Russell Wilson led the way with a four touchdown effort, Nate Irving had eight tackles for loss to erase Mario Williams from the school record books, and N.C. State (7-3,4-2 ACC) cruised past Wake Forest (2-8,1-6 ACC) in a 38-3 demolition Saturday afternoon at Carter-Finley Stadium. With the victory, State will enter next weekend’s showdown in Chapel Hill with control of its own destiny in the ACC’s Atlantic Division race.
After being out-gained 136-127 in first half yardage, the Pack seized momentum from a Wake team that hasn’t claimed a win since September 11th against Duke. While limiting the Demon Deacons to 51 second half yards, the Wolfpack pulled away behind the strength of several key leaders who said their final farewells to the Carter-Finley faithful. By the time freshman running back James Washington leapt into the end zone midway through the fourth quarter, most of the Pack’s standout seniors had already received acknowledgement for their performances on the afternoon and in their respective careers at State.
One of those leaders who received an appreciative ovation from the 57,161 spectators in attendance was the redshirt junior quarterback Russell Wilson, who was drafted in the fourth round of the MLB Draft by the Colorado Rockies this past summer. The Richmond, Va., native said walking out with the seniors in the pre-game presentation was a special moment no matter his decision of whether to join State for his final year of eligibility.
“It could be my last time,” Wilson said. “Coach [O’Brien] wanted me to get out there just in case. It’s definitely a special moment, and obviously I love N.C. State, this football team, and all the teams of the past, too. It’s been a great experience for me.”
Wilson completed 24 of 35 passes en route to his seventh 300 yard passing performance of the season. Although his future with the Pack is undecided, the former ACC Rookie of the year said he is still squarely focused on helping his team keep conference championship hopes alive.
“We still have to keep working,” Wilson said. “We have a great opportunity and we just have to keep pushing. Obviously we’re going to play a great team in Chapel Hill. We have to go over there, prepare the right way, and see what happens.”
Last weekend, timely losses from Florida State and Maryland handed N.C. State a second chance of reaching Charlotte on its own terms. With Saturday’s game being a case of relishing that opportunity on the field, the reality that 20 Wolfpack seniors donned the all-red home uniforms for the final time didn’t sink in until the last snap had been taken. For Irving, a senior captain who missed all of last season because of a near-fatal car crash in the preceding summer, reflecting on getting a second chance in life hit him hard in the contest’s aftermath.
“I think about it all the time,” Irving said. “In the meetings last night, Coach Swepson brought it up just to remind the team what I went through, how I got a second chance, and how we have to take advantage of that.”
With eight tackles for loss and 13 tackles overall, Irving saved arguably the best single game performance of his collegiate career for senior day. Mario Williams, now a standout defensive end for the Houston Texans, held the previous N.C. State all-time record in tackles for loss with six against Southern Miss in 2005. Coach Tom O’Brien said that watching Irving etch his name into the record books proves exactly how far he has come in the last 18 months.
“It’s a great day for Nate,” O’Brien said. “Just to see his Mom, Stepmother, and his Dad just so happy. They’ve come a long way from looking at him laying in a hospital bed breathing with tubes and everything else to being able to [see him] have a day like today. It’s a great story.”
Not to be lost in the emotional senior sendoff was the breakthrough victory for the Pack. While keeping State alive in the Atlantic division, the 7-3 record also represents the first occasion N.C. State has garnered seven regular season wins since 2003.
“The good thing about today is that you won seven games,” O’Brien said. “That’s a big deal for today. Going forward, it’s another win that gives you a chance to move on. We bounced back from last week and now we have to go on the road. It’s not an easy road, but we’re still alive and have a chance to get to Charlotte. The road has to go through Chapel Hill now.”
