N.C. State is 3-7. North Carolina is 1-9. So Saturday’s game doesn’t mean that much, right? Wrong, football coach Chuck Amato said Monday.

Despite the disappointing seasons of the two teams and the lack of postseason possibilities, the players and Amato said they still look at this game with the same importance as they do every year.

“You got a rival game,” Amato said. “And both teams understand it. Both teams know it’s the rival. And both teams have had disappointing seasons. And both teams haven’t quit.”

According to Amato, he marks the Carolina game on the schedule every year as the one game he has to win. He said he talked to his players about the game in August because of the importance of the game to him and the people who care about N.C. State.

“I think about [the Carolina game] every day of the year,” Amato said. “I went to school here. I was fortunate enough to see what it was like to compete against a rival — and that’s with you 365 days a year. And it needs to be with everybody that long.”

As for the impact of the rivalry on the players, senior cornerback A.J. Davis, who played high school football in Durham, said the game is “going to be the biggest game of [his] life so far.”

“Growing up in this area, I know all about the rivalry,” Davis said. “I never missed a Carolina-State game on TV. It’s going to be a good game. I’m looking forward to it just because I know a lot of those guys over there, and it’s my last time to get to over there and play.”

Davis added the game is somewhat of a homecoming game for him, and the rivalry even reaches beyond him to his family.

“It’s not too far from Durham, so I’m going to have a lot of people over there. I know my family is looking forward to this game,” he said. “This is a game that’s going to be talked about until I die.”

One game people may still be talking about is the game two years ago. The Wolfpack lost a 30-24 heartbreaker against the Tar Heels in Chapel Hill on a controversial play at the end of the game, when running back T.A. McLendon was ruled down less than a yard short of the goal line.

Amato said despite the way the last game in Chapel Hill ended, any loss to Carolina hurts the same.

“Every loss bothers me — every one of them,” Amato said.

Last year the Pack lost to Carolina in Raleigh after blowing a 10-point second-half lead. Davis said because of the rivalry and the way the past two games have gone against the Heels, it’s crucial for the team to take its opponent seriously even if the opponent’s only win is against Division I-AA Furman.

“We got to play good against these guys,” he said. “They’re a real good football team. You got to cancel out the records when you’re talking about a rival.”

Overall the Heels lead the head-to-head series 62-27-6 and have won ten of the last 13 games between the two. But in Amato’s tenure the series is tied at 3-3, with State carrying a 2-1 advantage in Chapel Hill.

However, when the Pack travels to Chapel Hill this Saturday, it may have to do so without three key members of its offense.

Two offensive linemen — senior guard Leroy Harris and sophomore guard Curtis Crouch — suffered injuries in the Clemson game and are listed as questionable on this week’s injury report. Harris suffered an ankle sprain and had to leave the game, while Crouch sustained a head injury.

The other offensive player on the injury list is sophomore running back Andre Brown, who has a strained neck and is listed as probable. With the possibility of Brown not being healthy for the game, it could lead to another day of sophomore running back Toney Baker, who rushed 34 times for 174 yards against the Tigers, carrying most of the work load.

Amato said Brown’s neck was still sore Monday, but he said he still has hope Brown will be ready to go Saturday.

“I want to play them both this Saturday,” Amato said.

For the Heels, Saturday’s game is Senior Day. But, perhaps more importantly, it will be John Bunting’s final home game as the coach at North Carolina.

Amato said he is well aware of all the motivating factors for the Tar Heels, but all he can do is make sure his team is ready.

“There’s going to be so many things,” Amato said. “We’ve just got to control North Carolina and make sure we’re up as high as they are going to be. And we will be.”