With State’s disappointing football season and lack of offense, many students ask, “Why did you leave Russell, why?” This year, State has lacked the offensive flash that we have all been accustomed to the past three years.
There have been no last second defensive stands or late touchdown throws to put State ahead for the last time. With Wilson at the helm of State’s offense, it never seemed any game was out of reach or that we couldn’t drive the ball down the field in the shortest amount of time.
In 2008, ECU came into Carter-Finley ranked No. 14 in the nation after upsetting West Virginia. The Wolfpack were down to their last two minutes before Russell set up a drive to send the game into overtime where the Pack would prove victorious.
Who could forget “the catch” last year in Chapel Hill where Russell heaved a pass towards the back of the endzone and it miraculously found its way onto Owen Spencer’s shoe? Or last year’s defensive stand in the redzone against Florida State?
It seemed as long as Russell was here, State had hope and the defense thrived off of the offense. With the departure of Russell, these last-minute theatrics are a thing of the past. And now State fans are left suffering week after week as State can barely seem to put up any points against “real” competition.
Even though some may still, months later, be more bitter than others at Russell’s departure, there is one thing Pack fans can smirk about. Even though Wilson may have left for Wisconsin, it seems he forgot to pack one thing—his lucky jock strap.
Russell and his new Badger teammates had absolutely demolished every team they faced for the first half of the season. No team was even within four touchdowns of the Badgers. Enter Michigan State and Ohio State. These two teams were arguably the toughest team to date that Russell would face.
With eight minutes left, Wisconsin was down 14 points, but with a 22-yard touchdown run by Wilson and a touchdown pass with 1:26 left in the game, it seemed Wilson had staged another comeback. However, Michigan State answered with a touchdown of its own, answering the prayers of its fans in a last second Hail Mary.
This past weekend, with fewer than four minutes left in the game, Ohio State had a 12-point lead over Wilson and the Badgers. However, a 17-yard pass by Wilson with 3:40 left and another 49-yd pass from Wilson with just under 1:20, it seemed Wilson had led his new team to a Wolfpack-esque comeback. However, once again, the Badger’s defense failed and Ohio State scored on a broken play.
So as painful as it is for some Wolfpack fans to accept Wilson’s departure, there is one thing we can all reminisce in, thrilling ends to Wilson’s era at N.C . State, as we await the next person to fill the proverbial lucky jock strap.
