North Carolina State University Athletics
Wolfpack Faces Do-Or-Die Game At Duke
10/22/1999 12:00:00 AM | Football
Prior to the 1999 college football season, NC State's players set a lofty goal for themselves. The target they were shooting for was a new years day bowl game. Following a 3-0 start, the ambitious goal didn't seem unattainable. But over the last four weeks, injuries, turnovers and poor execution have pushed the Pack off course.
Now, after dropping three of its last four games, the Wolfpack (4-3, 1-3 ACC) faces a near must-win situation at Duke (1-5, 1-2 ACC) this weekend.
"We know we better win out," said NC State center Ryan Knudtson. "There's no way we can win two or three games and be eligible for a bowl. That would put us at six wins, but we want to go higher than that. Our goal was to be at a January 1 game. The way it looks now, the only way we can do that is win out and have a few teams lose in the ACC."
And this may not be a good time to play at Duke. The Blue Devils did not put together visually alluring performances in their first three games, but since erupting for 23 points in the second half of a loss at Florida State three weeks ago, they have hit their stride.
Duke followed up its 51-23 defeat to the top ranked Seminoles with a stunning double overtime win at Virginia. Last week, the Blue Devils nearly pulled a second straight shocker before dropping a hard fought 38-31 decision to 8th ranked Georgia Tech.
"I think our guys have been learning the offense better and better," said first year Duke coach Carl Franks. "Our offensive line has improved drastically since the first game. The running game has certainly gotten better and our receivers and quarterbacks are starting to understand the routs and plays we need to have on."
The return of quarterback Spencer Romine has also been a factor. The junior signal caller missed three games after suffering a shoulder separation in the opener at East Carolina. In his last two games, Romine has hit 41 of 78 passes for 540 yards and three touchdowns.
"Duke always plays us hard and right now, they're rolling," said NC State cornerback Tony Scott. "To me, they should have beat Georgia Tech last week. They're definitely going to be pumped up and ready for us. We've just got to step up to the challenge."
The match-up between Duke's receivers and NC State's talented defensive backs may be worth the price of admission. Blue Devils senior wide out Scottie Montgomery is one of the league's best players at his position.
"Scottie makes a lot of great plays for Duke," Scott said. "I know him personally, so I know when he goes out to practice everyday he's going to work hard. I know he's going to be at his best because I'm on the other side. He wants to show me that he's been working. Of Course, I'm going to try to be at my best. It's definitely a challenge and I'm ready to see how everything turns out."
NC State wishes it had the option of trading for a receiver like Montgomery. Injuries to starting receivers Chris Coleman and Ryan Hamrick have left the Pack with little depth and lots of inexperience at the position. Redshirt freshman Koren Robinson and true freshman Bryan Peterson will be the starters on Saturday. Freshman Julius Patterson and Eric Leak, who this week, moved back to wide receiver after making the switch to running back last spring, will back them up.
"The injuries to the wide receivers have limited (quarterback) Jamie Barnette some," said Franks. "They're going through some tough times offensively, but I'm sure some of their younger guys will step in and make some plays for them."
Considering how close most of the games have been in this series, it's amazing that NC State has defeated Duke five straight times. The Wolfpack won last years contest, 27-24. It was 41-38 in 1995. The Pack posted one point wins in 1991 and 94. Those games were sandwiched around a one-point victory by Duke in 1993. The two teams played to a 43-43 tie in 1988. NC State prevailed by a 47-45 count in 1987.
