NC State’s Emeka Emezie won’t forget his biggest mistake. It has propelled him to greatness

If you forget your mistakes, you can’t learn from them.

This is the magnet that draws Emeka Emezie to YouTube to find N.C. State’s loss at Wake Forest from last season.

There’s “that” play, as the N.C. State receiver calls it, from which to learn. There is the image, of a tearful college kid sobbing, cached for motivation.

“I’ve looked at it so many times,” Emezie said. “I just like to look up the game and watch the full game and watch that play.”

“That” play, a fumble by Emezie at the goal line late in the game, could be retired now, if Emezie wanted it to be.

In 23rd-ranked N.C. State’s seemingly never-ending supply of star receivers, it was Emezie’s turn in the win over Virginia last week. The 6-3, 208-pound sophomore from Waxhaw had five catches for 90 yards. He even made a spectacular catch at the goal line, for a 16-yard touchdown, to perfectly bookend the fumble from the Wake loss.

Going into this Saturday’s critical ACC game with Boston College (4-1), Emezie ranks second on the team with 20 catches for 244 yards and is tied for the team lead with two touchdown catches.

But that’s the thing. Emezie doesn’t want to forget the Wake fumble.

“It’s definitely motivation for this season,” Emezie (pronounced Eh-MEH-zee) said. “Forever, honestly.”

Picked up after a letdown

Here’s what happened at Wake Forest last Nov. 11:

N.C. State was without receiver Steph Louis, who had an ankle injury. Running back Nyheim Hines was held out for most of the second half as precautionary measure for a possible concussion and do-everything back Jaylen Samuels was struggling with fumbling issues.

N.C. State needed a playmaker to step up. Emezie, who came into the game with only one catch in ACC play, did just that. He had a spectacular 20-yard touchdown catch in the third quarter.

It looked like he was about to have another touchdown catch and put N.C. State in position to win the game. Down 30-24, Emezie caught a pass from Wolfpack quarterback Ryan Finley at the 6-yard line. He shook cornerback Ja’Sir Taylor and then got to the goal line.

Emezie tried to stretch the ball out over the goal line. Wake Forest safety Demetrius Kemp, who had sprinted across the field, knocked the ball free.

There are N.C. State fans who will argue that Emezie did score. If there had been a better camera angle to see the replay, maybe there would be more to argue.

What no one can argue is that Kemp made a great hustle play. Instead of the game being tied, and N.C. State only a PAT away from a potential win, Kemp knocked the ball loose and then was able to recover the fumble in the end zone.

Emezie was distraught. ESPN’s cameras captured him on the bench in tears. Emezie felt like he lost the game and, even worse, let his teammates down.

“That team was such a special team,” Emezie said. “I was a young guy, looking up to all of the older guys, I really wanted to have an impact on the team. I felt like I wasn’t able to have that as much until that game.”

The fumble and the crying could have turned Emezie into a Twitter meme but his teammates were there to pick him up. Tony Adams, Louis, Airius Moore, Garrett Bradbury all go over and talk to him on the bench.

“He got picked up by the planet Earth, to be honest,” N.C. State coach Dave Doeren said. “Everybody felt for him.”

Louis explained to Emezie it’s a team game and no one player takes the blame in a loss.

“It definitely wasn’t his fault,” Louis said.

Follow the leaders

Emezie had the best possible reaction to the fumble and the loss. He used the play to get better. In the spring and offseason workouts, Emezie was step for step with Louis, Kelvin Harmon and N.C. State’s veteran receivers.

“He worked really hard this summer and the success he is having now is a product of that,” Louis said.

Doeren credits the leadership of Louis and Harmon but also Emezie’s willingness to learn from them.

“What Steph and Kelvin do, they work as hard as any player in the country,” Doeren said after the UVA win. “And (Emezie) just said, ‘I want to be just like you.’ He went everywhere they went for a whole offseason.

“It’s easy to say you’ve got great leaders but it also takes the followers to know who to follow.”

Emezie has caught a touchdown pass in each of the past two games. The 30-yarder at Marshall was critical in that win. The one against Virginia was more poetic redemption. It was at the goal line and he ripped the ball away from the Virginia defender. He wasn’t going to be denied.

You can tell by his emotional reaction to the UVA touchdown he enjoyed it.

“One thing I need to work on is not losing my mind on the good plays,” Emezie said. “I just get so happy.”

But the elation is temporary. YouTube is just a click away to keep Emezie motivated.

“I try not to focus on the positive, more the negative, to make sure I keep going,” Emezie said.

This story was originally published October 4, 2018 at 3:58 PM.