Pack Travels to UNC for Friday Rivalry Game

Game Day Central | Wednesday Football Notebook

Game 12: NC State (5-6, 2-5 ACC) at North Carolina (8-3, 5-2 ACC)
November 25, 2016 • 12 p.m. • ESPN/ACC Network Extra
Chapel Hill, N.C. • Kenan Stadium (63,000)

TV: ESPN/ACC Network Extra | Radio: Wolfpack Sports Network, Tunein, Sirius 84, XM 84
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RALEIGH, N.C. - When it faces off against rival North Carolina (8-3, 5-2 ACC) for the 106th time on Friday, NC State (5-6, 2-5 ACC) hopes a recent trend which has seen the road team prevail in the longstanding series will continue. Not only has the visiting team won the last two games, it has done so in convincing fashion.

Two years ago at Kenan Stadium, the Wolfpack churned out 388 rushing yards in a lopsided 35-7 victory over the Tar Heels. Stung by that result, UNC returned the favor last season in Raleigh, putting 35 points on the board in the opening quarter and never looking back in a 45-34 triumph.

"We played really well two years ago and played really bad last year," said Wolfpack head coach Dave Doeren. "They played really well last year and I'm sure they'd say they played really bad two years ago. It's an emotional game and obviously you want to sustain the highs and lows early and make it a four quarter football game if that's what it calls for."

The ability to manage emotions becomes a tricky task in rivalry games, thus creating a certain level of unpredictability that often leads to unforeseen outcomes. The desire to obtain bragging rights and do so for passionate followers who relish owning the upper hand in the annual 'water cooler debates' can occasionally cause players to actually try to do too much over the course of a game, leading to execution mistakes prompted by overwhelming, sometimes unchecked emotion.

In its impressive victory in Chapel Hill two years ago, NC State used its emotion productively, funneling the excess energy into a dominant performance at the line of scrimmage.

"What I remember is that it was just a great team win," said Wolfpack cornerback Jack Tocho. "To be able to go there on their field and execute our game plan and just impose our will was a phenomenal feeling. It was a great way to end the season and go to a bowl game."

For Tocho and the other NC State seniors to extend their careers and become bowl eligible for a third straight year, another winning outcome will be required against the offensive-minded Tar Heels. For a Wolfpack team that has suffered more than its share of close, heartbreaking defeats, a season-ending win over its rivals from 30 miles down the road would go a long way in healing some painful wounds.

"We're playing a very talented football team that's had a good season and has a lot of experienced and skilled players, but from our perspective it's more about us than it is about them," Doeren said. "We really want to focus on playing our best football, playing with pride, having a lot of fun and playing loose. This is the last chance to play in a rivalry game for some of our guys, so we're going to do what we can to help them through it."

For NC State, 14 seniors will be facing North Carolina for the last time. On the flip side, the Tar Heels have 16 seniors who will be suiting up at Kenan for the final time. Although he's just a junior, UNC quarterback Mitch Trubisky could also be playing his final home game given the many rave reviews he's been drawing from NFL talent evaluators. Trubisky is fifth in the nation in completion percentage (69.7), sixth in total completions (258), ninth in pass efficiency rating (162.2), 10th in total yards, 14th in passing yards per game and 14th in touchdown passes (25).

"A very accurate passer with great arm strength," Doeren said. "He doesn't miss a lot of throws. Obviously there are some passes that are broken up because there's good defense as well, but he's a very good passer, understands their offense and distributes the ball well."

Along with his 25 touchdown passes, Trubisky has been intercepted only four times. He's surrounded by numerous skill athletes with experience, including running backs Elijah Hood and T.J. Logan, along with receivers Ryan Switzer, Bug Howard and Austin Proehl.

At its best this season, NC State has shown that it can compete on equal footing with the likes of Clemson and Florida State. Similar effort and execution will be required on Friday.

"Yeah, definitely," said NC State running back Matthew Dayes, who is the eighth running back in school history to surpass 1,000 yards in a season. "You can see it in the guys' eyes that they're hungry for this game because our backs are against the wall. We've got to come out with a win for us to go to a bowl game."

With a noon kickoff on Friday, the Wolfpack Sports Network begins its pregame coverage at 10 a.m. with the Matthews Motors Countdown to Kickoff. In hour two of the pregame show from the radio booth, former Wolfpack All-American Johnny Evans takes question from fans on 'Ask the Analyst.' Questions about Pack football can be sent to Johnny via Twitter @packradio or by clicking HERE.

A complete recap of the NC State-North Carolina game will be available Sunday on the Dave Doeren TV Show. Click HERE for times and stations.

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Players Mentioned

Matthew Dayes

Jack Tocho