No rivalry bell or trophy but what is on the line for NC State and North Carolina
There’s an easy argument to be made that North Carolina has had the most interesting season in college football.
But with everything N.C. State has been through, Wolfpack coach Dave Doeren would like to make a counter-claim.
“I don’t think so,” Doeren said. “I think that would be us.”
Since there’s no Victory Bell or Old Oaken bucket at stake in this rivalry, the “most interesting” label might have to suffice for the Wolfpack (4-7) and Tar Heels (5-6) on Saturday night (7 p.m., ACC Network) at Carter-Finley Stadium.
With injuries, lineup changes and quarterback issues, N.C. State has fallen to 1-6 in the ACC in Doeren’s seventh season. The Wolfpack has lost five straight to fall out of the bowl picture for the first time since Doeren’s first season in 2013.
The only thing left on the line for N.C. State is to spoil the Tar Heels’ postseason plans and to continue its recent dominance in the series. The Wolfpack has won three straight and nine of the past 12 meetings between the Triangle neighbors.
“I’ve been to a bowl game every year,” fifth-year senior safety Jarius Morehead said. “I was expecting to go to a bowl this year. It didn’t happen. We’ve got to look at this as an opportunity to ruin their bowl plans.”
The Tar Heels, reinvigorated by the return of veteran coach Mack Brown, have played nine one-possession games this season. Brown has found a keeper in freshman quarterback Sam Howell, who leads the ACC in passing yards (2,946) and touchdown passes (32).
The overtime losses to Virginia Tech and Pittsburgh were notable but almost a sidenote compared to a one-point loss to Clemson on a failed 2-point try. The unbeaten Tigers, on track for a fifth straight ACC title and College Football Playoff appearance, won their other seven ACC games by an average of 40 points.
The Tar Heels can make a bowl game for the first time since 2016. It was UNC, in 2017 and ‘18, which struggled with injuries and quarterback instability. A combined 5-18 mark in those two years cost coach Larry Fedora his job.
Brown, who went 5-5 against N.C. State in his first go round as UNC’s coach from 1988 to ‘97, came back and has renewed interest in the program. The emergence of Howell, and his flair for fourth-quarter dramatics, has made for a compelling season. All of the excitement hasn’t quite translated into wins. UNC is just 3-6 in the one-possession games and 1-6 since a pair of close wins to open the season over South Carolina (24-20) and Miami (28-25).
The Heels find themselves in the same spot where N.C. State was in 2016: needing a win on the road in this game to become bowl-eligible. That was arguably the best win of Doeren’s tenure, a 28-21 decision over an 8-win UNC team with future NFL quarterback Mitch Trubisky and coming off of a Coastal Division title the year before.
Now it’s N.C. State on the wrong side of the injury luck. The Wolfpack will be without seven injured starters on Saturday and has used 45 different starters this season, the most by any “Power 5” team.
After lopsided losses to Boston College (45-24), Wake Forest (44-10) and Clemson (55-10), N.C. State has shown more fight in the past two weeks. But in losses to Louisville (34-20) and Georgia Tech (28-26), N.C. State has only been able to play one good half in each game.
To continue its dominance over UNC, N.C. State will have to do what it hasn’t since a 34-6 win over ECU in the opener: put two good halves together.
Doeren has won three straight over UNC. In ACC play, only his 5-2 mark against Syracuse is better than his 4-2 record against UNC.
“Every one of these games I’ve been part of has been very heated,” Doeren said. “I know how much we want to win, I know how much they want to win, I know what the fans are like the whole deal.”
Dave Doeren vs. UNC
Record: 4-2
2013: lost, 27-19 (home)
2014: won, 35-7 (road)
2015: lost, 45-34 (home)
2016: won, 28-21 (road)
2017: won, 33-21 (home)
2018: won, 34-28, OT (road)
Mack Brown vs. NC State
Record: 5-5
1988: lost, 48-3 (home)
1989: lost, 40-6 (road)
1990: lost, 12-9 (home)
1991: lost, 24-7 (road)
1992: lost, 27-20 (home)
1993: won, 35-14 (road)
1994: won, 31-17 (home)
1995: won, 30-28 (road)
1996: won, 52-20 (home)
1997: won, 20-7 (road)
This story was originally published November 29, 2019 at 11:53 AM.
