Wolfpack Clashes with Tar Heels on Senior Day

Game Day Central | Game Notes | Thank You Seniors

	NC State (7-4, 5-2) vs. North Carolina (3-8, 1-6)
Date	Saturday, Nov. 25
Time	3:30 p.m.
Location	Raleigh, N.C.
Stadium	Carter-Finley Stadium
TV	ESPNU
Streaming	ACC Network Extra
Radio in NC	Wolfpack Sports Network
National Radio	Tunein, Sirius 108, XM 193
Live Stats	GoPack.com
Social Media	@PackFootball, PackFootball

RALEIGH, N.C. - Members of NC State's 20-man recruiting class, one of the largest and most productive in recent memory, will step onto the green grass at Carter-Finley Stadium for the final time Saturday afternoon when the Wolfpack (7-4, 5-2) hosts rival North Carolina (3-8, 1-7) in the regular season finale for both teams.

Kickoff is set for 3:30 and the game will be televised on ESPNU.

Prior to the 2017 campaign, this NC State team had a long list of goals, one of which was to send the seniors off in style with a victory over the Tar Heels.

"Our main goal is to beat UNC," said defensive end Bradley Chubb. "It's one of the last goals when you look at the goals sheet. This is our rival and when we play this game, records don't matter. They're going to give us their best and we're going to give them our best. We're excited about it."

Chubb, along with H-back Jaylen Samuels, will always be viewed as the headline acts from the 2014 recruiting class, although no one could have possibly predicted the impact they would make on coach Dave Doeren's program back when they first signed.

But as it stands now, Chubb will leave as the school's all-time leader in career sacks and tackles for loss. Samuels' still has two games left to further make his mark on the NC State record book. Currently second on the career list for touchdowns with 45, the Charlotte native is six shy of tying Ted Brown's record of 51. Samuels also has a realistic chance to chase down Jericho Cotchery's mark for career receptions, needing nine to move into the number one spot.

When Samuels was a freshman, the offensive staff spent an entire season trying to figure out his role in the offense and what position he should play, but on those limited occasions when he did get on the field, he always seemed to do something that caught everyone's attention.

"When I first got here, I just wanted to find a way to make plays," said the versatile Samuels. "When I did get the ball, I wanted to make the most of the opportunity. That's kind of how it was when I was a freshman. Every time I had a chance to get the ball, I wanted to make a play because I wasn't getting the ball as much as I am now."

And once NC State's coaches did figure out a wide variety of ways to utilize his formidable skill-set, Samuels was on his way to becoming a match-up nightmare for opposing defenses.

One thing NC State's seniors haven't done in their careers is to beat North Carolina at home. In a rather quirky turn of events, the road team has won the last four games in the series.

"You can look at records and stats and all those things, but in these kinds of games it doesn't matter," Doeren said. "It's always going to be an emotional game where both teams are playing for a lot, and so I look forward to that as always."

Doeren's coaching counterpart agrees with those sentiments.

"I don't know why, but anything can happen in a rivalry game," said North Carolina head coach Larry Fedora. "That's one of the great things about rivalry games is that you can throw records out the door. Guys are going to battle and it's always a heck of a game."

Fedora no doubt would like to throw this year's record 'out the door,' although the Tar Heels have shown signs of life the last two weeks with back-to-back victories over Pitt and Western Carolina. While injuries and youth have been frisky adversaries for UNC most of the year, it appears Carolina has made positive strides of late thanks to the stable hand provided by quarterback Nathan Elliott. One of three signal callers used by UNC this season, Elliott has six touchdown passes with no interceptions over the last two games.

Now a sophomore, receiver Anthony Ratliff-Williams has become a force both as a wide-out and return man on special teams. Along with a team-leading 30 receptions for 499 yards this season, Ratliff-Williams has two kickoff returns for touchdowns.

"They've gotten better with their quarterback change," said Doeren. "I know they've been banged up, but they are getting some players back. Ratliff-Williams has been their playmaker at receiver."

Another thing that gets Doeren and NC State's attention: Carolina has won 11 of its last 14 road games dating back to 2014.

Senior-day salutes are always emotional before the game begins, but the celebration for NC State won't be complete unless the Wolfpack can knock off its rival to become the first State team to post six conference wins since 1994.

"I feel like this university has helped me become a man," Chubb said. "The situations I've been put in, whether it's in the classroom, on the field, off the field, the coaches being like father figures to me, I've grown up a lot and become a lot more mature since I got here. It's been a fun journey and I'm looking forward to finishing it off here at Carter-Finley."

Prior to the NC State-North Carolina matchup, the Wolfpack Sports Network will begin pregame coverage with the Matthews Motors Pregame Show starting at 1:30 p.m. In the second hour of the pregame, network analyst Johnny Evans will answer questions from fans on 'Ask the Analyst.' Questions to Johnny can be submitted via Twitter@packradio or by clicking HERE.

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Players Mentioned

Bradley Chubb

Jaylen Samuels