NCSU vs. VT: Anticipation and Excitement Is Building

'10 Football Football Recruiting Tom O'Brien50

Wolfpack Gameday is almost here.  The Virginia Tech Hokies are coming to town to face NC State tomorrow at 3:30pm in Carter-Finley Stadium.  The game will be carried on ABC Network regional coverage, and anticipation for this critical ACC matchup between the two teams is reaching a feverish pitch with Wolfpack fans.

If you are looking for a ticket to this Saturday’s crucial match-up between NC State and Virginia Tech, then good luck. Tickets are scarce and expensive. Not since the Ohio St. and Virginia Tech home games in 2004 and 2005 respectively have tickets on the secondary market been this difficult to find and this costly. Over on the ticket exchange thread on Packpride, there have been a few face value tickets available from generous Wolfpack fans, however there are numerous State fans scalping other State fans.

I was perusing the VT message boards earlier this morning (yes, I woke up to watch the Ryder Cup coverage that is now delayed because of torrential downpours) and I found the following comment:

Have your tickets in advance, before you get down there. In 2005 I went to the game without a ticket expecting to easily get one outside the gate before kickoff, which is what I always do and I didn’t see one for under $200. I sat in the 3rd row against Boise for $20, and generally never have to spend more than that for any away game. I’ve been to ACC championships and Orange Bowls for $5…….but NC State was completely different. I saw 100s of people that didn’t get in. That could have been due to it being a primetime game featuring 2 ranked teams to kickoff the season… Regardless I figured Id warn the people that like to wait and get their tickets at the game. Hopefully most of you already have your tickets.

Remember how excited NC State fans were about that game?

With the football program’s first 4-0 start since 2002 and its first appearance in the polls since 2003, NC State fans are chomping at the bit to start the tailgate right now(I can’t be the only one). Increasing the demand for tickets was Lee Fowler’s scheduling of Parents Weekend on what everyone knew would be the most sought after ticket of the season. Here we detailed some of the issues that have been caused by this snafu as students were allowed to purchase two additional tickets in the student section for their parents reducing the number tickets available to students. Fortunately, our new athletic director Debbie Yow took action immediately and had temporary bleachers installed that allowed another 1500 tickets to be given to students.

Have we mentioned how impressed we are by Debbie Yow so far? This is a great story.

So my younger brother (now a senior) failed to get tickets to the VT game despite going through the lottery and standing in the pouring rain for three hours.

Needless to say he was pretty upset as he has been to every home game since he was a freshman and didn’t want to miss such a huge game. He decided to email the athletic department about some of the problems he sees with the ticketing system (as a recent graduate I can attest to these problems). About an hour later he got an email back from Debbie Yow herself explaining that she agrees and is working to correct the ticketing problems starting next year.

At this point he was already impressed and responded with another email about how he was grateful she was listening to the student body. Another hour later he gets another email from Debbie telling him that she secured a ticket for him and that he should come by her office to pick it up.

I have to say Debbie has impressed me so far… stories like this lead me to believe we made the right hire.

Just thought I would share this, I really liked it.

Stories like this one have been repeated over and over and over by every NC State fan that has had any sort of interaction with AD Yow. Hopefully, she knows that the changes since she has arrived haven’t gone unnoticed and that her efforts and those of her staff are much appreciated.

Not only are the fans excited about Coach O’Brien and the Pack, but the recruits are taking notice as well. It has been rumored that close to 100 recruits could be making official or unofficial visits this weekend.

Steve Williams from Pack Pride said:

Pack Pride from recruiting analyst Steve Williams: “As many as 80 recruits in attendance with most of those being kids with offers or ones that are a strong candidate to earn one. Of those, many will be juniors. This just adds even more significance to a game that was already extremely important. Obviously the atmosphere Saturday…

This has been a good stretch for NC State. Excitement over a top 5 basketball recruiting class giving us realistic hopes for an NCAA tournament bid, a new chancellor, and new AD, and a surprising 4-0 start by the football team have made NC State sports fun again. Here’s to hoping the momentum continues with a program changing win against VT on Saturday.

Need even more Wolfpack topics and discussion? Click here until your heart is content.

Courtesy of the NC State Alumni Association

'10 Football Football Recruiting Tom O'Brien

50 Responses to NCSU vs. VT: Anticipation and Excitement Is Building

  1. Statefan1998 10/01/2010 at 9:52 AM #

    Earl Woods…is that you?

  2. FM-72 10/01/2010 at 9:52 AM #

    Coach, on a Saturday you should have “decent” traffic from Richmond to DC, that is where you can have trouble. Be very careful driving through VA. The state is trying to raise money, and they enjoy feasting on out-of-state drivers!

    NCStatePride: take I-295 around Petersburg and Richmond. Once merging back with I-95, take Exit 104 Caramel Church to 207 (which becomes US-301. Travel over the Nice Bridge (toll when you leave Maryland to Va… no toll from VA to Md) and you can get around the DC traffic.

  3. Pack84 10/01/2010 at 9:59 AM #

    I plan on bringing my earplugs tomorrow. Carter-Finley will be LOUD! Go Pack!

  4. millionbubbles 10/01/2010 at 10:01 AM #

    Damn it feels good to be a State fan these days!

  5. Alpha Wolf 10/01/2010 at 10:06 AM #

    ^ Bring throat lozenges too, and yell at the top of your lungs on VT third downs.

  6. CStanley 10/01/2010 at 10:14 AM #

    Finding it rather difficult to keep focused at work today for some reason.

  7. Scooter 10/01/2010 at 10:23 AM #

    Friday is the hardest work-day of the week during football season. So hard to concentrate with such a big game tomorrow. GO PACK!!

  8. Phang 10/01/2010 at 10:37 AM #

    I’m in danger of being yelled at for surfin’ too much web today.

    Excited about tomorrow’s game.

  9. DTF 10/01/2010 at 11:09 AM #

    I will be at the UMD game as well. I got 50-yard line seats for around $20 a ticket if I remember correctly. I would love to see more white and red in the Byrd stadium than black and red. Everyone knows it’s a better combination.

  10. BJD95 10/01/2010 at 11:17 AM #

    The blog has only seemed “doom and gloom” because the on-field results and off-field leadership have been nothing short of dreadful. That’s not “negative” – it’s realism, calling it like it is.

    Now, we have some positive signs of things turning around. Because POSITIVE ACTIONS have been taken, not just “hoping” to win as under Oblinger and Fowler. Hope is not a strategy. Woodson and Yow seem to get that. And Tom O’Brien has produced (so far) the kind of team we expected to see from him.

    I am very confident about this football team. I think we are better than Virginia Tech, and we are at home. Thus, I fully expect a win, but won’t implode if we lose. Everybody has off weeks in college football.

    And let this football season teach everyone a lesson. Winners aren’t afraid of expectations. They rise to meet the challenge. And every loser has an excuse.

  11. Sam92 10/01/2010 at 11:21 AM #

    i’m actually struggling not to look ahead, or to get my hopes up too high — i really don’t see any reason to think VT is a better team than GT, and GT frankly could not stop us

    i’m optimistic – our guys showed so much poise and composure when GT closed to 31-28 – in previous seasons we would have just folded, but our guys responded with 2 TD’s!

    i think we’re better than these guys and if we can minimize turnovers we’ll bring home a win

  12. VaWolf82 10/01/2010 at 11:23 AM #

    every loser has an excuse.

    This needed repeating.

  13. VaWolf82 10/01/2010 at 11:28 AM #

    VT’s defense isn’t up to their normal standards; but it is still better than anything Al Groh will ever put together at GT. On the other hand, VT’s offense will never be as potent as GT’s. So State’s last two opponents are two completely different teams with completely different tendencies, strengths, and weaknesses.

    I’m not sure how much the GT beat down tells us about how State will fare against VT. But for sure, there are plenty of reasons to believe that State will win tomorrow. Stopping VT’s run and getting Wilson time have to be the absolute top two priorities for State.

  14. choppack1 10/01/2010 at 12:26 PM #

    Tomorrow’s game is huge for NC State and TOB.

    You win this game – and people start talking about you. Sportscenter starts showing your highlights. You lose this game – and you can still have a really nice season, but you’re off the national radar.

    As I stated on another thread – to think for a second that the JMU game is anything indicative of what you’ll see Saturday from VaTech. They remain the ACC’s most consistent program – they are physical, talented and well-coached. IMHO, they are our toughest opponent yet. While they aren’t a national title contender anymore, they know a win here gets them right where they expect to be….on course to win the ACC.

    I expect the Carter to be rocking. I expect VaTech to show up. I’ll be shocked if we aren’t on pins and needles late in this one. I do think it’s a relatively even match up and this means it will likely come down to special teams and TO’s.

    I can’t wait for Saturday and hope we deliver.

  15. NCStatePride 10/01/2010 at 12:38 PM #

    “it will likely come down to special teams”

    DAMN!

  16. baxter 10/01/2010 at 1:36 PM #

    I’m looking for T.J. Graham to make a statement on returns this game. Regardless of the outcome, I am really proud of this team so far this year.

  17. gtspack 10/01/2010 at 2:31 PM #

    I’m waiting for the NCAA to drop the bomb on the tarhole’s. When that happens we should be able to put a lot of RED in Kennan Stadium on 11-20. You know the fairweather fan tarheels will be moving on to basketball. These are great times to be a Wolfpack fan. The UNC football program going down in flames is just icing on the cake.

  18. erichack 10/01/2010 at 3:35 PM #

    its interesting to me how the current situation – Pack playing at a high level and heels in deep trouble – is similar to the valvano situation, but obviously reversed…if the pack can start putting together serious runs at the ACC championship in the next couple of years I cant help but believe that the same outcome of the valvano situation will come to pass…the pack will be able to put a serious distance between themselves and the heels (the only serious threat to possible pack national prominance in the state) and just carry that to even greater heights than ACC championships…

    the key to that outcome will be winning ACC championships in the very near future and stability in the program…the state of NC looses so many good fball players every year to out of state programs as well…in any event, no doubt this year is going to be one of those great opportunities to pull out ahead of the compitition….

  19. choppack1 10/01/2010 at 4:00 PM #

    actually erichack – the program that really cleaned up when went down was Duke, and Wake Forest to a lesser extent. Wake actually got a few guys that I think we might have gotten otherwise.

    It certainly didn’t hurt UNC mind you – but I don’t know how much it helped us. I’d feel different about it if Michael Jordan wasn’t a professed State fan in high school.

  20. Lunatic Fringe 10/01/2010 at 6:19 PM #

    It is funny how many good comments you get when you are winning. I wore one of my NC State golf shirts to work today like I do most Friday’s during football season.

    The first time in 3 years being in ATL I have been stopped to discuss football with random strangers in the building/elevator. I refuse to go crazy with it, but sure is nice to be relevant again.

  21. mak4dpak 10/01/2010 at 7:37 PM #

    Can’t wait for the game. Does anyone know the expected attendance for the game? It is going to be a rowdy crowd, for sure. A win against VT on national television would be awesome.

  22. mak4dpak 10/01/2010 at 7:37 PM #

    Can’t wait for the game. Does anyone know the expected attendance for the game? It is going to be a rowdy crowd, for sure. A win against VT on national television would be awesome.

  23. LoneWolf 10/01/2010 at 9:36 PM #

    Its been a long time coming for me to actually post. I must say the site and information here is top notch. I would like to take the time to thank everyone involved with the website for everything you provide. I remember several games in the past when I was younger when I thought we were on the brink of something big. Its just tough for me to get to jacked up. I hope tomorrow is a big win for us. I have been going to games since the mid to late 80’s. Heres to dining on the hokie tomorrow night! See you guys at the game…. GO WOLFPACK

  24. highstick 10/01/2010 at 10:15 PM #

    You guys sure can get to College Park fast…I lived up US 1 a bit in Laurel while I was in the Army,,,but I95 wasn’t totally in existence, I85 was incomplete, and you had to stop at 4 toll booths on the Richmond-Petersburg Turnpike..

    The fastest trip I ever made was “hitchhiking” and got picked up by a fellow in a pickup truck trying to meet a plane at the Newark airport…He scared the crap out of me and my other Army buddy…

    We hitchhiked to save gas money….at 28 cents a gallon…Did that twice, but then realized how stupid we were..

  25. tcthdi-tgsf-twhwtnc 10/02/2010 at 1:25 PM #

    Debbie Yow is such a refreshing change for State. I wasn’t thrilled with the announcement but I was clearly wrong.

    I only go to a couple of football games a year now so I’m not sure how things change from game to game. Seems like I’ve seen a private box or maybe a production booth in the place where the the bleachers are now.

    CFS has always been a great place for a game and it keeps getting better every year. I remember back in the late 70’s or maybe early 80’s seeing drawings in the paper of Carter Stadium with a roof. I think we can all be happy that didn’t happen. I don’t remember who wanted to do it.

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