Preview: NC State Invades Chapel Hill

On Saturday afternoon NC State (6-5, 2-5) travels to Chapel Hill, NC to play North Carolina (6-5, 4-3) in what will be the 104th installment of the battle for the old North State.

Despite recent successes (2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011) against the Heels under former head coach Tom O’Brien, the Pack has dropped its last two games against their arch rival. Second year coach Dave Doeren is 0-1 against the boys in blue. UNC also holds a 65-32-6 overall mark over the Wolfpack.
With the proverbial monkey off each team’s back, expect a loose no-holds barred shootout from two explosive offenses that have nothing to lose. There is however a lot to gain. The difference between a 7-5 record for the winner and being 6-6 is enormous. Psychologically fans are more enthusiastic and will more readily buy into a program that they see as improving and 2 games above .500 rather than one just breaking even. Bowl and school officials who are always watching the bottom line, recognize that NCAA football is ultimately a business (whether they say so or not) and that advertising and tickets need to be sold. All of this would be much easier to do if your team were 7-5.

Kenan Stadium will be filled Saturday with Tarheel fans wanting to do to the Pack what UNC and Larry Fedora did the previous week to Duke in embarrassing the Blue Devils 45-20 in Durham.

To have a chance in this sure to be hostile environment, the Pack offensively averages 29.4 points per game and will need that amount and more. The Wolfpack defense, which can be solid at times, has given up 28.8 points per game this season. Yikes! With stats like those, there is not much room for error. The good news is that UNC has the exact same problem.

North Carolina State Wolfpack coach Dave Doeren Mandatory Credit: Liz Condo-USA TODAY Sports

When asked about this game Doeren said, “I’m really excited that the ACC has moved this game to the end of the year…I think it’s great for the rivalry and it is a great rivalry. The distance between the two schools makes it special. I’ve been in a lot of these kinds of games and it’s always heated. Regardless of the team’s records, these are always going to be big games for both schools.” Well said. It’s always a good start when the head coach publicly acknowledges that a rivalry game is not just another game. This may sound like a no brainer, but as Wolfpack fans well know, coaches sometimes do not always convey this.