North Carolina State University Athletics
Pack Topples Terps for 38-31 Victory
11/8/2009 12:00:00 AM | Football
BY TIM PEELER
RALEIGH, N.C. – After Michael Lemon made NC State's two biggest defensive plays of the game – both in the final 15 seconds of Saturday's 38-31 Homecoming Day victory over Maryland – he thought he was going to die.
Not from the excitement of breaking the Wolfpack's four-game losing streak, but from suffocation at the hands of overjoyed teammate Willie Young, who tackled Lemon following the last play of the game and wouldn't let him up.
"I was on the bottom of the pile screaming 'I can't breathe, I can't breathe, please get off of me'" Lemon said. "It was pretty crazy."
The Terps, with no timeouts remaining and their backup quarterback under center, took over the ball with just 59 seconds to play, quickly advancing past midfield thanks to runs by scrambling reserve quarterback Jamarr Robinson.
As the clock ticked down, Robinson went back to pass with 15 seconds to play and was sacked by Lemon, the late addition to the Wolfpack's roster this summer. After Robinson spiked the ball, Lemon then blitzed the quarterback on fourth down and forced him to throw an uncatchable pass down field, sealing the Pack's first victory in more than a month.
"He was really excited and we are happy for him," said Wolfpack coach Tom O'Brien, who brought Lemon to NC State as a transfer from Georgia. "That last one, he just took off. He was a blur.
"It will certainly be great for our defense if we get that all the time."
In the lockerroom a few minutes later, Lemon, Young and their teammates weren't quite as excited in the post-game revelry. When O'Brien came in, he yelled "Did you guys forget how to celebrate?' and things perked up a little.
It's a far cry from the Wolfpack's last win, back in September over Pittsburgh, when the coach told his team it wasn't very good. The players apparently took his words to heart a little too much, and hadn't won a game since until Saturday's win over the nemesis Terps, who had won seven of the last nine meetings in the series.
"After what we did in October, we were desperate to win a football game," O'Brien said.
Like every part of this season, the Wolfpack (4-5 overall, 1-4 ACC) had to survive some difficult twists and turns to get the win. Less than an hour before the game, O'Brien was told that his starting left tackle, Jake Vermiglio, was sick and would not be able to play. He had to insert redshirt freshman Andrew Wallace into a group that was already missing regular starter R.J. Mattes.
But the retooled offensive line allowed Wilson to be sacked just once in the game against the Terps' blitzing attack.
On the first play from scrimmage, the Wolfpack gladly accepted a gift when senior defensive end Willie Young intercepted Maryland quarterback Chris Turner's pass, to set up Russell Wilson's first touchdown of the day, a 17-yard strike to tight end George Bryan.
Wilson went on to throw two more, a 35-yarder to senior Donald Bowens and an 18-yarder to Darrell Davis, and run for another. For Bowens, it was his first touchdown reception since 2007.
And even though the Wolfpack defense played better than it has in weeks – allowing just 270 total yards and 17 points to the Terps (2-7, 1-4) – a handful of mistakes kept Maryland in the game. After downing the ball on the 1-yard line in the first quarter, the Wolfpack accepted a roughing the kicker penalty on a punt and decided to go for it on fourth-and-five. Wilson's pass was picked off by Maryland linebacker Alex Wujciak and returned 70 yards for a game-tying touchdown.
Early in the second half, after the Pack took a 31-21 lead on Wilson's two-yard scoring run, it allowed Maryland return specialist Torrey Smith to score an 82-yard touchdown on the ensuing kickoff, closing the gap to just a field goal.
But the Wolfpack held strong when it needed to. Twice after Wolfpack turnovers - an interception and a muffed punt - Maryland had chances to take the lead or tie the game. Both times, placekicker Nick Ferrara missed field goal attempts. The first, a 27-yarder late in the first half, was blocked by NC State's Audi Augustin. The second, a 47-yarder in the third quarter, sailed wide right.
Then Lemon made his big plays, and the team was prodded to celebrate, its slim bowl chances still alive.
For the game, Wilson threw three touchdown passes, and nearly clipped the career-high for passing yards (349) he set last week at Florida State. He finished the game 25-for-37 for 343 yards, with three interceptions. His favorite target was Jarvis Williams, who caught seven passes for a career-high 107 yards.
The Pack offense again got help from its veteran running backs, with senior Toney Baker running for 75 yards on 19 carries and senior Jamelle Eugene running 12 times for 52 yards. Eugene scored the Pack's final touchdown, giving his team a 38-28 lead with a 2-yard run with 13:39 remaining in the game.
The Terps pulled within a touchdown with 4:46 remaining, when Ferrara booted a 31-yard field goal, but it was not enough to steal the win.
Maryland's offense dried up after Turner, a senior, went down with a knee injury in the first half. Robinson, a sophomore, came off the bench, but completed just five of his 11 passes for 27 yards. The Terps did not score an offensive touchdown after Turner left the game.
In a wild first half that had a little bit of everything, the Wolfpack took a 24-21 lead into intermission.
The Wolfpack returns to Carter-Finley next Saturday to face Clemson. Kickoff time will be announced Sunday night.
You may contact Tim Peeler at tim_peeler@ncsu.edu.
