Part 3: Top Games in Carter-Finley Stadium History
10/5/2016 9:22:00 AM | Football
Leading up to the 50th Anniversary celebration of Carter-Finley Stadium this Saturday against Notre Dame, GoPack.com will recall some of the top games in the history of the Wolfpack's Stadium. Today, we look at five games from 1986 to 1997.
Part 1: 1966-1975
Part 2: 1975-1986
NC State 23, South Carolina 22, Nov. 1, 1986
When the clock expired, the Gamecocks were leading, 22-17, thanks to the heroics of quarterback Todd Ellis, who erased an early 17-0 deficit. But when several South Carolina players taunted NC State quarterback Erik Kramer at the line of scrimmage on the final play, they were flagged for being offsides, giving the Wolfpack one final play from the USC 33-yard line. The Wolfpack sent four receivers to the end zone, and a hobbled Kramer scrambled away from the rush and threw the ball in the direction of three of them in the south end zone. Danny Peebles, a track-star-turned-wide-receiver, found himself open and caught Kramer's wobbly pass for what is probably the most exciting finish to a game in school history.
NC State 43, Duke 43, Sept. 1988
History may not remember this tie as a great game, but there were certainly some offensive fireworks going on at the fairgrounds. The two teams combined for 979 yards in the contest, as NC State juggled its quarterbacks on rushing and passing downs. Shane Montgomery came in to throw, while Charles Davenport was in to run the ball. Montgomery threw three touchdown passes to Nasrallah Worthen to tie the school record, and Damon Hartman connected on a 37-yard field goal as time expired to force the tie.
NC State 28, Georgia Tech 21, Oct. 5, 1991
Thanks to a pair of defensive touchdowns, the Wolfpack scored its second consecutive win over a ranked opponent, defeating the defending national champion Yellow Jackets. Linebacker Tyler Lawrence returned an interception 32 yards for a score and Ricky Turner returned a fumble 26 yards for another score.
State 24, Duke 23, Nov. 15, 1994
For nearly three quarters, 18th-ranked Duke controlled the game, owning a 23-7 lead with eight minutes to play in the third quarter in front of a crowd of 53,900, the largest to ever see a game in this series. The Wolfpack's comeback began with an 82-yard pass from Terry Harvey to Adrian Hill on a third and eight from the Wolfpack 8-yard line. In the fourth quarter, Harvey hit a 53-yard bomb to Greg Addis to set up a field goal. And Harvey hit a 2-yard pass to Mike McGuffie with 5:50 remaining to give the Wolfpack their first lead of the day. The Blue Devils missed three field goals in the fourth quarter, including a 51-yarder late in the game. Afterwards, Wolfpack fans tore down the goal posts in celebration of the win that propelled Mike O'Cain's team into the Peach Bowl, where it beat Mississippi State 28-24 to cap a 9-3 season.
NC State 37, East Carolina 24, Nov. 22, 1997
The year before in Charlotte, the two intense rivals renewed a series that had been put on hold for more than a decade because of violence that occurred following a game in 1985. The Pirates won that game 50-29, so the Wolfpack was looking for revenge when the two teams met at Carter-Finely to renew the on-campus rivalry. The 51,500 fans in attendance were not disappointed as the teams entered the final minute of play tied 24-24. With 51 seconds to play, Wolfpack quarterback Jamie Barnette pushed his way in from 1-yard out to give his team the winning points. In the final seconds, linebacker Clayton White intercepted an ECU pass and returned it 34 yards for a touchdown and the final scoring margin.
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Part 1: 1966-1975
Part 2: 1975-1986
NC State 23, South Carolina 22, Nov. 1, 1986
When the clock expired, the Gamecocks were leading, 22-17, thanks to the heroics of quarterback Todd Ellis, who erased an early 17-0 deficit. But when several South Carolina players taunted NC State quarterback Erik Kramer at the line of scrimmage on the final play, they were flagged for being offsides, giving the Wolfpack one final play from the USC 33-yard line. The Wolfpack sent four receivers to the end zone, and a hobbled Kramer scrambled away from the rush and threw the ball in the direction of three of them in the south end zone. Danny Peebles, a track-star-turned-wide-receiver, found himself open and caught Kramer's wobbly pass for what is probably the most exciting finish to a game in school history.
NC State 43, Duke 43, Sept. 1988
History may not remember this tie as a great game, but there were certainly some offensive fireworks going on at the fairgrounds. The two teams combined for 979 yards in the contest, as NC State juggled its quarterbacks on rushing and passing downs. Shane Montgomery came in to throw, while Charles Davenport was in to run the ball. Montgomery threw three touchdown passes to Nasrallah Worthen to tie the school record, and Damon Hartman connected on a 37-yard field goal as time expired to force the tie.
NC State 28, Georgia Tech 21, Oct. 5, 1991
Thanks to a pair of defensive touchdowns, the Wolfpack scored its second consecutive win over a ranked opponent, defeating the defending national champion Yellow Jackets. Linebacker Tyler Lawrence returned an interception 32 yards for a score and Ricky Turner returned a fumble 26 yards for another score.
State 24, Duke 23, Nov. 15, 1994
For nearly three quarters, 18th-ranked Duke controlled the game, owning a 23-7 lead with eight minutes to play in the third quarter in front of a crowd of 53,900, the largest to ever see a game in this series. The Wolfpack's comeback began with an 82-yard pass from Terry Harvey to Adrian Hill on a third and eight from the Wolfpack 8-yard line. In the fourth quarter, Harvey hit a 53-yard bomb to Greg Addis to set up a field goal. And Harvey hit a 2-yard pass to Mike McGuffie with 5:50 remaining to give the Wolfpack their first lead of the day. The Blue Devils missed three field goals in the fourth quarter, including a 51-yarder late in the game. Afterwards, Wolfpack fans tore down the goal posts in celebration of the win that propelled Mike O'Cain's team into the Peach Bowl, where it beat Mississippi State 28-24 to cap a 9-3 season.
NC State 37, East Carolina 24, Nov. 22, 1997
The year before in Charlotte, the two intense rivals renewed a series that had been put on hold for more than a decade because of violence that occurred following a game in 1985. The Pirates won that game 50-29, so the Wolfpack was looking for revenge when the two teams met at Carter-Finely to renew the on-campus rivalry. The 51,500 fans in attendance were not disappointed as the teams entered the final minute of play tied 24-24. With 51 seconds to play, Wolfpack quarterback Jamie Barnette pushed his way in from 1-yard out to give his team the winning points. In the final seconds, linebacker Clayton White intercepted an ECU pass and returned it 34 yards for a touchdown and the final scoring margin.
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Saturday, September 06
Coach Doeren Postgame Presser vs Virginia
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Pack Rewind 🎥 : East Carolina
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