NC State
Duke
Wolfpack Rolls Over Duke, 55-31
11/3/2001 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov 3, 2001
By Tony Haynes
Durham, N.C.--All week, NC State had heard the stories about how Duke always pushed the Pack to the limit. Indeed, seven of the last 10 games in the series had been decided by seven points or less, including a dramatic 35-31 Wolfpack victory last season.
But this time there would be no drama and no suspense.
On a bright, sunny day at Wallace Wade Stadium in Durham, NC State turned the lights out early. A 28 point first quarter outburst by the Wolfpack was followed by three more touchdowns in the second quarter. And when back-up quarterback Olin Hannum hit freshman receiver Sterling Hicks with a 38-yard touchdown pass with 6:31 remaining in the opening half, NC State led 49-0. Yes, that's 49-0 in the FIRST HALF.
To their credit, the Blue Devils (0-9, 0-6) never caved and eventually put up 31 point of their own. But in the end, an amazing first half would prove to be the difference in a 55-31 NC State win.
"[First half blowouts] were a reoccurring theme when I was in high school, but I've never been a part of anything like this at NC State," said Wolfpack tight end Willie Wright, who caught touchdown passes of five and six yards in the Wolfpack's big first quarter. "It was a blessing to get up early on these guys. We really had the offense and defense flowing early. Everybody had talked all week about how the Duke and NC State game is always close. Why does it have to be like that? We just wanted to come in here and jump on them early and get their confidence down."
Among other things, NC State's (5-3, 3-3) first half explosion featured a 52-yard fumble recovery and run for a touchdown by Levar Fisher, a 100-yard interception return for a score by freshman cornerback Marcus Hudson and an 87-yard touchdown run from scrimmage by tailback Ray Robinson.
Every time they looked up at the quick-changing scoreboard, players and coaches from the NC State bench had to do a double take.
"When I was at Florida State, we played Duke about four years ago in Jacksonville, Florida and the game was identical," said NC State head coach Chuck Amato. "The first half we had 45 points scored and the second half it was like pulling teeth. These game always get like this. Give credit to Duke. Carl Franks goes in at halftime and he's losing 49-7 and his kids come out and outscore us 24-7."
If anything, Duke did secure a moral victory in the second half. Blue Devils quarterback D. Bryant took advantage of NC State's soft zone coverages to hit 31-of-53 passes for 400 yards and two touchdowns. Duke tight end Mike Hart also had a superb day, making 10 catches for 165 yards and two scores.
But by the time the second half rolled around, it was already too late for the Devils. NC State's big first half, to which Duke contributed with two turnovers that went for defensive touchdowns and an ill-advised fake punt attempt that failed, sealed the outcome.
"Turnovers are critical in any football game and they're critical for us," said Duke coach Carl Franks. "When we give the other team too many turnovers it's a tough hole to come back out of."
But it was Duke decision to try a fake punt early in the game that set NC State's rout in motion. On fourth and three from the Blue Devils 28, punter Trey McDonald threw an incomplete pass on a fake attempt that looked rather disorganized.
After taking over deep in Duke territory, NC State tried a little trickery of its own and succeeded on a fake field goal attempt. After taking the snap, holder Jeremy Mebane bounced to his feet and scooted around the right end for seven yards and a first down.
"They've been coming with an inside rush and we felt like there was a chance for that," Amato said. "Coach [Dick] Portee came to me and said what do you think. I said do it, what do we have to lose."
The fake led to the Pack's first score, a five-yard pass from quarterback Philip River to Wright. On NC State's next possession, Rivers beat a blitz by hitting Ray Robinson on a swing pass that went for 16 yards and a score.
Moments later, Robinson would take a pitch and outrun the Duke defense down the left sideline for 87 yards to make it 21-0. Robinson, who finished with 109 yards on nine carries, recorded his second straight 100-yard rushing day.
Then the NC State defense got in on the act. In the middle of a scrum, Fisher picked up loose ball, broke a few tackles and did a swan dive over the goal line to make it 35-0. Fisher's teammates and coaches seemed to enjoy the moment as much as he did.
"If he would have gotten run down from behind I wouldn't have let him forget about it," Amato joked. "That was great for Levar Fisher. He has given so much to this program."
Just moments later, the Wolfpack defense would produced another spectacular play when Hudson, getting the first start of his career at cornerback, would pick off a Bryant pass and race 100 yards for another score. The interception return was the longest at NC State since Howard Turner's 105-yard return against Duke in 1946. It was also the third longest interception return in school history.
Rivers finished 13-of-22 for 151 yards and four touchdowns on a day when the Wolfpack offense produced 382 yards of total offense.
With 517 yards on the day, Duke has now gained more than 1,000 yards in its last two games. But despite the offensive output, the Blue Devils have nothing to show for it in the win column as their long losing streak reached 21 on Saturday.
Game at FSU to begin at 3:30:NC State's ACC contest at Florida State next Saturday will begin at 3:30 p.m. and will be televised on a regional basis by ABC.
