North Carolina State University Athletics
Buckey Stepped In For Biggest Bowl Win
12/22/2010 12:00:00 AM | Football
Dec. 22, 2010
Holtz, Bowden Bade Farewell in 1975 Peach
RALEIGH, N.C. – It wasn’t the way Dave Buckey wanted to break into the starting lineup at N.C. State.
But when All-ACC quarterback Bruce Shaw suffered a broken wrist during a pre-Peach Bowl scrimmage in 1972, the precocious, 155-pound freshman was willing -- and able -- to fill the void.
He adroitly directed Coach Lou Holtz’s veer attack, threw two touchdown passes, ran for another TD, and won the game’s outstanding offensive player award in a 49-13 romp over Bobby Bowden’s West Virginia Mountaineers, the largest margin of victory in a postseason game in school history.
“Fortunately I’d had some playing time, but starting is a little different, a little more pressure,’’ said Buckey, who along with his offensive teammates and a defiant defense shifted into stress-free mode after a 35-point second-half outburst.
That victory capped an 8-3-1 season under Holtz, the ebullient first-year coach who infused a Pack team that had gone 3-8 in 1971 with energy, enthusiasm and exciting offense that drove opposing defensive coordinators up the chalk board.
Now, 38 years later, the current Wolfpack (8-4) hopes to crown its turn-around season with a win over the Mountaineers (9-3) at the Dec. 28 Champs Bowl in Orlando. Having the proper psyche will be one key, of course, just as it was for the ’72 Pack.
Kick It Up
When Shaw went down with his injury, Holtz challenged every other player on the roster to raise his game a notch and affirmed Buckey’s ability to do the job at quarterback.
“I told (Dave) I would take care of him,’’ said Holtz, who kept the offense manageable. “He threw very well, ran the team. He was very mature for his age. He wasn’t overwhelmed by anything.”
Exuding confidence and poise, Buckey connected with twin brother Don on a 37-yard scoring pass in the first half. He also pitched a 14-yard touchdown toss to Pat Hovance in the explosive second half and ran for a two-yard TD.
Operating in front of him were bully-boy blockers that included All-league linemen Bill Yoest and Rick Druschel. Behind them was the stampeding "Stallion Backfield" of Willie Burden, Charley Young, Stan Fritts and Roland Hooks.
Burden gave the Mountaineers the willies, bursting for 116 of State’s 337 rushing yards. And Fritts, State’s “Mr Touchdown,” scored three times on short plunges. Buckey threw only 13 passes, but made his eight completions count for 12 points and 139 yards.
“We were running the ball so well and would throw some play-action passes,’’ Buckey said. “It seems every time I called a pass somebody was open.”
While the offense rolled by land and air, State’s defensive staff -- which included coordinator Al Michaels and assistant Chuck Amato -- had devised a scheme that held WVU to less than 300 total yards.
The kicking game wasn’t bad, either. A blocked punt by George Bell -- winner of the game’s outstanding defensive player honor -- and a punt return by Mike Stultz set up two scores, according to The News & Observer’s report.
“It was a complete game,’’ Holtz said.
“The game was just a dream,’’ Buckey explained. “It went just the way we scripted it. Everybody was ready to go, to do the best job of our ability.”
State’s lineup sparkled with all-star glitter. In addition to Shaw -- who passed for 1,708 yards during the season -- Yoest, Burden, Fritts,, Stultz, Druschel and team MVP Pat Kenney (833 receiving yards) earned All-ACC accolades.
Then Dave Buckey had his Peach Bowl moment, not to mention some solid regular-season performances. His style and skills complemented the tall, tough Shaw, a drop-back passer.
”Bruce and I complemented each other perfectly,’’ said Buckey, who ran the option and threw sprint out passes. “Bruce was very mature, a very smart quarterback, very good pocket passer. I was pretty much the opposite, smaller, agile. We were better as a unit than either of us was individually.”
Buckey went on to direct State to three more winning seasons and ranks No. 3 in all-time passing efficiency behind Philip Rivers and Russell Wilson. Brother Don Buckey, Fritts (42 career TDs) and Yoest, later in their careers, made All-America teams and Burden captured an ACC Player of the Year award (1973).
Special Era
That ’72 season was the beginning of arguably the most exciting four-year era in Wolfpack football history.
State went to four straight bowls, lost only one home game and compiled a 33-12-3 overall record before Holtz departed after the 1975 season for a brief fling with the NFL New York Jets.
Give former Wolfpack athletics director Willis Casey some credit. He hired Holtz after watching the coach’s outmanned William & Mary teams light up the scoreboard, particularly in a game at Chapel Hill against North Carolina.
When the slightly built coach arrived on campus, he installed a veer offense that was ahead of its time, one that kept opposing defenses in a dither and Wolfpack fans generally in a state of euphoria.
Only a few teams whipped Holtz and nobody outquipped him. He talked faster than he drove his car, was funnier than David Letterman and always kept a few gimmicks up his sleeve. On one Halloween, he showed up at practice wearing a mask.
“He was a master at turning programs around,” said Dave Buckey. “There (wasn’t) a better motivator in the business. He is the best.”
Like before that ’72 Peach Bowl, when Shaw went down. Holtz -- now ESPN’s “Dr. Lou” analyst -- had the right prescription and words to keep the Pack pepped up.
• By A.J. Carr
