On Saturday, the NC State football team will hope to use the momentum of homecoming in its favor as it will look to beat the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.
The idea of homecoming was started in the early 1900’s, when a handful of schools would welcome their football team back home after a road trip. The teams would also invite back alumni in order to provide their team with a little extra motivation and support. Nowadays, all teams have homecoming celebrations, which include a crowning of a king and queen, alumni celebrations, parades and of course, the all-important football game.
Saturday’s matchup will mark the 300th game that NC State has played in Carter-Finley stadium. What better way for the Pack to celebrate its long tradition than in front of a full stadium of students, fans and alumni.
The Wolfpack has lost two homecoming games in a row, falling 33-6 to the Virginia Cavaliers in 2012 and then losing to the North Carolina Tar heels 27-19 in 2013. Despite having back-to-back homecoming losses, the Pack has been fairly strong on homecoming games in the past 10 years, posting five wins and five losses while facing some fairly stiff competition.
Most Wolfpack fans remember the monumental upset that occurred in the 2011 homecoming game against the then ranked No. 8 Clemson Tigers. The Pack played ferociously in front of a sellout crowd and was able to put up 37 points on the Tigers, who were only able to score 13. The Pack also upset a No. 21 Virginia Cavaliers team in 2007, 29-24, which marked their biggest win of the season.
The Pack has lost to two top 25 teams in the last 10 years on homecoming, one being the No. 3 ranked Miami Hurricanes and the other being the No. 20 Yellow Jackets, who the team coincidently plays Saturday. The team will hope to avenge their last homecoming loss to the Yellow Jackets this Saturday, and use some of their homecoming magic to get their second conference win of the season.
Homecoming is always a big event and is led up to by a week of events that looks to fire up the team and the fans. The homecoming game always has a large crowd full of die-hard fans who provide an electric atmosphere for the players. The team will be facing off against a tough opponent, but with the alumni and rowdy fans in attendance, on top of coming off of a two year homecoming losing streak, fans should look for the team to be on top of their game. The team will look to improve its position in the Atlantic Coast Conference, as well as put on a good performance for the fans and alumni in the stands.
