Spencer atones for drop

CHAPEL HILL -- Owen Spencer grabbed the ball with both hands and squeezed it tightly, even after he got 8 yards deep in the end zone.

The N.C. State receiver was not going to let the ball escape his grasp, not after dropping a touchdown in the second quarter of N.C. State's 41-10 over North Carolina on Saturday at Kenan Stadium.

"I didn't want to let it go until my teammates came over to celebrate," the sophomore receiver said. "I was ready for that one."

Spencer finished with a game-high 94 yards on three catches. His 21-yard touchdown from Russell Wilson came one play after UNC fumbled a kickoff in the third quarter. Spencer's score put the Wolfpack up 31-10 and effectively put the game away.

Spencer was eager to atone for the drop in the second quarter and one on a deep pass from Wilson earlier in the third quarter. Going back to the Wake Forest win last week, Spencer dropped five passes in two games -- three were potential touchdowns.

"It hurts," Spencer said. "All dropped balls do but you have to let it go."

Wolfpack coach Tom O'Brien encouraged Spencer at the half after the drop in the end zone.

"You're going to make a play," O'Brien told Spencer at the half. "Hang in there."

After J.C. Neal stripped Robert Quinn on a kickoff return at 1:28 in the third quarter. Spencer got his second chance. WIlson didn't hesitate to thread a post pattern down the heart of UNC's secondary, despite Spencer's recent problems.

"He's a strong-willed guy," Wilson said. "He's not going to get down on himself no matter what happens. I had all the faith in the world in him."

Spencer, who leads State with 27 receptions and 566 receiving yards for the season, impressed O'Brien.

"It's a credit to him that he kept his chin up and kept swinging," O'Brien said.

GOOD HEELS, BAD HEELS: UNC losses have one common thread -- turnovers. The Heels are minus-12 in their four losses, with a season-high six turnovers on Saturday, and plus-16 in their seven wins.

Running back Shaun Draughn fumbled twice -- on the first two possessions of the game -- while T.J Yates threw an interception and Cam Sexton threw two. The sixth turnover came on a kick return.

"You can almost totally disregard any of the other stats," UNC coach Butch Davis said.

Conversely, State did not turn the ball over with quarterback Russell Wilson extending his streak without an interception to seven games and a span of 203 attempts. State has just two turnovers in its past six games.

MORE PERSONNEL LOSSES: Even in a 31-point win, State lost two players. Safety Clem Johnson sprained his ankle and missed most of the second half. Before the game, it was announced that senior guard Curtis Crouch, a one-time starter, was kicked off the team.

"He didn't live up to the expectations of an N.C. State football player so he is no longer a part of the program," O'Brien said.

State went large portions of the season without quarterback Russell Wilson and linebacker Nate Irving.

"It never ends," O'Brien said. "But these kids, they don't know. They keep playing and someone else comes in and fights."