The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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56 ■ THE WOLFPACKER ning for the touchdown and kicking the ex- tra point, just seven minutes into the game. No other teams fared much better than the Wolfpack that year, as the Volunteers be- came the last Division I team to go through a regular season without allowing a point. However, on Jan. 1, 1940, the scoreless streak came to an end when the Volunteers lost 14-0 to Southern Cal in the Rose Bowl. No. 8 Florida 17, NC State 10 (Oct. 15, 1966) In the second game ever played at Carter Stadium, future Heisman Trophy winner Steve Spurrier guided his team to a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns to avoid a major upset, outplaying his future Southeastern Conference coaching rival Jim Donnan. Head coach Earle Edwards and his team owned a 10-3 lead with less than 10 minutes remaining in the game, thanks to 32-yard pass from Donnan, a sophomore reserve quarterback for the Wolfpack who came off the bench, to wide receiver Gary Rowe, and a 38-yard Harold Deters field goal. It was the first time all season that Spurrier and his undefeated teammates had trailed in a game. In the fourth quarter, Spurrier and tail- back Larry Smith came alive, leading their team on drives of 74 and 77 yards, respec- tively. After Smith tied the game at 10-10 with a one-yard touchdown run, the Wolf- pack drove deep into Gator territory, but the drive ended on a Donnan interception. Spurrier took full advantage of the mis- cue, capping the game-winning drive with a 31-yard pass to Richard Trapp with 3:07 remaining. The quarterback eventually claimed the Heisman after he led the Ga- tors to a 9-2 overall record, including a win over Georgia Tech in the Orange Bowl. The Wolfpack gained a measure of re- venge the next time the Gators came to Raleigh, on Sept. 20, 1975. Trailing the 13th-ranked Gators 7-0 with less than four minutes remaining in the game, Wolfpack defensive back Dan Meier recovered a fumble on the Florida 38-yard line. On the next play, Dave Buckey hit Elijah Marshall on a post pattern for a late touchdown. Wolfpack head coach Lou Holtz sent soph- omore Johnny Evans in as a fullback, and Evans took the pitch in for a two-point con- version to give the Wolfpack the upset win. NC State 12, No. 7 Penn State 9 (Nov. 9, 1974) The nationally ranked Nittany Lions, a football independent at the time, were awaiting a postgame invitation to the Cotton Bowl when they visited Carter Stadium with two weeks remaining in the 1974 regular season. But head coach Joe Paterno knew his team was in for a challenge, even though PSU had won all 10 of the previous meet- ings in a series that dated back to 1920. All of Paterno's predecessors had beaten the Wolfpack, and he had pocketed two wins over Penn State engineering graduate Earle Edwards, one over Wolfpack interim coach and PSU grad Al Michaels, and two over fellow future College Football Hall of Famer Lou Holtz. Mingled in a defensive struggle was a stellar performance by Wolfpack fullback Stan Fritts, who accounted for both the Wolfpack scores in the game, the first on a four-yard run and the second on a 22- yard option pass to Pat Hovance in the third quarter. Fritts gained 112 yards against a unit that ranked first in the nation in rushing defense, pushing him over 1,000 yards for the season. But it was the Wolfpack defense — which had not allowed less than 10 points in a game all season — that deserved the credit for State's biggest upset since a 16-6 victory at No. 2 Houston in 1967. With the Pack holding on to a tenuous 12-0 lead in the fourth quarter thanks to a blocked extra point and a failed two-point conver- sion, the Lions rolled down Carter Stadium's famous crowned field to the 6-yard line. Wolfpack linebacker Mike Daley stopped Penn State on the first two plays of the series, then defensive end Mike Prongay threw Penn State running back Dick Barvinchak backwards for an eight- yard loss. On fourth down, Nittany Lions quarterback Tom Shuman overthrew re- ceiver Jerry Jeram in the end zone. "That had to be one of the greatest goal- line stands I've ever seen," Holtz said after- wards. "I felt like playing myself after that." Later in the game, safety Mike Given intercepted a pass that had been tipped by David Poole to stop another deep drive. After the final whistle, Holtz presented the game ball to Michaels, who had stayed on as Holtz's defensive coordinator after one year as interim head coach, for the schemes Michaels used to score the first victory ever over his alma mater. It was the first November game the Li- ons had lost in 26 tries, dating back to 1966. It was Holtz's 17th consecutive win at Carter Stadium, where he lost just once in his four seasons as head coach. The Wolfpack finished the season, thanks in part to this win, ranked No. 9 in the final UPI ranking and No. 11 in the final AP poll, both the highest in school history. No. 8 Alabama 24, NC State 19 (Oct. 12, 1996) The buildup and ticket sales for Ala- bama's first game ever in the state of North Carolina were enormous, even though the matchup seemed grim between the unbeaten Crimson Tide and a Wolfpack squad that (a) had given up 28, 51 and 42 points to Georgia Tech, Florida State and Purdue, re- spectively, and (b) hadn't beaten a Division I-A opponent at home in nearly two years. In the first start of redshirt freshman quar- terback Jamie Barnette's college career, how- ever, the Wolfpack put a scare into the top-10 Crimson Tide for the second year in a row. Bama tailback Dennis Riddle ran for 154 yards and scored all three Tide touch- downs, but it was the Wolfpack offense that made some unexpected noise. With junior tailback Tremayne Stephens hampered by a shoulder injury, the Wolfpack scored a pair of field goals by Marc Primanti, a career- long 49-yarder and a 36-yarder that broke the ACC record at 17 consecutive successful attempts. Alabama extended its lead to 17-6 on a short field goal in the fourth quarter, and the Wolfpack's chances looked dim against a defense that entered the contest ranked sec- ond in the nation by allowing just 174 yards per game. Barnette, who ended his career as the top passer in NC State history to that point, topped that total in the fourth quarter alone. He engineered an 80-yard touchdown drive by handing off to fullback Rod Brown four times and hitting future NFL wide re- ceiver Alvis Whitted on a 35-yard pass. Riddle's third touchdown gave the Tide a 24-13 lead, but Barnette put interest back in the game for the sold-out crowd of 50,750 by hitting fellow rookie Chris Coleman on a 78-yard touchdown pass. The Pack's onside kick attempt failed, but Barnette had a chance for a game-winning drive when NC State got the ball on the 20- yard line with 2:38 to play. Barnette took the Pack to Alabama's 43, when a facemask penalty on the Tide was negated by a late holding call on the Pack. On the next play, Non-Conference Games Vs. Top-10 Opponents At Carter-Finley Stadium No. 9 Ohio State 22, NC State 14 (Sept. 18, 2004) No. 5 South Carolina 35, NC State 28 (Nov. 3, 1984) No. 6 Penn State 22, NC State 15 (Nov. 7, 1981) No. 9 Penn State 21, NC State 17 (Nov. 5, 1977) NC State 12, No. 7 Penn State 7 (Nov. 9, 1974) No. 3 Penn State 33, NC State 8 (Nov. 29, 1969) No. 8 Florida 17, NC State 10 (Oct. 15, 1966) Non-Conference Games Vs. Top-10 Opponents At Riddick Stadium No. 7 Carnegie Mellon 14, NC State 0 (Nov. 26, 1938)