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NC State Football

A Look Back At the UNC Beatdown

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9 years ago

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This past Saturday NC State played inspired football as they put together their best performance of the year against the Heels at Kenan Stadium. How did the Pack back up their pre-game comments prior in the week to secure a big time win on the road against bitter rivals? Here is our take on why the Pack dominated the Heels!

The Trenches

The importance of winning the battle for the line of scrimmage in football cannot be overstated, the team that is more physical at the point of attack is usually the victor. Case and point this past Saturday, NC State absolutely whipped UNC upfront. Our veteran O-Line consistently fired off the ball to de-cleat Carolina’s D-Line, which opened up huge running lanes for the Pack. In total the Wolfpack rushed for 388 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Our D-Line was also instrumental in disrupting UNC on offense. Marquise Williams was unable to find any rhythm due to being plagued by a constant barrage of NC State players that yielded a total of 4 sacks and numerous knockdowns! The physical beating was too much for Marquise, as he had to exit the game due to an apparent leg injury.

Jacoby Brissett

From the get go Jacoby was dialed in as the offense landed the first punch scoring on their first possession. Throughout the game Jacoby used all of his strengths to over match a helpless UNC defense by using both his arm and legs to create big plays. Countless times Jacoby improvised with his legs to break off big gains on the ground. A couple of runs Jacoby had were highlight worthy as he was able to juke his way around multiple defenders. In the red-zone Jacoby was surgical in finding open Wolfpack receivers to cap off long drives. Brissett finished the day with 172 yards rushing and 66 yards passing while accounting for a total of 4 touchdowns on the day.

Ground Attack

Racking up 388 yards rushing is a feat that should be celebrated especially in today’s pass happy colligate landscape! The Pack made a statement that they were the tougher of the two teams that were playing this past Saturday and wanted to make sure everyone who watched knew this. Shadrach Thornton was the workhorse on the day carrying the rock 28 times for 161 yards and a touchdown.

I truly believe Shadrach is one of the best running backs in the ACC, however; too often his talent has been overshadowed by his off field misconduct. This season he has displayed excellent vision and burst hitting the hole, which has resulted in him averaging over 5 yards a carry on the season. In our upcoming bowl game pay close attention to Shadrach as he uses slows down to read his blockers and then explodes for big gains.

Confidence

It was evident after the first scoring drive of the game that the Wolfpack knew they were going to win. Many fans probably watched the first half anxiously awaiting something bad to happen or for our guys to fall apart. I have been guilty of this at times this season, however; this game was different in the way NC State used superior energy and toughness to break Carolina’s will. The defense put itself front and center due to comments made in the week leading up about Marquise Williams and how our their goal was to make him quit. They backed up their comments and played a flawless game defensively that left the Tar heels baffled.

The game was never in doubt due to our teams focus and willingness to play hard. You could tell that our guys wanted this win and just how much they respected the rivalry. Hats off to Coach Doeren and his staff for getting the guys ready for the Heels.

Look for the Pack to ride this momentum into a bowl game in one of four top tier options for the ACC. These options include the following:

  • The Belk Bowl in Charlotte versus a SEC team. December 30th
  • The Sun Bowl in El Paso, TX versus a Pac-12 team. December 27th
  • The Pinstripe Bowl in New York City versus a B1G Ten team. December 27th
  • The Music City Bowl in Nashville versus a SEC team. December 30th

The Pack should learn its’ destination this coming weekend following the ACC Championship game featuring Florida State vs. Georgia Tech.

 

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NC State Baseball

NC State has Dominated UNC in Athletics in 2023-24

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2 hours ago

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April 20, 2024

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After NC State clinched a series victory over UNC last night in Baseball, I thought it would be a good time to relish in how the Wolfpack has dominated the Tar Heels Athletic Program as a whole in 2023-24.

The Wolfpack Baseball team has won the first two games in the series against the Tar Heels, clinching a series victory over UNC for the first time since 2021. It marks the first time NC State has won a series against the Tar Heels in Raleigh since 2016.

NC State defeated UNC in Volleyball 3-1, winning in Chapel Hill for the first time in 25 years. The Tar Heels had won the last 5 matches against the Wolfpack.

The Wolfpack defeated the Tar Heels 39-20 in Football in Carter-Finley Stadium. It marked the 3rd consecutive win over UNC.

NC State lost both regular season games to UNC in Men’s Basketball, but when it mattered most, the Wolfpack defeated the Tar Heels in the ACC Championship Game 84-76, winning their first title since 1987.

The Wolfpack Women’s Basketball team lost to their rival in Chapel Hill, but defeated UNC 63-59 in Reynolds Coliseum. NC State has won 5 of the last 7 against UNC.

In Gymnastics, NC State defeated UNC 196.725-194.925 in Raleigh. This marked the 3rd straight victory for the Wolfpack over the Tar Heels.

NC State’s Men & Women’s Swimming & Diving teams both beat UNC. The Men won 258-93, and the Women won 196-157.

The Wolfpack Wrestling team defeated UNC 33-6 in Reynolds Coliseum. NC State has won 11 straight Duals against the Tar Heels.

The NC State Men’s Tennis team defeated UNC 4-0, winning against their rival in back-to-back years.

The Wolfpack Women’s Tennis team has defeated the Tar Heels 4-3 on two occasions thus far this season, and will face their rival again today.

The Cross Country teams didn’t have individual meets against UNC, but the Women obviously beat them, because they won the ACC Championship. The Men didn’t, finishing 8th in the Conference, with the Tar Heels finishing 1st.

The only other NC State athletic team that didn’t taste victory against UNC this year was the Women’s Soccer team, losing 0-4 in Raleigh.

Of course, each of these NC State athletic teams has much higher goals than just beating their rival, but there’s no denying how sweet it is to beat the Tar Heels.

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NC State Football

WATCH: Hollywood Smothers Leads NC State in Rushing at the Spring Game

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2 days ago

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April 18, 2024

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Redshirt Freshman Hollywood Smothers seemingly was the 3rd string Running Back in NC State’s 2024 Spring Game a few weeks back, but at the end of the game, he had more rushing yards than any other back.

Smothers rushed the ball 8 times for 75 yards. He possesses explosive speed, as well as excellent vision.

Check out Pack Insider’s Tape of Smothers from the Spring Game.





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NC State Football

NC State Offers FCS Interior Offensive Lineman D’Angalo Titialii

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3 days ago

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April 17, 2024

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NC State offered Interior Offensive Lineman D’Angalo Titialii (6’2″/320) today. After entering the Portal, the Wolfpack were the first to offer him.

Titialii spent his first three seasons at Portland State, which competes in the FCS. This year, he was the starting Center for the Vikings, and the year before he was their starting Left Guard. Over three seasons, Titialii started in 28 of the 32 games he played in.

Titialii is an intriguing prospect, considering he can play numerous positions on the Offensive Line.

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NC State Football

NC State Offers FCS DT Elinus Noel III

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3 days ago

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April 17, 2024

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After Elinus Noel III (6’2″/230) entered the Transfer Portal yesterday, it didn’t take long for NC State to extend an offer.

He also has picked up offers from Baylor and Temple.

Noel III played last year at Texas Southern, which is in the FCS. As a Junior, he had 52 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks in 10 games.

Prior to Texas Southern, Noel III spent his first two seasons at Nicholls State, where he recorded a total of 53 tackles.

247Sports ranked him as a 3-Star prospect in the 2021 recruiting class out of New Orleans (LA).

Noel III has 1 year of eligibility remaining.

With Nick Campbell entering the Transfer Portal, NC State is in the hunt for some depth at Nose Tackle. Even if the staff were to feel confident with what they have in JR Brandon Cleveland and RS-SODJ Jackson, the Wolfpack is in need of depth at the position.

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