North Carolina State University Athletics
Wolfpack will Face Notre Dame in Toyota Gator Bowl
12/8/2002 12:00:00 AM | Football
Dec. 8, 2002
Latest ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll
By Tony Haynes
Raleigh, N.C.-It's official: NC State will square off against Notre Dame in the Toyota Gator Bowl, to be played at Alltel Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida on January 1. The Fighting Irish are coached by Tyrone Willingham, who was born in Jacksonville, North Carolina and also served as Tom Reed's secondary and special teams coach at NC State from 1983-'85. The New Year's Day clash will mark the first ever meeting between the two schools.
"The honor of playing Notre Dame with their tradition leaves us almost speechless," said Wolfpack head coach Chuck Amato. "We're ecstatic about it and the biggest word and I can use is honor."
Like the Wolfpack, Notre Dame jumped off to a quick start this past season, winning its first eight games before falling to Boston College on November 2, 14-7. The Irish also dropped a 44-13 decision at Southern California in their final regular season game to finish up with a 10-2 record. NC State (10-3) opened with a nine-game winning streak before losing three in a row. The Pack recovered to beat Florida State in its regular season finale 17-7. In the new ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll released today, Notre Dame was ranked 12th while NC State came in at No. 17.
"We better be ready to play," Amato said. "Our last game was a win and their last game was a spanking, so they're going to be awfully upset when they enter the field."
On Friday, NC State Athletics Director Lee Fowler reported that the school has already sold more than 15,000 tickets for the Gator Bowl. After initially selling out of its original allotment of 12,500 tickets, NC State ordered 5,000 more. Now Fowler says athletic department officials will likely ask for even more tickets in coming days.
Tickets for the Gator Bowl are $40 for lower level seats and $60 for the club level. Tickets can be ordered through Gopack.com or by calling the NC State Ticket Office at (919)-515-2106 or 1-800-310-PACK.
