As football season quickly approaches, Technician Sports has already taken a couple looks back in the past and wanted to flashback to our staff’s favorite NC State football memories. From 2010 to just last year, our writers all had very unique experiences from their favorite games.
Kevin Sebastian, Correspondent
Oct. 8, 2016 – NC State 10, Notre Dame 3
At the risk of being kicked off the writer’s staff, I’ll have to admit I’m a lifelong Notre Dame fan and was rooting for them to win this game. But despite the loss my Irish took, this game was very enjoyable for me and one I’ll never forget. Usually, entertaining football games feature high scores, turnovers, rapid change of possession and maybe a game-winning drive, but an oft-forgotten aspect that makes these games entertaining is the blooper reel produced by both teams, which, in this game, happened to be very long.
This game will be remembered foremost for being played in the middle of Hurricane Matthew’s descent on the Carolinas, so of course it can be hard to laugh at a play on the field if it resulted in a player being injured. But with the benefit of hindsight and the knowledge that no one was seriously injured, it’s a different story. It’s easier to chuckle when normally automatic field goals barely creep over the crossbar, footballs slip out of the hands of quarterbacks, punters see their punts either fall short or get blocked altogether or the weather conditions turn the Carter-Finley Stadium field into the world’s largest slip ‘n slide. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say this was the best water polo match I’d ever had the privilege of watching. But even after four years of thought, I still think it might be.
Marty Madar, Staff Writer
Oct. 5, 2017 – NC State 39, Louisville 25
There are so many different, phenomenal games to choose from in my many years as a Wolfpack fan. However, one definitely stuck out. The 2017 Thursday night home game against No. 17 Louisville, featuring Heisman QB Lamar Jackson, was a game like no other. The seats were more packed than I’ve ever seen, the fans were louder than I’ve ever seen, both teams were top 25, and both teams were 4-1 to start the season.
Both the offense and defense was top notch for the Pack that game, containing the high-powered Louisville offense to 25 points while scoring 39. Ryan Finley passed for 367 yards on 20 of 31 attempts while throwing for one touchdown. Nyheim Hines rushed for 102 yards with two rushing touchdowns. Kelvin Harmon, Jaylen Samuels and Stephen Louis combined for 336 receiving yards. The entire offense was clicking and so was the defense. The loudest I’ve heard Carter-Finley was when Germaine Pratt intercepted Lamar Jackson and stiff-armed him near the end zone to complete a pick six. Not to mention the stadium was rocking all four times Jackson was sacked, and fans taunted the Heisman winner. It was a truly chaotic and euphoric experience.
Rachel Bilenki, Senior Sports Writer
Sept. 1, 2018 – NC State 24, James Madison 13
Back in the fall of 2018, I entered NC State as a freshman, and nothing could prepare me for NC State football. On Sept. 1, I attended my first ever game, our season home opener versus James Madison University. I woke up at the crack of dawn to get ready for the noon game, then packed myself onto a Wolfline bus and headed towards Carter-Finley. As soon as I stepped off the bus, I was hit with a sea of red and about 50,000 of my closest friends, screaming things about JMU that I can not repeat.
As soon as one person would scream “Wolf,” they would get a “Pack” response within seconds, by hundreds of people, which only got louder as the game went on. Every touchdown induced cheers by thousands as cannons shot. By the end of the fourth, NC State had its first win of the season, 24-13. Crowds poured out of the stadium in joy, driving home with their Wolfpack flags tied to their cars. Never in my life have I seen such school spirit and a group of people who are so passionate about their school like our NC State fans. That was just one of the many nights that we could “light it red.”
Will Thornhill, Staff Writer
Nov. 3, 2018 – NC State 47, Florida State 28
Not growing up an NC State fan, my football memories are restricted to two years, shorter than most of the sports section at Technician. However, one game does stick out from my freshman year in 2018, the 47-28 drubbing of Florida State on homecoming in front of a packed Carter-Finley Stadium.
It was a perfect day for tailgating and football, and the Pack jumped out early with a quick 17-0 lead at the beginning of the second quarter after a Kelvin Harmon touchdown catch from Ryan Finley. The Pack did not look back, as it pushed its lead to 26 points at one point. Finley finished with three touchdown passes, as the Pack cruised to victory and clinched its fifth straight season of bowl eligibility.
Ben Ellis, Correspondent
Sept. 25, 2010 – NC State 45, Georgia Tech 28
As a sports fan, it doesn’t get much better than going to a road game and watching your team win. I’ve done this several times, but no game I’ve been to sticks out more than when NC State went down to Atlanta, Georgia to take on Georgia Tech on Sept. 25, 2010. Future Super Bowl-winning quarterback Russell Wilson led the Wolfpack to a 45-28 victory with a career-high 368 passing yards and four total touchdowns, while linebacker Nate Irving (my favorite NC State football player of all time) was a beast on the defensive side of the ball, with 16 total tackles and two sacks. What made this game so much fun was being in the NC State section of the stadium, cheering along with other fans wearing red, and watching the Pack get a big road win.
Bryan Pyrtle, Correspondent
Oct. 6, 2012 – NC State 17, Florida State 16
As many Pack fans know, following NC State football can involve a good bit of heartbreak. However, my favorite memory of NC State football is the upset against 3rd-ranked Florida State in 2012. I remember I went to school the following week, and for the first time that I can remember, I had an edge over my Duke- and UNC-loving peers. Usually, I got the short end of the stick in terms of Research Triangle team banter, but that week, I had something to flaunt in the Wolfpack’s victory over No. 3 FSU. From then on, I was more confident in my collegiate fandom, which eventually landed me here at NC State University.
Tristan Tucker, Assistant Sports Editor
Nov. 8, 2018 – NC State 23, Wake Forest 27
My favorite football memory has to be the first game I covered with Technician, against Wake Forest in 2018 for Military Appreciation Day, during my first year at NC State. Even though the Pack ended up dropping this game due to a second-half skid, the atmosphere in the press box was unlike anything I had ever experienced before.
As soon as I entered the arena, I felt a different kind of adrenaline, motivated to be able to cover the team I love and have loved for a good part of my life. It was really great to experience such a professional environment up close, and I even got to see Bradley Chubb as he was welcomed up to the press box, and interviewed Dexter Wright and Kelvin Harmon after the game.
When I think back on my time with Technician and at NC State thus far, this moment is one that sticks out above most others.
Nicholas Schnittker, Assistant Sports Editor
Dec. 1, 2018 – NC State 58, East Carolina 3
My favorite NC State football memory is from the second game I got to cover my freshman year. When I started at Technician, my older brother, Andrew, was the sports editor and the football beat writer. I got to cover two games with him that year, but the second, the 58-3 demolition of ECU in 2018, was Andrew’s last time covering a game for Technician in Carter-Finley, and I am really glad I got to share that experience with him. I’ve gotten to cover a few NC State football games since then, but I don’t think anything will beat getting to be there with Andrew for his last home game.
Camden Speight, Sports Editor
Nov. 21, 2019 – NC State 26, Georgia Tech 28
In what feels like a short two and a half years with Technician so far, I’ve had so many amazing experiences with some of my best friends. Particularly coming out on top over Lamar Jackson and Louisville in 2017 and the experience of covering a bowl game in Jacksonville, Florida with my buddy Andrew Schnittker, but this Friday night loss to Georgia Tech really sticks out.
It was a rough year for NC State last year, but this was still a winnable game on a gorgeous Thursday night in Atlanta, Georgia as I walked into historic Bobby Dodd Stadium with Jaylan Harrington. There was an open-air press box and a great view of the surrounding Atlanta area. The students packed into the student section and stayed the whole night, despite a game between losing teams. After falling behind 28-10, NC State came storming back with 16 unanswered, but the two-point conversion to tie with five minutes left was no good, and the Pack lost another heartbreaker. It was a disappointing game for the fan side of me but an amazing experience in a great city, and the weekend continued with a trip to Wilmington for a club flag football tournament, so it’s a stretch of days I will never forget.
Jaylan Harrington, Multimedia Managing Editor
Dec. 31, 2018 – NC State 13, Texas A&M 52
One doesn’t often get to cover a bowl game as a freshman, let alone a top-tier game like the Gator Bowl, but I got that opportunity as NC State took on Texas A&M on New Year’s Eve 2018 in a send-off game for one of the best quarterbacks in NC State history: Ryan Finley. I shot video on the field for the game, and it was an amazing experience to see Texas A&M and their 12th man up close and personal. As I walked around during warmups, I remember being struck by the Aggies’ size and athleticism. I’ll never forget walking up the field to get in position for a shot and seeing Kellen Mond run past me for a 62-yard touchdown on just the second play of the game, or getting a great shot of C.J. Riley’s touchdown grab which gave NC State a 10-7 lead. Though I would’ve preferred not to cover an NC State loss to bring in the new year, I had a blast watching it unfold up close and personal, and I’m glad I got to cover one last game with Andrew Schnittker, the sports editor at the time.
