State Nearly Gets Bitten By Spiders: 23-21 Wolfpack

To say that the NC State football team is in rebuilding mode would be a massive understatement.  In a game that was supposed to be over by halftime, the Wolfpack barely survived the Division I-AA Richmond Spiders in a game that would likely have gone the other way had there been a mere twenty more seconds on the game clock.

Richmond took control of the game with three touchdowns on three straight possessions, led by former UVA player Michael Strauss, who was hardly slowed at times by a porous Wolfpack defense. State didn’t help their cause by turning the ball over four times or by committing ten penalties throughout the game, and at times they looked as though they were the lower division team playing out of their element.  Going into the locker room at half, they found themselves trailing 21-13 and in a game that was very much in doubt for the home side.

In the locker room, new head coach Dave Doeren and his staff must have given the Wolfpack defense a strong pep talk because they came out with a vigor and intensity that was missing in the first thirty minutes of the game.  Richmond would not score again, and only gained 83 more yards against the Wolfpack stopping unit, with 38 of those coming on their last drive as they desperately tried to move into field goal range.  On the offensive side of the ball, the Pack started seeing better success and they quickly scored a touchdown to move within one point, 21-20.  There is would stay, achingly at times, until less than a minute to go, when the Wolfpack capped off their last drive with a 48-yard field goal by kicker Niklas Sade.

Richmond was not done, however, and the offense that seemed to stay in the locker room after halftime suddenly found its rhythm.  Starting at their own 25 with a mere 33 sends to go, Strauss flipped a sixteen yard pass to Rashad Ponder, followed it up with a seventeen yarder, and had the ball on the NC State 37 yard line — with two seconds left.  Unfortunately for the Spiders, their field goal man is no Niklas Sade, and was still out of his effective range. They had one last gasp play to try to get the ball in the end zone batted down, and NC State escaped with a win it may not have deserved, 23-21.

 

'13 Football Dave Doeren NCS Football

73 Responses to State Nearly Gets Bitten By Spiders: 23-21 Wolfpack

  1. Wulfpack 09/08/2013 at 2:17 PM #

    Panthers bottling up RW and the C-Hawks. Tremendous defense.

  2. inhoc... 09/08/2013 at 2:29 PM #

    Steven Tulloch just got an interception off a Willie young QB pressure for the Lions

  3. BJD95 09/08/2013 at 2:29 PM #

    Weedon has thrown three picks, and Cleveland still will lead at the half. It’s good to play the Dolphins.

  4. wufpup76 09/08/2013 at 2:44 PM #

    Great job by the guys to hang in there and then make enough plays to win … And great job Sade! Very happy for him – a great start to the season.

    New coach, program clearly in transition (if not flat out rebuilding), a qb that doesn’t really fit with the preferred offensive schemes – hey, sh*t is going to happen. I wouldn’t have bemoaned a loss – disappointed sure – but it’s clear we might have some growing pains.

    I didn’t get a chance to see the game thread yet, but I hope folks weren’t all out bashing the squad … this is a big transition for the program. And we certainly wouldn’t have been the first fbs team to lose to a solid fcs team this season.

    Anyway, I’m looking forward to the rest of the season and seeing what the guys can pull off. It could be a rough ride at times, but it seems the kids have ‘bought in’ so to speak and this could be a fun transition season. Go Pack 🙂

  5. TheCOWDOG 09/08/2013 at 2:44 PM #

    TJ, Manny and Mario all making plays v. Pats

  6. Wulfpack 09/08/2013 at 2:52 PM #

    Panthers D dominating this game so far.

  7. wufpup76 09/08/2013 at 3:17 PM #

    4th or 5th unsportsmanlike conduct against the Panthers including an ejection … wow

  8. Wulfpack 09/08/2013 at 3:18 PM #

    And they’ve still held Seattle to 6 points. This is one of the beat defenses in the NFL.

  9. Wulfpack 09/08/2013 at 3:49 PM #

    Good win for RW and Seattle on the road on the hot and humid east coast. He made the play of the day when it mattered most. Panthers have a great defense. Not so good of an offense. Going to be another long year.

  10. BJD95 09/08/2013 at 4:16 PM #

    Cam Newton isn’t very good.

  11. BJD95 09/08/2013 at 4:21 PM #

    Some dude on Tampa made the dumbest play I’ve ever seen.

  12. BJD95 09/08/2013 at 4:23 PM #

    Pushed the QB down, clearly out of bounds. Puts Jets in position for game-winning 48 yard FG, which they made. Wow.

  13. Wulfpack 09/08/2013 at 4:30 PM #

    Cam cetainly didn’t lose it today. He played pretty well. If Deangelo doesn’t fumble Panthers go on tk win. Panthers just find ways to lose.

  14. BJD95 09/08/2013 at 4:50 PM #

    He passed for 125 yards. That’s not going to get it done in the modern NFL.

  15. tjfoose1 09/08/2013 at 5:10 PM #

    The Panthers will never be a winner with Newton at QB.

  16. Wulfpack 09/08/2013 at 5:11 PM #

    True. Still 16-23. Olsen dropped three. Shula clearly is going with a more conservative approach. He really didn’t have a whole lot of chances it seemed. He didn’t turn it over, but never seemed to throw it downfield beyond 15 yards. I think he is a very good QB but needs a lot of help. The Panthers don’t have it. Steve Smith is 34. Still no number 2 after all these years. That is not on Cam.

  17. Wulfpack 09/08/2013 at 5:13 PM #

    That may be be case, foose. But you put Cam with some weapons and he would be extremely dangerous.

  18. tjfoose1 09/08/2013 at 5:13 PM #

    I agree with Alpha. Our MVP has obvious NFL talent. At his current rate, he’ll be the rare kicker that gets drafted.

  19. tjfoose1 09/08/2013 at 5:23 PM #

    I’m not basing my opinion on Newton’s physical talent. He’s self absorbed, soft, and lacks too many intangibles.

    Too much energy is spent covering for him, trying to make Cam what he already should be. Enegry that takes away from the rest of the team. The QB should be an asset when it comes to leadership, not an expense line.

    No team will win with a WR persona plaing QB.

  20. Wulfpack 09/08/2013 at 5:29 PM #

    I’ve seen plenty of tremendous plays out of him to know he has all the skills tonget it done. But I agree his attitude and gumption in crunch time leave a lot to be desired. I do think he is at a crossroads in his third year. Seems to me Shula wants him to be more of a pocket guy. That clearly isn’t his strength. Gettelman may well move on without him if it doesn’t gel. But I will stand by my statement that he would be very dangerous with the right coaching around better playmakers.

  21. tjfoose1 09/08/2013 at 5:39 PM #

    I don’t disagree.

  22. 13OT 09/08/2013 at 5:57 PM #

    I warned you all about Richmond!

    All in all though, it was a good weekend. It was a great tailgating afternoon and fun evening in the stands. We salvaged a game we should have lost, and this will help us a lot more vs Clemson than another La Tech game would have. I, however, have no illusions about the outcome on September 19, but I do see some hope down the road.

    And congrats to Russell Wilson and the Seahawks for beating the overbearing Cam Newton and the blue Carolina team from Charlotte, the GDMF Panthers, this afternoon.

  23. Alpha Wolf 09/08/2013 at 6:12 PM #

    I can’t agree with you guys at all about Cam Newton. He had a pretty good game, and his receivers weren’t exactly helping him out a lot. The Panthers were also playing one of the top ten defenses in the NFL today as well, and were in a position to win, that is until DeAngelo Williams remembered who he was and left the ball on the ground in site of the end zone.

    As for him being self-absorbed, he looked quite engaged with his team-mates, who thought enough of his leadership to vote him team captain. Cam is definitely growing up, reading defenses better and also managing his offense like the third year pro that he is.

    What the Panthers need is not a new QB, but instead an improved offensive line and a defensive backfield that has stoppers, not failed bullfighters who yell “Olé!” when a pass is thrown in their direction.

    Finally, I don’t get all the Panthers hate. If it’s because your Redskins aren’t on every weekend, get a DirecTV dish and Sunday Ticket. Problem solved.

  24. TheCOWDOG 09/08/2013 at 6:37 PM #

    Week 2 in college, week 1 in the league , and half y’all have lost your fuc… minds.

    Layoffs will do it.

  25. Dogbreath 09/08/2013 at 6:46 PM #

    We are going to get crushed by teams with a quarterback who can routinely hit the tight end on a drag and/or can throw a catchable pass to the deep post.

    Otherwise, we have a chance to be competitive in games.

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