When the 2009-10 football schedule was released and I saw Murray State, I thought to myself, “Where in the world is Murray State?” It’s a question I’m sure at least 75 percent of the student body thought as well. The point isn’t where Murray State is located on a globe; the fact of the matter is players, fans and coaches alike approached this game as one the Pack should win.
I’m not in any way saying Murray State is a joke or a bad football team. The Racers won their opener 66-10. They know how to put points on the board and they are not a pushover team. Plenty of FCS teams come into big Division-1 schools and give good teams a run for their money.
The beauty of this game was the attitude the Pack played with. In Murray State’s first two drives, including the first offensive play from scrimmage of the game, the Wolfpack defense forced a fumble and recovered it. N.C. State didn’t look at this game as a sure thing at any point in the game.
It was a wonderful thing to watch when the Pack was clicking on all cylinders. After losing a tough battle against a very solid South Carolina team, 7-3, it was nice to put some points on the board. But I was in no way expecting 65. That’s the highest total for an N.C. State team since 2002, when Phillip Rivers and crew abused Navy, 65-19. The 65-point rout was also the highest point total for any team coached by Tom O’Brien.
All in all, say what you will about Murray State, but the Wolfpack looked like a well-oiled machine. The team came into Carter-Finley and took care of business in dominating fashion like it was supposed to.
And now, for the obligatory reality check. Murray State is not a bad team — we’ve covered that. But this game doesn’t mean much in the grand scheme of things. For bowl-game purposes, this won’t go down as a quality win, but that doesn’t make it any less important. The rout proved to the players and fans that State can score, and they can score a lot.
After losing to South Carolina, I felt like a little kid on Christmas morning who didn’t get the only thing he asked Santa for after being very well-behaved all year. But this win made up for that rough loss.
