A lot of things went down the drain with NC State football’s 27-23 loss to Wake Forest at Carter-Finley Stadium on Thursday night. The Wolfpack’s chances at a New Year’s Six bowl game, 10 regular-season wins and an undefeated season at home are all gone.
The Pack still has three games to play: at Louisville, at UNC-Chapel Hill and vs. East Carolina. While all three of those are less-than-stellar opponents, NC State will need to avoid letting the feeling of the loss linger with those opportunities gone.
Louisville is in the midst of a dismal season, but with head coach Bobby Petrino being dismissed after the Cardinals’ most recent game, the Wolfpack could see a fired-up group in Kentucky this week.
UNC-CH is also not having a banner year but has played well in several of its losses and would probably like nothing more than to give its rival a late-season bloody nose. ECU is one of the worst teams in college football, but always gets up for games against in-season opponents.
The Wolfpack will need to come back motivated for all three of these games, because there are still things to play for this season. While the New Year’s Six is out of the picture now, NC State could still reach a solid bowl, such as the Music City or Camping World. Winning that bowl would give the team its first season with double-digit wins since 2002.
How the rest of the season goes will also tell a lot about the Pack’s senior leadership group and the legacy they leave behind here. Avoiding a stumble against the school’s rival will be pivotal in that regard as well.
The Wolfpack is on a two-game winning streak against Carolina. Head coach Dave Doeren has never lost at Kenan Memorial Stadium, and graduate quarterback Ryan Finley has never lost to them, period.
A senior leadership group that includes Finley, center Garrett Bradbury, running back Reggie Gallaspy and linebacker Germaine Pratt won’t want to go out with a loss to the Heels or either of the other two final opponents.
What happens in these final three games to follow up a heartbreaking loss will say a lot about the mental makeup of this program, both this season and going forward. Doeren already knows the makeup of his leaders and does not expect another let down.
“This team’s not going to quit; these coaches aren’t going to quit,” Doeren said. “We’re going to work. We’ll try to finish 3-0, finish the season, get back to work [and] get back to executing. The next game’s going to be a big deal. We’ll make a big deal out of getting better. All the people that were praising us are going to say what they say, and we’ve got to focus on getting better. This team won’t quit.”
While the loss to Wake Forest will leave a lingering “what if?” note for this season, what’s done is done in that regard. As long as it avoids another stumble, a strong season is still within the Wolfpack’s grasp. What happens in the final three games will determine what the story of the 2018 NC State football team ultimately looks like.
