The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/49933
Fifth-year senior tight end George Bryan had perhaps the best catch of the season with a touchdown grab against Clemson. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN with 5:34 left in the game and the Deacs leading 34-20. Under tremendous pressure, Glennon lofted a perfect pass deep over the middle to senior wide receiver T.J. Graham, who had beaten one-on-one coverage, and Graham caught the ball in stride for a 63- yard touchdown. Best Catch: Trailing 3-0 but at the Clem- son 11 early in the second quarter, Glennon fired a blazing fastball at Bryan along the sideline at the 6. Clemson junior linebacker Jonathan Willard appeared to have a shot at an interception, but the pass came with such velocity that it went right past Willard. That's where a heads up Bryan leaped up and snagged the ball out of the air for the impressive catch. He then turned and man- aged to reach the goal line for a touchdown. Best Defensive Touchdown: After the of- fense scored five straight against Maryland, the defense got into the act when redshirt junior cornerback C.J. Wilson grabbed a pass from Maryland sophomore quarter- back C.J. Brown and sprinted untouched for a 59-yard touchdown with 27 seconds left. Longest Pass Play: In what was an other- wise forgettable performance at Cincinnati Sept. 22, Glennon threw a quick pass out toward the sideline to Graham, who then made his defender miss and outsprinted everyone for an 87-yard touchdown, giving State its first score with 4:30 left before halftime after having fallen behind 21-0. Biggest Defensive Stand: NC State led UNC 13-0, but the Heels were mounting 34 ■ THE WOLFPACKER their most impressive drive of the game. Led by backup quarterback Braden Han- son, a redshirt junior, Carolina had first- and-10 at the NC State 29 with less than 10 minutes left in the game. Hanson's first-down pass was caught by senior wide receiver Dwight Jones for five yards. His second-down throw was dropped by red- shirt junior tight end Nelson Hurst. On third down, redshirt junior linebacker Ter- rell Manning stopped fifth-year senior Ryan Houston for a one-yard gain. Then on fourth down, Manning knocked down a crossing pass intended for Jones. Best Heads Up Play: You play until the whistle blows. That's what redshirt junior safety Earl Wolff did in the season opener against Liberty Sept. 3. He ripped the ball away from Flames senior quarterback Mike Brown, who was being gang tackled, and junior defensive tackle Brian Slay picked it up for a 52-yard touchdown with 8:51 left in the third quarter, giving the Pack a 20-7 lead. Best Return: Graham had the fourth kick return for a score in his career when he ran a punt back 82 yards for a TD against Lib- erty with 3:38 left before halftime, giving State a 10-7 lead. Best Kicking Performance: There were not many significant field goals in 2011, but freshman punter Wil Baumann kicked some crucial punts against UNC. He pinned the Heels four times at or inside the 10-yard line. Longest Field Goal: Freshman kicker Nik- las Sade was 2 of 6 from beyond 40 yards on his field goal attempts, twice connecting from 45 yards out. The first was at Wake Forest and the second versus Central Michi- gan Oct. 8. Biggest Kick Block: NC State would have faced a larger deficit to overcome versus Maryland had it not been for fifth-year se- nior defensive tackle Markus Kuhn getting his hand on Maryland junior kicker Nick Ferrara's 40-yard field goal attempt early in the second quarter. Biggest Sack: The Raleigh News and Observer ran a memorable photo for the Pack's win over UNC. Fifth-year senior linebacker Audie Cole was seen flinging UNC redshirt sophomore quarterback Bryn Renner early in the first quarter through the air like Renner was a ragdoll, forcing a fumble in the process. Least Memorable Game: There was not much to write about after NC State's 34-0 loss at Florida State Oct. 29. The Pack was held to 166 yards of total offense while giving up 444 to FSU in perhaps the most lopsided loss of the season. Biggest Offensive Setback: Trailing 14-10 in the fourth quarter at Boston College, NC State went on a 13-play, 59-yard drive, reaching the BC 23 and facing first-and-10. Graham, correctly reading the coverage, went with a corner route and was open at about the 5, but Glennon threw the ball more over the middle into the end zone.