…and the Wolf devoured the Ram NC State rips Carolina 35 -7
Hallelujah. The right Wolfpack team showed up on this gorgeous autumn Carolina Blue day in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. NC State (7-5, 3-5) repaid a debt two years in the making by mauling the UNC Tarheels (6-6, 4-4) in their own house 35 -7. A beat down for the ages. The Pack was 1:48 away from a shutout.
Hakim Jones began the week with bulletin board material for UNC on quarterback Marquise Williams’ weaknesses. Normally this behavior combined with Senior day emotions would not bode well for any visiting team. None of that matter today.
Credit to the NC State coaching staff….the team was well prepared for this one. Of course it is always a help when you have an extra week to prepare, but in a rivalry game anything can happen. From the onset the Wolfpack played smart and was aggressive on both sides of the ball. Junior quarterback and team leader Jacoby Brissett marched the offense down the field on a 9-play 79 yard opening drive to take a 7-0 lead. On the drive, Brissett performed his best Houdini impression escaping the Tarheel rush on multiple occasions en route to his best performance in a Wolfpack uniform.
Kudos to the Wolfpack faithful who made the trip into Blue Heaven. I saw a sea of red where it should not have been and a lot of empty blue seats; a possible indication that the ongoing football scandal and erratic play may be taking its toll.
Instead of the usual 3-headed monster rushing attack of Shadrach Thornton, Tony Creecy and Matt Dayes, Dave Doeren and his staff changed things up. What UNC got instead were heavy doses of a 2-headed beast: Thornton and Brissett. The two combined for 328 yards rushing and 2 touchdowns. Brissett would go on to add another 3 passing touchdowns.
Senior RB Shadrach Thornton’ s 58 yard run and a beautifully designed third down quarterback draw up the middle for 60 yards by Brissett, both in the 2nd quarter, were signs of good things to come. Thornton burst over the left side of the line into the end zone for a stunning 21-0 lead with 4:44 remaining in the 2nd quarter. On UNC’s possession the Pack’s defense stepped up culminating with a sack inside the Tarheel 5 yard line. On 4th and 30 UNC was bailed out with a roughing the punter penalty enabling them to keep the ball. At this point UNC had only 4 yards rushing in the game. Another penalty, a face mask this time, kept the Tarheel drive alive, but he Pack defense continued to hold strong. Defensive back Juston Burris ended any chance Carolina had to score with an interception of Williams’ deep pass with 1:06 remaining.
Nov 29, 2014; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina State Wolfpack fullback Tyler Purvis (47) celebrates a touchdown Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports
Halftime: NC State 21 – UNC 0
On the way to the locker room ACC Network sideline reporter Rachel Baribeau asked Dave Doeren “What do you tell them (Players)? How do they control their emotions in the second half?” Doeren’s response was interesting and unconventional. He responded, “ I don’t want them to control their emotions, I want them to use their emotions the right way and to finish this game the way we played the first 30 minutes…”
On the opening drive of the second half, Williams was sacked by senior defensive tackle T. Y. McGill for a loss of 11 yards injuring the Tarheel quarterback. In comes redshirt freshman Mitch Trubisky. It was that kinda day.
Brissett and his 6’4 230lb frame ran right, left and up the middle keeping the porous UNC defense off guard all afternoon. Even when everyone in Kenan Stadium knew what was coming they could do little to slow down Brissett or Thornton. On 3rd and goal from the Carolina 3 yard line, Brissett hit Tyler Purvis in the right side of the end zone for a touchdown. NC State 28 – UNC 0
On the next UNC drive…another 3 and out.
The Wolfpack again drove the ball downfield on an 11-play 60 yard drive that ended with a Brissett to fullback Tyler Purvis catch for his second TD of the afternoon. NC State 35 – UNC 0
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State not only took Carolina out behind the woodshed, but they dragged along siblings and cousins to boot. They administered an old fashioned whooping the likes of which none of us have witnessed in this rivalry for some time.
Carolina did not score until the 1:48 mark of the 4th quarter (thanks to a questionable 3rd and 15 pass interference call) avoiding the embarrassing shutout.
FINAL: NC State 35 – UNC 7
Game balls to the defense, offense and coaching staff. Co-MVP awards to Brissett and Thornton.
Quick Stats
QB: Jacoby Brissett- 14 carries for 167 yards rushing and 1 TD (9 of 11 for 66 yards and 3 TDs passing)
RB: Shadrach Thornton- 28 carries for 161 yards rushing and 1 TD
The Wolfpack dominated time of possession by over 17 minutes and finished with 388 yards rushing to UNC’s 30 yards.
In addition to only giving up 30 yards rushing, the Wolfpack defense logged 2 interceptions, 4 sacks, 10 tackles for loss and 207 total yards in what was easily their best defensive performance of the season.
UP Next: TBA Bowl Game