From Gio’s return to a 2-yard Hail Mary, State-Carolina rivalry filled with memorable plays
With college football rivalry games, it’s often the anticipation that fuels the biggest excitement.
Think of the biggest moments in N.C. State’s rivalry with North Carolina:
UNC’s Gio Bernard settling under a punt, the score tied, time fleeting ...
The Pack’s T.A. McLendon rumbling up the middle, diving, straining, the goal line in sight ...
Quarterback Russell Wilson of the Wolfpack, backpedaling, backpedaling, buying time, lifting a “Hail Mary” pass toward the corner of the end zone ...
It’s the kind of game where your star players often are the stars but there also can be unexpected twists. A year ago, the Tar Heels were 2-8 and the Pack 7-3 when they played at Kenan Stadium in Chapel Hill. It took overtime to decide it. It took five rushing touchdowns by the Pack’s Reggie Gallaspy II, including the clincher in OT.
This year, the Tar Heels need a win Saturday to qualify for a bowl in Mack Brown’s return as coach, return to the rivalry. The Wolfpack is 4-7 but can be the spoiler and win for the seniors. It’s a night game at Carter-Finley Stadium. It’s State-Carolina.
Here are 10 memorable moments in the rivalry in the past four decades:
1. “He’s got a wall, look out!”
UNC 43, NC State 35
Oct. 27, 2012, Chapel Hill
UNC’s Gio Bernard wanted one last chance, and got it. Catching a Pack punt at the UNC 26, he made a quick move to his right, picked up blockers and sped 74 yards for the winning touchdown with 13 seconds left, leaving Kenan Stadium in bedlam. The Tar Heels added a two-pointer for a 43-35 victory in Larry Fedora’s first year as UNC coach. The Pack’s Tom O’Brien, after five straight wins in the series, lost for the first -- and what proved to be the only -- time.
2. Did he or didn’t he?
UNC 30, NC State 24
Oct. 9, 2004, Chapel Hill
Many fans agreed the end of the game would be talked about for years to come, and 15 years later the talk continues. Pack tailback T.A. McLendon was first ruled to have scored on a 3-yard run by linesman Mike Owens, but line judge Rick Page ruled McLendon’s knee was down before the ball crossed the goal line. There was no official review and the scant amount of video of the play was inconclusive. The points came off the board, the Pack ran another play, McLendon was hit and fumbled and the Tar Heels recovered to win.
3. Two-yard Hail Mary?
NC State 29, UNC 25
Nov. 20, 2010, Chapel Hill
This was some Russell Wilson wizardry. The Wolfpack trailed 19-10 and had fourth-and-goal inside the 3. Wilson, under pressure, circled out to his right and drifted back and back to the 20 before lifting a Hail Mary pass to the right back corner of the end zone. The ball was batted out of a crowd of players and caught by the Pack’s Owen Spencer inches above the ground for the touchdown, sparking the comeback win.
4. Coaches under pressure
UNC 10, NC State 6
Nov. 11, 1999, Charlotte
The game, for the second year, was played in Charlotte with both coaches -- NCSU’s Mike O’Cain and UNC’s Carl Torbush -- said to have their jobs in jeopardy. Pack receiver Chris Coleman was stopped just short of the goal line after a fourth-down pass from Jamie Barnette as defensive backs Errol Hood and David Bomar made the stop. Because of quarterback injuries, tailback Domonique Williams was used at QB by Torbush and passed for the game’s only TD. Torbush survived the season; O’Cain did not, being fired. In an unusual twist, Torbush then hired O’Cain for his staff.
5. Convoluted conversion
NC State 35, UNC 34
Oct 18, 1986, Chapel Hill
It was a two-point play that worked -- and didn’t work. The Tar Heels scored with eight seconds left on a Mark Maye pass, then went for a two-point conversion and the lead. Tight end Dave Truitt delayed at the line, then was open on the left side of the field. Maye, under pressure, was low with the throw. Truitt caught the ball and trotted into the end zone, causing UNC fans to celebrate, but the referee ruled -- correctly -- that Truitt’s knee was down when he went down to make the catch. Just like that, the Wolfpack was celebrating.
6. A game up for grabs
NC State 31, UNC 27
Nov. 10, 2007, Raleigh
NCSU coach Tom O’Brien and UNC’s Butch Davis faced off for the first time in the rivalry. The Pack led 17-0, UNC rebounded to take a 27-24 lead and a late TD by the Pack’s Jamelle Eugene gave N.C. State the lead. UNC’s last-gasp drive came down to fourth-and-goal at the 7. But T.J. Yates’ pass to Hakeem Nicks, the Tar Heels’ big-play receiver, was knocked away by cornerback Jimmie Sutton III in the left corner of the end zone with one second remaining.
7. “It comes down to Hartman’s foot”
NC State 12, UNC 9
Sept. 29, 1990, Chapel Hill
The game wasn’t that thrilling but the ending was -- for Wolfpack fans. With the score 9-9, the Pack’s Damon Hartman lined up a 56-yard field goal. The kick was true and N.C. State players swarmed the field chasing after Hartman, who wore No. 13. The Pack had won easily the previous two years but this one took a full 60 minutes in Brown’s third season as UNC coach. Hartman’s kick is the longest in NCSU history.
8. Fuzzy ending
UNC 30, NC State 28
Nov. 24, 1995, Raleigh
The Tar Heels led 30-14 on a cool, soggy day before quarterback Terry Harvey and the Pack battled back in the final five minutes of the fourth quarter, scoring twice. The Pack converted one two-point conversion, then went for another and a tie after scoring with seven seconds left. But tight end Mark Thomas, Harvey’s intended target, was grabbed by defensive back Fuzzy Lee, who later admitted to the interference. No penalty was called and Harvey’s scrambling pass fell incomplete.
9. “Onside Kick Game”
UNC 21, NC State 10
Oct. 17, 1981, Raleigh
Monte Kiffin was the Pack coach and had some trickery in mind for the No. 4 Tar Heels. The plan, Kiffin later said, was to go with an onside kick if the Pack scored first in the game. The Wolfpack did score but there was a penalty for excessive celebration and Kiffin held off. But with the Pack leading 10-0 at the half, Kiffin elected to open the second half with the onside kick. It backfired. The Tar Heels recovered at midfield, scored and controlled the rest of the game.
10. Coaching throwdown
UNC 35, NC State 14
Sept. 25, 1993, Raleigh
This might have been the most infamous moment in the series. Players sometimes scrap during heated rivalry games -- it happened in 1993 and after last year’s game -- but coaches? After Brown had beaten the Pack for the first time, UNC assistant coach Donnie Thompson tackled NCSU offensive coordinator Ted Cain on the field and it took a half-dozen people, including a few players, to separate the two. The ACC later suspended both assistant coaches for their lack of discipline.
This story was originally published November 29, 2019 at 10:36 AM.
