North Carolina State University Athletics
Wednesday Football Notebook
11/23/2011 12:00:00 AM | Football
Game 12: NC State (6-5, 3-4 ACC) vs. Maryland (2-9, 1-6 ACC)
November 26, 2011 • 12:30 p.m. • ACC Network
Raleigh, N.C. • Carter-Finley Stadium (57,583)
PACK VS. TERPS: In the 100+year gridiron series between NC State and Maryland, only one game separates the two schools in the wins and losses columns. The all-time series stands at 32-31-4 in favor of Maryland.
In recent history, the series has been a little more lopsided, with the Terrapins taking eight of the last 11 contests. NC State has not won at Maryland since 2004.
State won the last matchup in Raleigh, 38-31, in 2010. Last season, the score was reversed up in College Park, with Maryland taking a 38-31 victory.
CLOSE GAMES BETWEEN TURTLES AND WOLVES: Ten of the last 11 contests between NC State and Maryland (only three of which the Wolfpack has won) have been decided by 10 points or fewer. Only Maryland’s 37-0 win over NC State in 2007 does not fall into that category since the 2000 campaign.
Four of those 10 games have been decided by four or less points and nine by less than 10 points.
PACK SENIORS TO BE HONORED: Twenty seniors will be honored during pregame ceremonies on Saturday, including 12 players who have started at some point in their careers. Here’s a look at the Pack’s seniors who will be playing their last game in Carter-Finley Stadium versus the Terrapins:
Ben Areno, WR • George Bryan, TE • Justin Byers, CB • Audie Cole, LB • Wayne Crawford, C/OG/DT • J. Ellis Flint, PK • Taylor Gentry, FB • TJ Graham, WR • Steven Howard, WR • David Hyde, HB • Daniel imhoff, QB • Colby Jackson, LB • Markus Kuhn, DT • Dwayne Maddox, LB • Mikel Overgaard, OT • Zach Powell, DB • Jeff Rieskamp, DE • Jay Smith, WR • J.R. Sweezy, DT • Curtis Underwood, HB
WIN, WE’RE IN: The Wolfpack enters the Maryland game in a must-win situation if the team wants to earn its third bowl bid in the past four years. With a 6-5 slate in 2011, State must defeat the Terrapins to qualify for the postseason (The Pack has two wins over FCS teams). The first step of the task was accomplished last week, as the Pack dismantled seventh-ranked Clemson.
In his previous 14 years as a head coach, Tom O’Brien has led his teams to 10 postseason bowls, including two in his first four years with the Wolfpack.
MARYLAND PLAYS SPOILER: Last season, Maryland destroyed the Wolfpack’s chance to play in the ACC Championship game with a 38-31 win at College Park. This season, the Terrapins have a chance to keep the Pack out of a postseason bowl.
In Tom O’Brien’s first season at State, Maryland came to Raleigh on Thanksgiving weekend with the Wolfpack’s bowl eligibility on the line. The Terrapins annihilated the Pack, 37-0 in that contests and State stayed home for the holidays.
In 2005, Maryland also spent the Thanksgiving weekend in Raleigh. That year, the Pack posted a 20-14 victory to earn a bid to the Meineke Car Care Bowl in Charlotte.
DEFENSE GETS IT DONE: In the past three games, the Wolfpack defense has been nothing short of spectacular. The opponent has averaged just 36.3 rushing yards per game in those contests. State now ranks second in the ACC in total defense (319.4) and rushing defense (107.6) against league competition.
Although seventh-ranked Clemson managed to gain 337 yards on the Wolfpack last week, that was 141 yards less than the Tigers’ average heading into the contest. Boston College managed just 190 yards of total offense, while UNC had just 165 yards of total offense and did not score.
In terms of scoring, the last three opponents, UNC, Boston College and Clemson, have averaged just nine points per game (UNC did not score).
The Pack defense could hardly post a better performance than it did in the second half at Boston College. The Eagles passed for just four yards after intermission and lost six yards on 15 rushing attempts for a grand total of minus-two yards of total offense in the third and fourth quarters combined. The defense, playing withouts its leading tackler-for-loss, Markus Kuhn, allowed just one first down in the second half.
In the second quarter against Clemson, the Tigers gained just 19 yards and the defense caused two fumbles that gave the Pack the ball inside the 20 twice, leading to two scores.
Despite starting eight different lineups in 11 games and having numerous players miss games due to injuries,
AMERSON SETS RECORD: Sophomore cornerback David Amerson has had an amazing sophomore campaign. The Greensboro native, who has been named one of three finalists for the Jim Thorpe Award, enters the last regular season game of the year with four more interceptions than any other player in the FBS ranks.
Amerson tied the ACC single-season INT record with his 11th pick against Clemson. He set the school mark against North Carolina, breaking the record that had been set just a few years before he was born: Art Rooney held the record with eight in 1937 and again in 1938!
CLOSE, BUT NO ‘W’: NC State has lost four Atlantic Coast Conference contests this season, but has been in the game in three of them. The Wolfpack lost at Wake Forest by a touchdown in September, fell to Georgia Tech by 10 in October and lost at Boston College by four last week. The only run-away game so far was the Pack’s 34-0 loss at Florida State.
State’s two conference wins had a little more padding, with a two touchdown win at Virginia and a 13 point shutout victory over North Carolina.
GRAHAM SETS ACC RECORD: The Wolfpack defense was not very cooperative in senior T.J. Graham’s quest to set the ACC career record for kickoff return yards. However, the measley 13 points scored by Clemson enough to give Graham the all-time lead, and he heads into the last home game of his career with 2,989 yards.
HOME IS A RUSH FOR PACK: The good news for the Wolfpack in terms of its rushing is that the last two games of the season are at home. State has averaged 147.5 rushing yards per home game this season, as compared to just 56 rushing yards per game on the road. The Wolfpack managed just 47 rushing yards in the four-point loss at Boston College.
The Wolfpack has had four individual 100+ yard performances this season, one by Curtis Underwood and three by James Washington. That marks the first time since 2007 that has occurred and if a State player is to reach the century mark in terms of rushing again this season, it will mark the first time since 2002 that it’s happened five times in a season.
