Every time N.C. State takes the field against the Tar Heels, it is a big game and a big deal to both the teams and the fans. But Saturday’s meeting has more much at stake than the previous matchups, especially for the Wolfpack, 7-3 (4-2 in ACC), as only two games stand between the Pack and its first ever Atlantic division title.
But for State to have a chance, it has to travel to Chapel Hill to take on North Carolina, 6-4 (3-3 in ACC), and take care of business against its hated rival. And coach Tom O’Brien knows all too well that this rivalry means a lot to not only the two teams, but to the fans as well.
“There is not anymore on the line than anytime we play North Carolina,” O’Brien said. “It is a game that is very special and important to our school, student body, facility and our alumni. The bonus is if we win we keep going, but still we are playing against North Carolina.”
If history repeats itself, at least recent history, than State should emerge the victor, as the O’Brien-led Wolfpack have been 3-0 against the Tarheels in the last three meetings. And O’Brien is hoping that winning way will carry over.
“Winning would be the first trend we would like to continue,” O’Brien said. “Each of the games have been pretty different in the ways that they have played out. The thing we have done is that we played hard and have been smart. We haven’t made many mistakes when we played North Carolina with the expectation of when we threw a few picks the first year here.”
O’Brien stressed the importance of the game against Carolina and that attitude has spilled over to his team, as it understands the meaning of this game because of the history between the two teams.
“It is a rival game. I can’t say that it is just a regular game because it is us versus them,” redshirt senior middle linebacker Nate Irving said. “We are in each other’s backyard and you can throw the records out of the window. When it is us against them it is going to be a tough game because each team is going to come out and give 110 percent.”
This game will be the 100th meeting between the two schools and State will look to continue to try to cut into the Heels’ advantage, as Carolina holds a 63-30-6 series record. For the Pack to do this it will need redshirt junior quarterback Russell Wilson to continue his dominance over the Heels. In two games against the Tarheels, Wilson has thrown for six touchdowns, more than 500 yards and zero interceptions, proving to be a thorn in the Heels defense’s side. But this year, Wilson may be going up against one of the best defenses in the country, one that only gets better as it gets its players back from suspensions for NCAA violations.
“One thing they have going for them is they have veteran players back,” junior fullback Taylor Gentry said. “They have a lot of speed and size in the linebacking group. They’ve stepped it up.”
With it being a rivalry game, its obvious that the two teams dislike each other more than any other game, and Irving believes that because of that, emotions will run even higher this week.
“With a rivalry, emotions are always high, so I will probably be a bit more emotional,” Irving said. “The media is going to do a good job at relaying trash talk back and forth between us and it is going to get us amped up during this week of practice and all the way up until we get to their stadium and play. Things will be said out there in warmups and I just think that emotions will continue to rise until kickoff.”
Defensively, the Pack will hope to shut down resurgent quarterback T.J. Yates. Yates has received more than his fair of criticism over the years, but has put it together this season, throwing for more than 250 yards per game, while throwing 15 touchdowns and only eight interceptions on the season.
“You have to give their quarterback a tremendous amount of credit because he is doing a great job this year,” O’Brien said. “It is good to see because he is a great kid and has had some troubles in the past.”
That’s not to say that O’Brien does not expect his defense to go out and shut down the passing attack of the Heels. The fourth year coach said the stability and continuity of the defense this year has allowed it to perform at a high level.
“A year ago we had started nine different defenses in ten games, whereas this year we are playing the same guys pretty much throughout,” O’Brien said. “The only change has been [David] Amerson, and I think having that same defense has helped a lot.”
But no matter what happens, one thing is guaranteed. Saturday will not be just another game.
“Certainly no one game is more important than others, that is how we approach every game in this building,” O’Brien said. “But when you walk out of this building, its a rival game and they are special and different.”