VIDEO: Remembering NC State’s 2-0 Record over Notre Dame

NC State can honestly say they have never lost to Notre Dame.

Sure, they’ve only played them twice, but you can’t argue with the stats:)

The Wolfpack defeated the Irish 28-6 in their first ever matchup on January 1st, 2003, in the Gator Bowl. This was an NC State team that was led by Philip Rivers, Jerricho Cothcery, and T.A. McClendon on offense, and “Thunder” Dantonio Burnette on defense.

#17 NC State entered the game against #11 Notre Dame as 2 point underdogs, but the Wolfpack did more than just cover the spread. They straight up handed it to the Irish.

There was creative play calling on offense, with wide receiver Bryan Peterson completing two passes, and scoring a touchdown off of a fumblerooski.

Rivers threw for 228 yards and 2 touchdowns, and Cotchery had 10 receptions for 127 yards and a touchdown.

On the defensive side, the Irish were thrown for a loop when Wolfpack linebacker Dantonio Burnett drilled quarterback Carlyle Holiday, knocking him out for the remainder of the game.

Last season, Notre Dame came to Raleigh as 2.5 Point underdogs in the midst of Hurricane Matthew, and the Wolfpack were able to handle the inclement weather better than the Irish. In total, the two teams amassed 311 total yards of offense combined, and there wasn’t a single offensive touchdown in the contest. NC State turned to backup quarterback Jalan McClendon, because of what he added to the game with his running ability. It would have been a different game without his 56 rushing yards. But the deciding factor in the game came in the fourth quarter, when the Wolfpack blocked the Irish’s punt, and Dexter Wright picked it up and ran into the endzone, making the score 10-3, which ended up being the final numbers on the Jumbotron.


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