N.C. State-North Carolina Clipboard

INSIDE THE GAME

It's easy to connect a wide turnover margin to N.C. State's 41-10 walloping of North Carolina on Saturday at Kenan Stadium.

Unexpectedly poor quarterback play by T.J. Yates and later Cam Sexton also contributed to the debacle for the Tar Heels.

Coach Butch Davis said Sunday that Yates had some mechanics breakdowns during the game that hadn't occurred during practice since he was reinstalled as starter last week after missing six straight starts because of a fractured ankle.

Yates and Sexton split reps in practice for a while early last week. That's not likely this week.

"We'll probably go into Tuesday knowing exactly who the quarterback is going to be," Davis said.

GAME BALLS

DE WILLIE YOUNG, NCSU: The junior is playing his best in November for the second straight season. He made two sacks, added another tackle behind the line of scrimmage and intercepted Yates.

QB RUSSELL WILSON, NCSU: He passed for a career-high 279 yards and rushed for 50 more, hitting Jarvis Williams for 55 yards and Owen Spencer for 54 on the biggest plays of the game.

GREAT CALL

State offensive coordinator Dana Bible's misdirection left a huge patch of open grass in front of the Tar Heels' sideline on a bootleg pass from Wilson to Spencer.

PENALTY MARKERS

* Davis gave the ball right back to Shaun Draughn on the first opportunity after he lost a first-quarter fumble. Draughn was immediately stripped by linebacker Ray Michel, who recovered to give N.C. State possession again. Few things frustrate a coach more than fumbles on consecutive carries by a running back.

* N.C. State's Bradley Pierson booted two kickoffs out of bounds on a cold, blustery day. The Wolfpack can't afford to make mistakes like that and give up field position next week against Miami.

NEXT UP

The Victory Bell isn't the only thing at stake in North Carolina's next rivalry game -- Saturday at Duke. With the ACC title out of reach, the Tar Heels' next objective should be to finish 8-4 and earn a bid to the most prominent bowl possible. The game time, announced Sunday, will be 3:30 p.m., and the game will be carried on ESPNU.

For the second straight season, N.C. State needs to win its finale to become bowl eligible. As Miami visits Carter-Finley Stadium, the Wolfpack is well aware of what can happen in this kind of game after losing 37-0 in last year's finale to Maryland. The game time, announced Sunday, will be noon, and Raycom will carry the game.