Saturday, November 24
Chapel Hill, N.C.
12:20 p.m.
NC State
at
North Carolina
Wolfpack Ends ACC Play Against Rival North Carolina
11/23/2018 9:45:00 AM | Football
Game Day Central | Thursday Football Notebook | TV Affiliates
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Kickoff from Kenan Stadium in Chapel Hill is set for 12:20 p.m., and the game will be televised by Raycom.
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A victory would keep the Wolfpack's quest for a 10-win season alive, while also improving its positioning in the postseason bowl pecking order. UNC, meanwhile, would like to finish up with something to feel good about in the aftermath of what has been a difficult, disappointing season.
And while the pregame hype surrounding any matchup with North Carolina is always palpable around the NC State campus, Wolfpack head coach Dave Doeren has tried to turn his team's attention inward this week.
"The fact that we're close by makes it a unique rivalry for sure, and everyone will tell you that you like winning rivalry games," He said. "But for this football team and this coaching staff, our best football that we've played has always been about us getting better. That's all we're going to talk about."
Now in his sixth season at State, Doeren will be trying to win in Chapel Hill for the third time straight time. The fortunes of both programs have taken a dramatic turn since the Wolfpack's last visit to Kenan.
Two years ago, the Wolfpack went in as a big underdog, needing a win to secure a 6-6 season and bowl eligibility. Jumping out to a 21-0 lead, the Pack held on to post a 28-21 victory. NC State then secured a winning season by knocking off Vanderbilt at the Independence Bowl.
"That was a crazy season with us losing some games in the last seconds," Doeren said. "Guys just stuck together and got on a run at the end of that season."
Including that 2016 win over North Carolina, NC State has prevailed in 11 of its last 16 conference games, the most of any team-along with Miami-since then except for Clemson. UNC has veered in the opposite direction, going just 2-13 in the ACC over the last two years.
"I can't speak for what's happened over there the last two years, but I know for us Coach Doeren has continued to build the culture and the standard of this program," said Wolfpack center Garrett Bradbury. "I think everyone is seeing that with the people he's hired here. You're starting to see it come all together. It didn't happen at first, but it's definitely changing now."
Bradbury is among the NC State seniors who'll be trying to add a third career victory over the Tar Heels on Saturday. Every player who's ever worn an NC State uniform can tell you without hesitation what their record was against UNC.
"That would be a good thing to have, beating your rivals three times in a row," said senior tailback Reggie Gallaspy, Jr. "My freshman year they beat us here, but we've gotten after them ever since then. We've just got to come out strong, put the rivalry in the back of our minds and just treat it like a regular game."
In a season that has been sidetracked by suspensions and injuries, North Carolina has continued to fight and compete. Three of their league losses have been by three points, including a double overtime defeat at Syracuse.
"They have a lot of talent over there," Bradbury said. "They've played in a lot of close games. The majority of their ACC games other than maybe one have been decided by a score or two. That's encouraging for them because they've played everyone in the ACC and been right there. We just need to focus on us. We know they have a lot of talent over there, but if we focus more on us than on them, that's kind of where we've had success this season."
Since the year 2000, NC State has won 11 of 18 games in the rivalry, including eight of 11. Under Doeren, the Pack is 3-2 against the Heels Iincluding last year's 33-21 win in Carter-Finley Stadium) and 2-0 at Kenan Stadium.
"Every rivalry game I've ever been in, even when I was at Shawnee Mission Northwest (Kansas), I wanted to win that game," Doeren said. "But every game we play in I want to win. I just think it's more meaningful because we're in the same city with a ton of their alumni. I want our players to play well and to play our type of football. If we do that, then we'll be able to say we won the game because we're the type of team that if we don't beat us and we force then to beat themselves, we play pretty good football."
The Wolfpack Sports Network begins pregame coverage Saturday with the Lowe's Foods Countdown to Kickoff at 10:00 a.m. Shorty after 11:00 a.m., veteran color analyst Johnny Evans will take questions about Wolfpack football on 'Ask the Analyst.' Send Johnny a question on Twitter@pack radio or by clicking HERE.
NC State's weekly TV show, 'One with Wolfpack Football,' will air on Sunday night. For a list of times and stations, click HERE.
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| NC State (7-3, 4-3) at North Carolina (2-8, 1-6) | |
| Date | Saturday, Nov. 24 |
| Time | 12:20 p.m. |
| Location | Chapel Hill, N.C. |
| Stadium | Kenan Stadium (51,000) |
| TV | Raycom |
| Streaming | WatchESPN |
| Radio in NC | Wolfpack Sports Network |
| National Radio | Tunein, Sirius 211, XM 207 |
| Live Stats | GoHeels.com |
| Social Media | @PackFootball, PackFootball |
Kickoff from Kenan Stadium in Chapel Hill is set for 12:20 p.m., and the game will be televised by Raycom.
Â
A victory would keep the Wolfpack's quest for a 10-win season alive, while also improving its positioning in the postseason bowl pecking order. UNC, meanwhile, would like to finish up with something to feel good about in the aftermath of what has been a difficult, disappointing season.
And while the pregame hype surrounding any matchup with North Carolina is always palpable around the NC State campus, Wolfpack head coach Dave Doeren has tried to turn his team's attention inward this week.
"The fact that we're close by makes it a unique rivalry for sure, and everyone will tell you that you like winning rivalry games," He said. "But for this football team and this coaching staff, our best football that we've played has always been about us getting better. That's all we're going to talk about."
Now in his sixth season at State, Doeren will be trying to win in Chapel Hill for the third time straight time. The fortunes of both programs have taken a dramatic turn since the Wolfpack's last visit to Kenan.
Two years ago, the Wolfpack went in as a big underdog, needing a win to secure a 6-6 season and bowl eligibility. Jumping out to a 21-0 lead, the Pack held on to post a 28-21 victory. NC State then secured a winning season by knocking off Vanderbilt at the Independence Bowl.
"That was a crazy season with us losing some games in the last seconds," Doeren said. "Guys just stuck together and got on a run at the end of that season."
Including that 2016 win over North Carolina, NC State has prevailed in 11 of its last 16 conference games, the most of any team-along with Miami-since then except for Clemson. UNC has veered in the opposite direction, going just 2-13 in the ACC over the last two years.
"I can't speak for what's happened over there the last two years, but I know for us Coach Doeren has continued to build the culture and the standard of this program," said Wolfpack center Garrett Bradbury. "I think everyone is seeing that with the people he's hired here. You're starting to see it come all together. It didn't happen at first, but it's definitely changing now."
Bradbury is among the NC State seniors who'll be trying to add a third career victory over the Tar Heels on Saturday. Every player who's ever worn an NC State uniform can tell you without hesitation what their record was against UNC.
"That would be a good thing to have, beating your rivals three times in a row," said senior tailback Reggie Gallaspy, Jr. "My freshman year they beat us here, but we've gotten after them ever since then. We've just got to come out strong, put the rivalry in the back of our minds and just treat it like a regular game."
In a season that has been sidetracked by suspensions and injuries, North Carolina has continued to fight and compete. Three of their league losses have been by three points, including a double overtime defeat at Syracuse.
"They have a lot of talent over there," Bradbury said. "They've played in a lot of close games. The majority of their ACC games other than maybe one have been decided by a score or two. That's encouraging for them because they've played everyone in the ACC and been right there. We just need to focus on us. We know they have a lot of talent over there, but if we focus more on us than on them, that's kind of where we've had success this season."
Since the year 2000, NC State has won 11 of 18 games in the rivalry, including eight of 11. Under Doeren, the Pack is 3-2 against the Heels Iincluding last year's 33-21 win in Carter-Finley Stadium) and 2-0 at Kenan Stadium.
"Every rivalry game I've ever been in, even when I was at Shawnee Mission Northwest (Kansas), I wanted to win that game," Doeren said. "But every game we play in I want to win. I just think it's more meaningful because we're in the same city with a ton of their alumni. I want our players to play well and to play our type of football. If we do that, then we'll be able to say we won the game because we're the type of team that if we don't beat us and we force then to beat themselves, we play pretty good football."
The Wolfpack Sports Network begins pregame coverage Saturday with the Lowe's Foods Countdown to Kickoff at 10:00 a.m. Shorty after 11:00 a.m., veteran color analyst Johnny Evans will take questions about Wolfpack football on 'Ask the Analyst.' Send Johnny a question on Twitter@pack radio or by clicking HERE.
NC State's weekly TV show, 'One with Wolfpack Football,' will air on Sunday night. For a list of times and stations, click HERE.
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Players Mentioned
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/ Football
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