. They were obviously more talented, but we were better coached.

    Regardless, this was a great win in a rivalry game. Hopefully it’s something we can build off of in the offseason. I have a feeling it will be one of a lot of change.

  16. choppack1 11/28/2009 at 10:07 PM #

    crazy game today. Every once in a while you are rewarded for sticking to your team. Today was one of those. The D actually did a solid job after getting destroyed in the 1st half.

    Russel Wilson was awesome. Toney Baker was awesome..Solid job by the OL.

    Here’s something to ponder about our D. When we’ve led in the 4th quarter, what is our record since TOB arrived.

  17. Greywolf 11/28/2009 at 10:19 PM #

    (said in my best falsetto voice) “How ’bout dem Heels?”

  18. ncsufan13 11/28/2009 at 10:47 PM #

    I think its funny given all the Charlie Brown references to our Athletics programs this season one of UNC’s cornerbacks who had to defend against the Russell Wilson passing attack was literally named Charlie Brown. They out Charlie Brown’d us when he got burned all day by our receivers.

  19. blpack 11/28/2009 at 11:13 PM #

    What a great win! A UNC-ch fan behind me kept pointing out what a bad day Brown was having and then Brown ran his mouth after the game, even had to be physically pulled to his locker room for a few steps. The guy was livid. Our #12 Monk deserves some kudos for hanging tough and helping that D only give up 3 in the second half. Who saw that coming? Like Chop said, it is nice to be rewarded for sticking with your team and I’m fine with having the local guy have his kick blocked. ; )

  20. tcthdi-tgsf-twhwtnc 11/28/2009 at 11:57 PM #

    Never shocked when State fans are critical even when the team has a big win. I enjoyed the post game show with Terry Harvey saying Butch can’t continue to be like Sendek by saying the State game is just another game. He said that works when you win the games but if you keep getting your ass kicked the RDU-CH fans won’t buy it.

  21. redterror16 11/29/2009 at 12:21 AM #

    I kinda enjoy this getting butch slapped. Keep chopping wood Butchie boy!

  22. graywolf 11/29/2009 at 12:53 AM #

    Nice win. Also, nice to see some emotion from O’Brien at the end of the game. Now lets build on this win and remind recruits that Carolina can’t beat state!!!

  23. packgrad2000 11/29/2009 at 1:22 AM #

    UNC honestly seemed to be pretty poorly coached. All the penalties they had – I think I counted 45 yards of penalties on one drive alone in the first half. Why didn’t they continue to go over the top since our DB’s were getting beat so much in the first half? Also, why, when we have possibly the worst punter in not just the ACC but the entire NATION did they keep fair catching those 25 yard line drive punts? And why was the returner standing so deep like Ruiz was suddenly going to start punting it 50+ yards?

    Great to see our receivers not drop any balls today too…Wilson had a near perfect game too. Go Pack!

  24. Archdale Pack Fan 11/29/2009 at 2:36 AM #

    Well I wonder if the N&O will do a story titled “Lunatic fringe wants Davis fired for going 0-3 vs State.” They could enterview some of the posters from the UNC message boards. Great win for the Pack!!!

  25. El Lobo Loco! 11/29/2009 at 5:54 AM #

    ^ I thought the Lunatic Fringe was us…. laughing out butts off after beating Butcher and his Babies

    God exists, and wears red!

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