Nick Faulkner
Graduate center Garrett Bradbury picks up the fumble and tries to make the first down. The Wolfpack were tested by the Tar Heels, but came away with a 34-28 overtime win on Saturday, Nov. 24 in Kenan Memorial Stadium.
The 2010s was an eventful decade for Wolfpack football. It saw five bowl wins in eight appearances, four former Wolfpack QBs make their NFL debuts and plenty of exciting football games. From heated rivalry games to record-setting comebacks, here are the top five football games to go back and watch from the last decade:
No. 5
Date: Nov. 19, 2011
Location: Carter-Finley Stadium, Raleigh, North Carolina
Opponent: No. 7 Clemson Tigers
In one of two upsets against top-10 opponents on this list, the Wolfpack delivered a thumping to the seventh-ranked Tigers, posting three touchdowns in the second quarter alone to enter halftime up by a score of 27-3.
The Pack didn’t let off the gas in the second half either, continuing to shut down the Clemson offense by forcing two interceptions and allowing only 10 points to ice a 37-13 victory. In an otherwise mediocre 2011 NC State football season, this first leg of arguably the most exciting two-game stretch of NC State’s decade showed just how competitive ACC football can be.
No. 4
Date: Oct. 5, 2017
Location: Carter-Finley Stadium, Raleigh, North Carolina
Opponent: No. 17 Louisville Cardinals
If you like high-scoring, offensive spectacles, this game is right up your alley. In a battle between two quarterbacks who now face off in the NFL’s AFC North, Louisville alum Lamar Jackson against NC State alum Ryan Finley, the Pack opened the scoring in the second quarter when Finley tossed a 48-yard touchdown to wide receiver Kelvin Harmon. Both squads would trade blows in this high-octane, tightly contested match, but 24th-ranked NC State began to pull away in the second half.
Starting in the fourth quarter, Louisville clawed back from a 24-13 deficit, narrowing it to 32-25, as Jackson trotted onto the field looking to make some magic happen with just over three minutes to play. But NC State’s linebacker Germaine Pratt had other plans, as his pick-six solidified a 39-25 victory in the Pack’s favor.
This high-flying shootout, featuring over 350 passing yards from both Jackson and Finley as well as almost 1,000 total yards between the two squads, showcased two of the best quarterbacks in the ACC as two ranked programs duked it out on the gridiron.
No. 3
Date: Nov. 24, 2018
Location: Kenan Stadium, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Opponent: North Carolina Tar Heels
In maybe the most quotable matchup of the decade, which was perhaps most noted for a comment from NC State’s Finley where he referred to Kenan Stadium, the home of UNC football, as “Carter-Finley North.” There was also a clarification from Tar Heels head coach Larry Fedora that a postgame scuffle was really just “celebrating” by both teams.
In an old-school slugfest, which featured only one passing touchdown compared to seven such scores on the ground, running back Reggie Gallaspy Jr. put on a show with 129 rushing yards on 27 carries, including five trips to the end zone. Despite Gallaspy Jr.’s efforts, the game was deadlocked at 28 points each at the end of regulation, signaling overtime.
The Tar Heels started the overtime period with the ball but failed to convert that possession into points as a missed field goal gave NC State possession of the pigskin and a chance to wield bragging rights until the next clash between the two rivals. The Pack would capitalize on that chance, as Gallaspy Jr. punctuated his performance with his fifth and game-winning rushing touchdown. It was this game-clincher that immediately preceded the aforementioned “celebrating” between the two rival schools, adding fuel to the already blazing feud between the Wolfpack and the Tar Heels.
No. 2
Date: Nov. 26, 2011
Location: Carter-Finley Stadium, Raleigh, North Carolina
Opponent: Maryland Terrapins
Charles Dickens opened his novel “A Tale of Two Cities” with the famous line, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” Well, NC State’s last game of the 2011 regular season, one week removed from its upset of the seventh-ranked Clemson Tigers, was the tale of two halves. Despite its 2-9 record entering the ballgame, Maryland torched the Wolfpack defense in the first half to compile a 34-14 lead heading into the locker room. The Terrapins opened the scoring action in the second half as well with a 46-yard rush to the end zone, but that would be the last Maryland score of the afternoon.
Despite facing a 41-14 deficit, the NC State offense sparked to life, rattling off 42 unanswered points, including a pick-six by cornerback C.J. Wilson to seal the victory. This result constituted the largest comeback in school history and second-largest in conference history at the time. It may have been a rough start for the Pack, but watching it outscore Maryland 35-0 in the fourth quarter is can’t-miss football.
No. 1
Date: Oct. 6, 2012
Location: Carter-Finley Stadium, Raleigh, North Carolina
Opponent: No. 3 Florida State Seminoles
Upset over a top-five opponent? Check. Come-from-behind victory? Check. Game-winning score with under a minute to go? Check. Suffice it to say, this game had everything.
After losing a heartbreaker in its conference opener against the Miami Hurricanes, the Wolfpack engineered a heartbreak of its own to knock off third-ranked Florida State, but like the 2011 comeback against Maryland, it was the tale of two halves. The Seminoles shut out NC State in the first half, entering halftime leading 16-0.
But once again, the Wolfpack woke up in the second half and chipped away at FSU’s lead, while also stifling the Seminoles offense. Following an FSU punt that went out of bounds at Florida State’s 43-yard line, quarterback Mike Glennon led the NC State offense onto the field, still down 16-10. To top off a methodical 13-play drive, Glennon took the snap on fourth and goal from the 3-yard line with 19 seconds to play and found wide receiver Bryan Underwood over the middle for the touchdown, tying the contest at 16 points apiece.
After completing the PAT, NC State would hold off FSU and celebrate a 17-16 thriller of an upset. That iconic do-or-die touchdown pass was the culmination of an inspiring upset that highlighted an otherwise underwhelming 7-6 regular season for the Pack. It remains arguably the most memorable play of the past decade for NC State football.