N.C. State (4-6, 1-5 ACC) vs. Virginia Tech (7-3, 4-2 ACC)
3:30 p.m., Saturday, Lane Stadium
ESPNU, WRAL 101.5 FM
N.C. State's dynamic duo of Russell Wilson and Toney Baker will face Virginia Tech on Saturday.
Key stats … There will be no late-season bowl run this year for Tom O’Brien’s club. Clemson’s dynamic C.J. Spiller put an end to those hopes last week. Now the Wolfpack travel north to the always hostile Lane Stadium where Frank Beamer’s 16th ranked Hokies sit waiting. Virginia Tech is out of the ACC Championship picture thanks to loses to Georgia Tech and UNC, but they still have a New Year’s Day bowl to play for. These two teams have squared off only twice since Virginia Tech joined the ACC six years ago, splitting contests in 2004 and 2005.
Ed. note: N.C. State travels to Chapel Hill tomorrow for a noon showdown against the Tar Heels, which will be broadcast on regional televlsion. Jake Swiger, a UNC student who runs his own blog, www.tarheelbuckeye.blogspot.com, kindly sent us the results of tomorrow’s clash, as played on NCAA 2009, a video game from GamePlay Video. Thanks, Jake!
In a battle between one of the nation’s best secondaries and most efficient quarterbacks, the Carolina defense prevailed, picking off Russell Wilson four times and returning two for touchdowns as the Heels stormed through the Wolfpack 38-17.
Wilson entered the game with only one pick, but pressure from UNC’s front four forced several uncharacteristic throws from the freshman.
On the other side of the field, TJ Yates started after missing most of the season. Yates finished 18-19 for 185 yards and a touchdown.
Despite the margin of victory, NC State moved the ball at will and out gained the Heels, marking the eighth time the Heel have been out gained offensively and still won this season. Continue reading »
Saturday afternoon in Raleigh, large colonies of purple broke the sea of red and black that formed the bulk of Carter-Finley Stadium’s sell-out crowd of nearly 60,000. No section or ceremony seemed sacred, either: Mutual tailgates were cloaked by those in bright red and bright purple. Shocks of purple appeared among the student seats. The elevators leading to the luxury boxes of Vaughn Towers hosted good-hearted (and often well-lubed) arguments between fans of both persuasions.
Driven by an intense, raucous, history, N.C. State’s 26-game rivalry with East Carolina remains one of the strongest and most peculiar in this state. The mixing between the universities seems unique among the larger schools in the state. Though ECU is a decent interstate jaunt from the Triangle, its rivalry with N.C. State seems fueled more by a propinquity of spirit. Though each school has several fine academic programs in its own right, neither school is among the nation’s perennial academic elite, unlike their western neighbors in blue. It’s a less catty fight than State’s battles with UNC-Chapel Hill, and it’s less self-deprecating than State’s more recent ventures versus Duke. I recognized this when my older brother played football at ECU before he attended State and again when I went to State myself: The students of the school’s are slightly kindred spirits, and that drives intercollegiate romances (co-ed Pirates and Wolves walked arm in arm today) just as much as it does athletic hatred. They love to torment each other.
Saturday’s 30-24 N.C. State victory against ECU in either team’s first overtime game of the year worked to bolster that rivalry: East Carolina, of course, came in as the heavyweights, ranked No. 15 in the nation and sporting a 3-0 record that included wins against Virginia Tech and West Virginia. N.C. State’s 1-2 record included a 34-0 season opening ass-handing courtesy of University of South Carolina and a decisive 9-27 loss in Clemson’s Death Valley. Shoulda been easy. Continue reading »
Kyle on "UNC holds off pesky NCCU with big second half, awaits selection committee": Mike Potter does Triangle sports fans a wonderful service by providing a unique perspective of events that may not otherwise receive media coverage. Thanks Mike for all you have done and continue to do in your outstanding career as a journalist and an ambassador for the Triangle.
caniacgirl on "Peters and pipes pickpocket a peck of prickly Penguins": I absolutely love the headline! Games like this one definitely reignite the little bit of playoff hope I have left in me. It should be an interesting few weeks that's for sure.
Greg Nccu Student on "Miller leads NCCU to 11th victory": There are a lot of Rumors on Campus about Joanna Miller leaving NCCU next year. Please Coach Robinson, We need to keep this player from gong to another College.
