The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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N BY JACEY ZEMBAL C State's strong finish down the stretch, which was capped by its remarkable comeback victory over Maryland in the season finale, landed the Wolfpack in the Belk Bowl in Charlotte, N.C., to battle co-Big East champion Louisville at 8 p.m. Dec. 27 at Bank of America Stadium. The game will televised by ESPN. NC State athletics director Debbie Yow echoed what many Wolfpack players and fans felt about playing in Charlotte. "We consider Charlotte our second home actually," Yow said. "It's a terrific venue for our fans because we have so many thousands living within a four-hour radius of Charlotte. "We made it clear that this is where we wanted to go. It's going to be a challenging game with Louisville being co-champions of the Big East. There is going to be a lot of red at the stadium that night." Belk Bowl executive director Will Webb joked with NC State head coach Tom O'Brien that during the first half of the Maryland game, he was thinking his best- laid plans would get severely altered. NC State fell behind by 27 points, but rallied to win 56-41 Nov. 26 at Carter-Finley Stadium. "I told Coach that the Maryland game gave me a few palpitations because you were very high on our radar before that," Webb said. "That game was tough, but I'm glad they made it through that." NC State won five of its last seven games, while Louisville captured five of its last six. Both teams finished 7-5 during the regular season. "You always want teams that are finish- ing strong and excited to be coming to your city," Webb said. "We don't want teams that are deflated. I always tell Debbie every year, 'I hope you go to a BCS bowl, but if you don't, Charlotte is the perfect bowl for you all.'" NC State will receive an allotment of 12,500 from the Belk Bowl, but expects to sell several thousand more tickets. "We expect to sell out and probably do more than sell out our portion of the tickets," Yow said. "We'll probably be asking for some extras as well." O'Brien has reached a bowl game in three of his five seasons at NC State. The Wolf- pack has gone to 26 bowls in its history and last went to play in Charlotte in 2005, when it shut out South Florida 14-0. "We are excited about the opportunity to continue our season," O'Brien said. "Prob- ably seven games ago, it looked like we Head coach Tom O'Brien's team won five of its last seven games to secure a spot in the Belk Bowl against co-Big East champion Louisville. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN BOWL Bound NC State's Roller-Coaster Season Ends In Charlotte might not be on anybody's radar. But we finally started to get healthy, got our guys back and that is what we had to do. "The biggest perk for me is that it's a reward for their hard work. They had goals and aspirations set. They certainly wanted to be in a bowl game." O'Brien carries a 9-2 bowl game mark, but even that doesn't tell the full picture of his postseason success. Not included is Boston College's 25-24 win over Navy in the 2006 Meineke Car Care Bowl. He had left the Eagles prior to the bowl game to take over the NC State job. "It's an opportunity to send your seniors out with a win, but also an opportunity for the underclassmen to set the stage for next year. That is what we try to focus on." ■ Head coach Tom O'Brien The Wolfpack also lost 29-23 to Rutgers in the 2008 Papajohns.com Bowl, a game NCSU led 17-6 when quarterback Russell Wilson sprained his knee at the end of the first half and couldn't return to action for the second half. Rutgers ended up rallying for a 29-23 victory, but O'Brien still thinks his team would have won if Wilson hadn't been injured. O'Brien said he's kept the same bowl game routine after modifying it in 2000 following Boston College's 62-28 toss to Colorado in the Insight.com Bowl the previ- ous year. "After we got killed my first year, I made some changes, and from that point on, we've followed the script the way we've done it," O'Brien said. "It's an opportunity to send your seniors out with a win, but also an op- portunity for the underclassmen to set the stage for next year. That is what we try to focus on." O'Brien, who likes to avoid flying if pos- sible, also half-joked that he's glad the Wolf- pack can just drive to Charlotte. NC State will also get extra practices to prepare for the Belk Bowl, which is a huge help to the freshmen who redshirted this season and for other young players. "From a coaching standpoint, it's a start for next year in some respects," O'Brien said. "As we practice, all we are trying to do is maintain the older players. "In a regular practice sequence, you wouldn't get any of the redshirt freshmen or scout team guys any work at all. They are getting as much work as the older players, and in some cases, even more." NC State started practicing for the bowl game Dec. 10, but geared up in earnest Dec. 14 when final exams were over. NC State will incorporate the last of the game-week preparations during two days in Charlotte. The team arrives Dec. 22 and will have a week of social activities lined up. NC State fifth-year senior defensive tackle and co-captain J.R. Sweezy is from nearby Mooresville, N.C. Playing his last game in a Wolfpack uniform near his home- town is a special experience. "This will definitely feel like a home game, especially with all the red," Sweezy said. "You aren't going to know who's who. I'm very excited to play another game. Luckily it is in Charlotte, which is right down the road from where I grew up, and I can play in front of everybody." The Wolfpack team will also be together in Charlotte for part of the holiday season. "This is who I wanted to spend Christ- mas with," NCSU fifth-year senior tight end and co-captain George Bryan said. "I didn't want to be home. My family wanted me to be playing football. They enjoy coming to the bowl games." NC State's seniors will finish their ca- reers with three bowl trips in five years. The redshirt juniors will end the month of December with three years worth of extra bowl practices, a valued benefit for the foot- ball program. "That is what we should be doing here, going to a bowl game each and every year. The practices add up," O'Brien said. "It helps you in recruiting. It helps the profile of your school. "Everybody wants to go to places that win football games and play on national TV, and we always have that here because of our fans and stadium. And we want to play in bowl games. "All that is part of the building process to a championship program." ■ JANUARY 2012 ■ 21