In the aftermath of the homecoming game against Clemson, it’s especially important to step back and take a holistic view of this year’s football season. For long time fans of the Pack, this football season has been a true gem to watch. After years of disappointment, we have witnessed a football season like no other. Coach Dave Doeren, with the help of critical players like Bradley Chubb and Nyheim Hines, has led the pack to becoming nationally ranked, a feat that has not been accomplished since 2010 and the first under his tenure as head coach for the team.
Regardless of whether we achieve every fan’s dream of winning the ACC championship or fall short, we can still consider ourselves lucky for even having witnessed such an incredible run. Like every saga worth watching, this season was filled with trials and tribulations along with victories from start to finish. From the initial launch of the season, beginning with our loss to the University of South Carolina, fans assumed this would be yet another typical Wolfpack season — one where a .500 record is accepted.
Fans quickly realized this season was going to be a special one with the upset over the perennial NCAA contender, Florida State University. Following this victory, the pack beat Syracuse launching us into unfamiliar ranked territory. The defining win of the season was against Louisville, which was led by Heisman winner Lamar Jackson. The culmination of the season’s wins placed the Pack at #14 nationally, a rank even the most fervent pack fans would have struggled to imagine possible.
A huge driver of our success can be attributed to the likely NFL draft picks produced by Doeren’s five-year program: the breakthrough defensive lineman, Bradley Chubb, the elusive running back, Nyheim Hines and the consistently talented quarterback, Ryan Finley. While these are certainly not the only members of the team responsible for the pack’s success, they have proved to be the marquee players on the field. Bradley Chubb’s dominance on the field in particular has generated the most fan support with rumbles of him being able to compete for a Heisman trophy.
Fan support for the football team has increased by volumes (both literally and metaphorically). The game against the University of Louisville has been labeled by Coach Doeren as the best crowd atmosphere for a football game he has witnessed saying, “It was electric. … Our student section was the best I’ve ever seen.” This game broke the paradigm of the stadium emptying out by the third quarter; instead, fans maintained their support of the pack from the opening play to the clock hitting 0:00 in the fourth quarter. And for good reason too, as this game marked the first time the pack defeated a top-25 team at home since 1992.
The Pack’s spotty football history makes this season’s rise feel especially memorable. Losses like the infamous 2016 Clemson game or the nail-biting FSU game also in 2016 have come to be known as quintessential NC State football games. They were games that came so close to be materialized as critical wins just to fall an inch or two short.
To be a student currently witnessing this potentially historic run where the wins are actualized has been one of the best experiences in my time as a State student, and this is all me speaking as someone who has never been an ardent follower of football. Perhaps the best part of the experience is being a part of the communal love for the Wolfpack. Being in Carter-Finley Stadium with hundreds of other equally passionate supporters of the Pack is an experience like no other.
Even with the bitter losses to Notre Dame and Clemson, this season has delivered something truly memorable. For years to come, Wolfpack fans will be able to reminisce about the many records that were broken this season, from being ranked to defeating a top-25 opponent in Carter-Finley.
The fact that there were once serious talks this season about the possibility of NC State being in the NCAA playoffs should indicate how fortunate Pack fans are to have witnessed this season. And if the impact of this season is not enough to cure the post-Clemson blues, just remember that we are not currently 1-8 this season unlike some neighboring schools.
