North Carolina State University Athletics
'97 Was Anything but Heaven
9/22/1999 12:00:00 AM | Football
If NC State were to formulate a list of its five most disappointing losses of the last few years, a 19-18 defeat at Wake Forest two years ago would probably get a lot of votes. The bad memories from that game have been difficult to avoid this week as the Pack has been preparing for a return engagement at Groves Stadium.
The Deacons won that '97 game despite turning the ball over five times. NC State only had one giveaway, but head coach Mike O'Cain still blames a flawed offensive strategy for his team's demise.
"We went over there in 1997 and decided that we were going to run the football down their throat and it backfired," O'Cain said. "I said to myself after that that we would never take that approach again. We'll never go into another ball game saying, 'this is what we're going to do, bottom line period.' I don't see us being good enough to line up and run the football against anybody. We've got to spread them out, throw the football and run our offense to be successful. That's the approach we'll take on Saturday."
NC State's 36 rushing attempts in that '97 game produced just 98 yards, but perhaps more importantly, the conservative strategy helped to keep the Deacons close throughout. The longer Wake Forest hung around, the more confident it became.
"That was one of the games that kept us home for the holidays that year," said senior linebacker Sheldon Kee. "We should have won the game, but they did what they had to do to get the win."
If anything, the memory of that Thursday night nightmare in '97 has only served as a wake up call for the Pack this week.
"We definitely let them sneak up on us up there two years ago," said wide receiver Chris Coleman. "They're a team that's capable of beating you if you're not playing up to your capabilities. We've got to approach Wake Forest like they're Florida State and play the best game we can."
NC State's best won't guarantee a win, but one thing is for sure--the Pack won't repeat the same mistakes it made in 1997.
