The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1502339
48 ■ THE WOLFPACKER PACK PAST BY TIM PEELER I t was perhaps the most important length-of-the-field drive in school history, 99 yards of pure power between the tackles by a team looking to prove a point against its archrival. And that drive — imagined by offen- sive coordinator Bo Rein, engineered by sophomore quarterback Dave Buckey and powered by the legs of what many coaches around the ACC called the best backfield in the country — changed the course of the only undefeated confer- ence season in NC State football history. Four weeks into that season 50 years ago, head coach Lou Holtz's team did not look like it was going to fulfill its high preseason expectations, which were based heavily on Holtz's stellar 1972 debut in compiling an 8-3-1 re- cord and whipping Bobby Bowden's West Virginia squad 49-13 in the Peach Bowl. Ranked No. 17 in the first poll of the season, the Wolfpack rolled up 100 points in victories over East Carolina and Virginia, as expected, using a quar- terback platoon of Buckey and All-ACC senior Bruce Shaw. Then came the toughest two-game road swing the school had ever at- tempted: back-to-back games against No. 2 Nebraska and unranked Georgia. The Pack held its own in those games, even leading the Cornhuskers 14-10 at halftime on the strength of 59- and 16- yard rushing touchdowns by East Ten- nessee transfer fullback Stan Fritts. Nebraska scored on three consecu- tive possessions of the second half for the 31-14 victory, but State's players felt emboldened by their performance. The next week, junior running back Willie Burden ran for 160 yards against the Bulldogs, but it wasn't enough in a 31-12 loss. The Pack fell out of the top- 20 polls. Up next was two-time defending ACC champion North Carolina, which had beaten three different Wolfpack coaches in three consecutive seasons: Earle Edwards in 1970, Al Michaels in '71 and Holtz in '72. There was a lot on the line for the '73 installment, with both teams looking to end two-game losing streaks. Carolina had dropped its league opener to Mary- land and a nonconference game at Mis- souri, losing its two most experienced quarterbacks to injuries along the way. Two nights before the game, State's three team captains gathered the Pack to set the stage for the rest of the season. "We sat down and talked about it without any coaches," two-time All- America offensive guard Bill Yoest said. "We said, 'We can either turn things around and have a good season or let this affect us and have a bad season.' "It was a very good team meeting, and it ended up being a very good season for us." Changing The Momentum A record crowd of 50,200 fans packed Carter Stadium to see what might hap- pen. The Tar Heels were down to their third-string quarterback, freshman Billy Paschall, but he acquitted himself nicely throughout the game. Carolina took a 3-0 lead on a school-record 53- yard field goal by Ellis Alexander. "We knew we had the better team, but North Carolina played us awfully tough," Burden said. "It's always that way with rivalries." State answered with a 41-yard touch- down drive that featured the potent Buckey combination, including a 25- yard pass from Dave to twin brother Don that took the offense to the 12-yard line. Dave Buckey plunged in for a 1-yard touchdown a couple of plays later to give Holtz's team a 7-3 lead. The Tar Heel offense was rolling on its next drive, looking to retake the lead, build some momentum and silence the crowd before halftime. But when run- ning back Billy Hite sprinted toward the end zone looking to score the go- ahead touchdown, he was hit hard and stripped of the ball by cornerback Mike Stultz. Linebacker Mike Daley fell on it at the 1-yard line. Buckey, a surprise starter for the first time all season, opened the drive with a 4-yard run off tackle. Fritts, the hard- nosed runner, then became the wedge that separated the Wolfpack offense from the Tar Heel goal line. He carried the ball six times on the next eight plays, getting the Pack to its 45-yard line. T h e B u c keys c o n n e c te d o n t h e One of the key plays in NC State's victory over North Carolina in 1973 was a 32-yard carry by running back Willie Burden. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE ATHLETICS A Legendary Drive Helped Propel NC State To The Top Of The ACC