N.C. State has a history of upsets in season openers over the years. Iowa, Texas and Syracuse were some of the victims. But they didn't always translate into big seasons.

Former N.C. State defensive tackle Carl Reeves fondly recalls the buildup to the 1992 Kickoff Classic, when huge, cocky Iowa players laughed at him and his N.C. State teammates.

Ex-Pack defensive back Terrence Holt remembers that he was only a backup on the punt-block team in 1999 at Texas, and a teammate's injury thrust him into the limelight in the season opener.

Running back Tremayne Stephens calls the stunned silence in 1997 at Syracuse after Torry Holt's winning two-point conversion catch the greatest moment of his N.C. State career.

"I will never forget the look on the faces of the [Syracuse] players and the fans in the Carrier Dome," Stephens said.

Those three games were among the most high-profile openers N.C. State has ever played against nonconference opponents. They were the kind of games players never forget.

Tonight's game could be added to the list.

The Wolfpack visits South Carolina and Steve Spurrier at 8 p.m. in ESPN's marquee Thursday night game on the opening night of the season. N.C. State coach Tom O'Brien said it's an important night for his program.

"You only get so many opportunities to do this," O'Brien said. "That's one good thing about playing on Thursday night. Especially this Thursday night, the first one. Everybody that doesn't want to watch politics can watch football."

In the long term, perhaps, such a game can play dividends in terms of exposure that can open doors for N.C. State in recruiting. A memorable night to start the season on national TV also could create an inside track to a better bowl destination should one or both teams become eligible.

In the short term, the results tonight won't forecast much in terms of the rest of the season, as the 23-20 win at 17th-ranked Texas in 1999 demonstrated. Terrence Holt, now a safety for the Carolina Panthers, blocked two punts to set up touchdowns in that game.

"That showed us signs of what we could become," Holt said. "It was a great win for us and the program. It got us some national standing because everybody was saying 'Who's N.C. State?' We were total underdogs, but we ended up winning."

But it wasn't long before everybody was saying, "Who's N.C. State?" again.

The Wolfpack lost six of its last nine games to finish 6-6, and coach Mike O'Cain was fired at the end of the season.

The Syracuse win also didn't portend an outstanding season. At one point in 1997, N.C. State lost five times in six games. The Wolfpack finished 6-5.

In some ways, Stephens said, that Syracuse win spoiled the N.C. State players. He said fellow students clapped for them in class, and some players lost their sense of humility. The seniors tried to hold the team together, with only moderate success.

"It's hard not to think, 'Hey, I'm a rock star, man,' " Stephens said, explaining the destructive mind-set that took over the team.

Only in 1992, when the Wolfpack finished 9-3-1 and played in the Gator Bowl, did a high- profile nonconference win in a season opener lead to a top 25 ranking in the final Associated Press' poll. N.C. State defeated 15th-ranked Iowa 24-14.

Nonetheless, N.C. State administrators were eager for this opportunity when ESPN vice president for programming and acquisitions Dave Brown approached them about the home-and-away series with South Carolina.

N.C. State was having trouble working out a home-and-away agreement with Tennessee, so Brown's offer presented a solution. The return trip to Raleigh is scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 3, 2009.

"It worked out great for us," said N.C. State athletic director Lee Fowler.

"It was years we needed a home and away, and it worked out for South Carolina, too. Coming out of the box, you kind of remember those [opening Thursday night games] throughout the year."

At the very least, there is a special enthusiasm in practice, on campus and in town when a team is playing a high-profile opener. Stephens said he's so excited he might put his helmet on Thursday night when he's watching his former team.

N.C. State, a double-digit underdog, has suffered key training camp injuries to top wide receiver Donald Bowens and starting tailback Jamelle Eugene that will keep them out tonight.

But Stephens remembers that nobody gave N.C. State a chance before it won 32-31 in overtime at 13th-ranked Syracuse in 1997. And tight end Anthony Hill said the star power of the matchup and the TV opportunity has had N.C. State's players on edge for months.

"It's different when you're training during the summer and you're preparing for a high-profile team like that," Hill said. "You work a little bit harder. You push a little bit more so you can prepare yourself for that team."

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