North Carolina State University Athletics
Home Sweet Home
10/12/1999 12:00:00 AM | Football
Ask a football fan to name the most intimidating home fields in college football and they'll likely come up with a number of venues. Florida's 'swamp' comes to mind. So do Florida State's Doak Campbell Stadium and 'The Big House' at Michigan. NC State's Carter-Finley Stadium probably wouldn't make a top 10 list, but if the current trend continues, that could change.
Dating back to the 1997 season, the Wolfpack has captured 11 of its last 12 games at Carter-Finley, including three in a row this fall. Last year, NC State gained the reputation of being a giant-killer when it defeated college football powers Florida State and Syracuse. Both of those games were played on the Pack's home turf.
"I think most teams are a little bit different at home," said NC State head coach Mike O'Cain. "Our fans have really helped us become a better home team. On Saturday night (vs. Clemson), we had roughly 50,000 fans there and it was as loud as it could be down on the field. I heard that the sideline reporter for ESPN made the comment that our stadium was as loud as any he had been in. That's an advantage."
It doesn't hurt that more people than ever before are purchasing NC State football tickets. The average attendance for the Pack's first three home games this season is 47,558. Another near sell-out crowd is expected for this Saturday afternoon's contest against Virginia.
"That's the type of program we want," O'Cain said. "We want to be at the stage where people don't want to come to Carter-Finley to play, not only because we're a good football team, but also because it's a tough environment."
Crowd noise is especially disruptive to offenses. Snap counts and audibles are virtually impossible to hear when the crowd is 'raising the roof.' On the flip side, defensive players seem to thrive on high decibel levels.
"That 48,000 (at Clemson game on Saturday) sounded like 80,000 to me," said NC State linebacker Clayton White. "Playing at home is an advantage because it helps get us ready emotionally. We've won 11 of our last 12 and that's pretty good, especially in this conference. There are a lot of teams that can't say that."
While impressive, NC State's current stretch of success at home is not the best in school history. From 1972-75, Pack teams coached by Lou Holtz posted a Carter-Finley Stadium record of 20-1-1.
