The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1530878
24 ■ THE WOLFPACKER achievement took a backseat in Doeren's mind. "Beating Carolina mattered more than winning a game to be bowl-eligible, to me," Doeren said. "That may sound weird, but when I got hired, they didn't say win six and go to a bowl. They said, 'Whatever you do, beat Carolina.' "We did that for the fourth year in a row, and that means a lot to me. It means a lot to our program." Individual Offensive Performance of the Year Bailey announced his arrival on the ACC stage by throwing for more than 300 yards in consecutive games against Syracuse and Cal. He struggled with freshman mistakes and turnovers at times early in the year before taking his game to another level during a 59-28 win over Stanford. The Pack's quarterback of the future connected on 18 of 20 passes for 234 yards against the Cardinal, throwing for a career-high 3 touchdowns with no in- terceptions. He completed his final 14 passes of the game to help NC State win its first-ever conference game against Stanford. Individual Defensive Performance of the Year NC State squared off with Northern Illinois just three weeks after the Hus- kies stunned Notre Dame, 16-14. The Pack was looking to beat Doeren's former program, a task that looked considerably more difficult after the Huskies' upset in South Bend. NC State ended up stifling Northern Illinois' rushing attack in a 24-17 win. Vann played a major role in the victory, posting a career-best 10 tackles, includ- ing 3.5 for loss and a sack, while also forcing 2 fumbles. Top Three Offensive Plays of the Year 1. Redshirt freshman running back Hollywood Smothers' 41-yard game-winning touchdown recep- tion at Cal. At first, it looked like a typical screen pass that would pick up 10 yards and move the chains on third- and-7. But Smothers had other plans. He made a Cal cornerback miss on the perimeter before a safety whiffed on a tackle. From there, it was all green grass. Smothers' touchdown put NC State in front with 6:32 to play. 2. Graduate running back Jordan Waters' 94-yard rushing touchdown against Stanford. The game was al- ready a romp, with the Wolfpack up 45- 21 late in the third quarter, but Waters added fireworks to NC State's win by dashing nearly the length of the field. He broke a tackle at the line of scrim- mage then made a defender miss in the secondary before turning it into a track meet the rest of the way. Waters' touchdown run was the sec- ond-longest score in program history. 3. Wide receiver Noah Rogers' 44- yard reception at North Carolina. It seemed like a play that was headed south. Bailey uncorked a deep shot down the far side of the field while Rogers tried Jordan Waters sprinted 94 yards for a touchdown against Stanford. It was the second-longest score in NC State history. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE FOOTBALL