RALEIGH -- On the last snap of his career for N.C. State, safety Clem Johnson saw that North Carolina quarterback T.J. Yates was uncomfortable in the pocket.
Yates didn't get his feet set, and Johnson broke on the ball, leaping high for a pass that sailed high and deep toward the Tar Heels sideline.
Johnson's interception with 16 seconds remaining clinched a 28-27, come-from behind win for the Wolfpack on Saturday at Carter-Finley Stadium. It gave N.C. State a third straight win over the rival Tar Heels.
It also might have knocked No. 23 North Carolina (8-4, 4-4 ACC) down a few positions in the ACC bowl selection order. And it brought a satisfying end to an otherwise frustrating season for the Wolfpack seniors.
"It means a lot," Johnson said, "just for the fact that we're in-state rivals, and our season wasn't necessarily what we expected it to be. For us to end on that note was huge."
Despite being eliminated from bowl contention two weeks earlier, N.C. State (5-7, 2-6) had a lot to play for. The Wolfpack players learned Monday that offensive coordinator Dana Bible would have to undergo treatment for leukemia and would be in isolation at UNC Hospitals.
For the first time since he coordinated Virginia's offense 13 years ago, coach Tom O'Brien took over the play calling. Quarterback Russell Wilson, who threw four touchdown passes, had Bible's name written in his eye black.
The players said they wanted to win to give Bible a lift.
"I love him," said Wilson, who threw for four touchdowns. "I just want to say thank you and keep praying for him. He's a very special person."
At halftime, it appeared that UNC would be the team that had a special day. Yates threw for 206 yards and two touchdowns on just eight passes in the first half as the Tar Heels led 24-14 at halftime.
None of that was a surprise because N.C. State's defense had given up at least 30 points in eight consecutive games. But the Pack made all the big plays in the second half as UNC self-destructed.
Wilson hit Owen Spencer for touchdown passes of 56 and 38 yards, the latter giving the Wolfpack its first lead at 28-27, 29 seconds into the fourth quarter. Tar Heels tight end Zack Pianalto's second holding penalty of the day helped squash one fourth-quarter drive deep in N.C. State territory.
North Carolina committed 10 penalties for a whopping 122 yards.
"We didn't play very smart today," said UNC coach Butch Davis, who's 0-3 against O'Brien in their three years at their current schools. "The penalties really hurt us. You can't have that many penalties, but especially on big plays like we did today."
The Tar Heels also committed two turnovers, while N.C. State didn't turn it over against an opponent that entered the game leading the ACC in takeaways. And with 4:45 left, Alan-Michael Cash, another Wolfpack senior, blocked a 38-yard Casey Barth field goal attempt that would have regained the lead for UNC.
Barth had made 16 field goal attempts in a row.
Wilson and running back Toney Baker helped milk all but 23 seconds off the clock, but Spencer missed a chance at his third touchdown when he dropped a pass in the end zone on fourth down.
That gave North Carolina and Yates a chance to drive for a winning field goal, but Johnson ended it quickly with his interception at the Tar Heels' 48-yard line. And O'Brien, who said this was his most difficult season ever because of more than a dozen season-ending injuries, was grateful for the way his seniors stuck with him.
"Thank God it's over," O'Brien said. "I don't think we could go play in a bowl if we had to. ... We're going to be a heck of a football team here. And it's all because of the seniors. As disappointing as this year is, I think some day we'll look back and say things turned, maybe, today."
