North Carolina State University Athletics
Wolfpack falls 37-0 to Maryland in season-finale
11/24/2007 12:00:00 AM | Football
Updated: 5:24 p.m., 11/24/2007, to add quotes, statistics
BY TIM PEELER
The loss ended the Wolfpack’s streak of 150 consecutive games without a shutout, dating back to Sept. 25, 1995, when Baylor beat the Wolfpack 14-0 at Carter-Finley. It was the ACC’s longest active streak and the fourth-longest streak in ACC history.
“I am trying to hold in my tears right now,” said defensive end Martrel Brown. “There is no way to explain how I feel. In my five years here, I have never looked up on the scoreboard and seen a zero there.”
In fact, the Wolfpack had not been shut out at home by an ACC opponent since 1962.
Little went right for the Wolfpack (5-7 overall, 3-5 ACC), especially on offense. State gained just 103 yards of total offense in the first half and didn’t make a third-down conversion until late in the fourth quarter. Meanwhile, the Terps (6-6, 3-5) jumped out to a 24-0 first-half lead and never looked back, shredding the Pack defense for more than 450 yards of total offense and four rushing touchdowns.
“I don’t think we executed up front,” NC State coach Tom O’Brien said. “I don’t think we blocked them up front, which we had to do on offense and we couldn’t stay on the field. We started out OK on defense, but then we gave up some big plays and we seemed to get down. We never seemed to come back from it.
“It is a tough day for the seniors, who have meant a lot to the program. We almost got it back after digging ourselves a hole early in the season.”
The Wolfpack moved the ball early, advancing to the
Keon Lattimore scored
Egekeze hit two more field goals in the third quarter and Lattimore scored his second of the day in the fourth quarter.
The Wolfpack’s best scoring chance came in the fourth quarter, after Harrison Beck replaced Evans at quarterback. Beck led the Pack inside the red zone, but could not convert a fourth-and-six from the 15.
Now, O’Brien said, his team needs to begin thinking about how to improve in preparation for next season, when he has to replace seniors like Brown, DeMario Pressley and Ernest Jones on defense and Marcus Stone, Darrell Blackman, Kalani Heppe, Luke Lathan and Pat Bedics on offense.
“We have to look to the future now,” O’Brien said. “We have to evaluate some things and some personnel and go from there. I think we will start afresh. We learned a lot about the players here and hopefully they learned from us.
“It will be really crucial that we do a better job coming out of spring and in the preseason, so we can get off to a better start than we did this year, to keep ourselves out of the hole we were in this year.”
That will be difficult given that the Wolfpack lost its final two games after a four-game winning streak that put the team in position to qualify for post-season play.
“I know the seniors wanted to go out on top and it definitely hurt to send them out the way we did,” Evans said. “We have to work harder in the off-season and try to make things better. I am expecting the coaching staff to turn things up a notch in the off-season for us.”
But, Saturday’s end to the 2007 season is still better than what the team was feeling this time last year, following a 3-9 season and the transition in head coaches that followed.
“Coach O’Brien’s philosophy when he came here was to try to have a better season than the team from the year before,” said linebacker Ernest Jones. “Last year we were 3-9, and we won five games this year. That’s a big change. I think this is a program that is definitely on the rise. It’s too bad that this year’s seniors won’t be here in a couple of years to experience that.”
While there were some tears shed after the game, and it was a bitter farewell for a handful of players who have meant much to the program, the season was by no means a disappointment in the eyes of the players.
“It’s been a great experience,” Jones said. “I want to thank the athletics director for bringing in Coach O’Brien and his staff in because this last year has been my best year here at NC State, based on on-the-field and off-the-field things that have happened.”
O’Brien’s first year will be remembered for the slow start and the consecutive victories over
“It will always be the Tale of Two Seasons,’” O’Brien said. “We were disappointed in the way we started, but the way we were able to come back and valiantly fight in these last six games was very encouraging.
“Hopefully, we will all do a better job. I know this was a tough way for our seniors to end their careers, but none of us are discouraged. We look forward to the start of spring practice and our future here.”
You may contact Tim Peeler at tim_peeler@ncsu.edu.
