As the final score read 41-10, the excitement among N.C. State students couldn’t have been higher. The anticipation leading up to the football game against UNC-Chapel Hill was high after UNC students painted the Free Expression Tunnel blue Nov. 26. Maggie Reaves, a sophomore in business, was working at the football game and said the excitement couldn’t have been higher.
“As soon as the game was over one of the coaches picked me up, lifted me into the air and hugged me,” Reaves said. “It’s a little weird now that I think about it, but I was so excited at the time I didn’t even think about it.”
After the game, Reaves, who’s employed by Raycom Sports, served pieces of an N.C. State cake to students and talked about the game with several of her friends. They noticed a distinct difference between UNC fans and NCSU fans.
“I was working on the sidelines near all the Carolina fans and every time some of the players got close, the fans would talk trash to them,” she said. “They would say things like ‘F— you guys, you f—ing suck, I don’t know why I even come to these game.’ I thought it was such an awful thing to do. No matter how good or bad our team is doing, we’re always there to support them.”
Reaves also said UNC students were talking down to NCSU students and she was happy to prove them wrong.
“It made me mad how they were just brushing us off and saying things like we were a waste of their time,” she said. “I heard one UNC student say ‘Doesn’t State realize Duke is our rival, not them?’ which really made me mad. I was so happy when we beat them because I could laugh in their faces.”
Gerardo Romero, a junior in textile and apparel management, said he couldn’t describe how excited he was after NCSU won.
“I was really happy,” Romero said. “I dont know how to explain it, but I was glad N.C. State won. A lot of people didn’t think State would win because Carolina has had a better season, but it was a really good thing they won.”
As the stands began to clear out, Reaves met up with one of her friends who is a student at UNC. A week before the game, they had made a bet on who would win.
“I ran to find him before he left because I knew he’d chicken out on our bet,” Reaves said. “Since he lost, he had to run from Franklin Street to the Old Well completely naked. He was so angry because he thought UNC was going to win and I would have to do something embarrassing.”
Part of the bet was an agreement that neither of them would bring a camera, but Reaves said she wanted to capture the look on her friends face.
“It was the definition of priceless,” she said.
After the football game ended, NCSU students rallied at the Bell Tower to celebrate the win over UNC. Student Body President Jay Dawkins said the excitement was amazing.
“I didn’t get back from the game for about two hours, but when I did I went straight to the Bell Tower,” Dawkins said. “It was crazy. There were so many people there, but it was really exciting.”
Students began chanting ‘Wolfpack’ and singing the Fight Song and Red and White. They also grabbed a volunteer from the crowd and threw him in the air 41 times, the number of points scored by NCSU.
“Everyone was having a great time,” Reaves said. “The excitement was so high and everyone had so much energy to burn. People were screaming and yelling at cars as they went by and we were cheering to pedestrians. The atmosphere was just amazing.”
Later that night, Reaves said she and her roommates went to Hillsborough Street to eat and found it to be very crowded.
“We went to El Rodeo and it was packed. Everyone was out celebrating our win,” she said.
Romero said he went to the celebration at the Bell Tower with his friends to see the red lights and take pictures.
“After that we went to Sammy’s to enjoy some buffalo bites and some beer. it was a good day for sure.”
