Click to hear Jamelle Eugene’s thoughts on the victory
N.C. State continued its dominance of in-state opponents with a 41-10 win over arch rival UNC-Chapel Hill. The win gave the Wolfpack (5-6, 3-4 ACC) what many refer to as the “state championship” of North Carolina college football as the team collected wins against East Carolina, Duke, Wake Forest, and the Tar Heels this season to remain in bowl contention going into the regular season finale with Miami. Going 4-0 against in-state competition said everything about the Wolfpack football program, according to coach Tom O’Brien.
“What it speaks to is that we’re the best football program in the state without question,” O’Brien said. “We are the state university and we expect to be here.”
The Tar Heels fumbled away the first possession of the game but got it back after a missed field goal by sophomore kicker Josh Czajkowski. The Heels inherited the ball at the 24, but fumbled on the first play of the drive, setting Czajkowski up for another field goal try. Czajkowski connected on a 39 yarder giving State the early lead, 3-0.
The takeaways came in droves for the Pack, as the Carolina offense coughed up three fumbles and threw three picks in the contest.
“The kids did a good job of getting their hands on the ball,” O’Brien said. “Anytime you get six turnovers to zero you ought to win a football game.”
After settling for field goal attempts, State’s third down offense improved late in the first quarter as redshirt freshman Russell Wilson connected for a 55-yard pass play to sophomore Jarvis Williams just before the quarter ended, landing the Pack at the Carolina 19. Wilson found redshirt freshman George Bryan beneath the Heel’s zone defense and the tight end barreled through a defender into the end zone to put State up 10-0 after the PAT.
The Heels answered with a field goal midway through the second quarter to pull to within seven before junior defensive end Willie Young intercepted a T.J. Yates pass to end another of Carolina’s drives. The 6-4 junior gathered the ball but slid to the ground before getting a chance to make a return. While the pick took the life out of the Heels, Young lamented it should have been an even bigger play.
“It was just one of those plays being a ball player,” Young said, but laughingly added. “I hate that I fell.”
Early in the third quarter Wilson found wide open sophomore Owen Spencer, who scurried to the Carolina 20-yard line. The 55-yard pass led to a goal line plunge by junior Jamelle Eugene that put the Pack up 17-3.
Yates orchestrated an eight play, 60 yard drive that ended with a five yard rush by Ryan Houston for a touchdown, inciting a loud roar from the Carolina faithful and an explosion of red fireworks from the east end zone.
A holding penalty and a dropped pass by Spencer left State at third and 11 deep in its own territory, but again the Pack converted on third down to find its way into UNC territory. A 26 yard scramble by Wilson to the Tar Heel two set up an Andre Brown touchdown romp as State widened its lead to 24-10.
A forced fumble and recovery by J.C. Neal on the ensuing kickoff immediately led to a 21-yard strike from Wilson to Spencer, giving State a 31-10 lead with just over a minute remaining in the third. Spencer posed in the end zone in front of the Tar Pit, having caught his third touchdown pass of the season. Spencer, who dropped four passes in last week’s contest against Wake Forest, said he was careful to grab the pass in the end zone with two hands.
“I was ready for it and when I caught the ball I just cradled it,” Spencer said. “I didn’t want to let it go until my teammates came over to celebrate with me”
An Alan Michael-Cash sack ended the next drive to force a punt, and the Pack took over at the 23, where Wilson led a 6 minute drive that ended with a Czajkowski field goal to give the Pack a 34-10 lead.
Another turnover by the Heels on a Cam Sexton pass gave State another drive with around six and a half minutes in the game. State ran the clock down and punted the ball deep into Carolina territory, where Sexton threw another interception. A one-yard run by Eugene capped the scoring for the Pack, putting State up 41-10 in front of a crowd that was quite different from the one on-hand for kickoff.
“There was more red than blue,” Spencer said of the stadium’s atmosphere as the baby blue crowd disappeared late in the game. “Everybody kind of scattered and all you could see was blue seats, and then you look to the right and all you see is red.”
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