State Pounds #27 Villanova 28-6
NC State's journey to the league championshio got off to a late start due to a rainout, but the pack didn't look any worse for the one-week layoff.
State's first match was against #27 Villanova and they wasted no time jumping on the Wildcats. After the Pack defense held Nova on its first drive, ace quarterback Dean Duhon found Greg Kirby down the right sideline on the very first play for a 59-yard touchdown. Coach Wil Simmons ran the option pitch left for a 2-point conversion to make it a quick 8-0 Wolfpack lead. That's all the Pack would need to win.
Nova 's second drive ended when Andy Goldstein picked off a pass at the NC State 30. After the defense forced a quick 3-and-out, State scored again. This time Dean found Harold Pettigrew on the right side, who juked his defender and trotted in for a 50-yard touchdown. The PAT failed, and just like that the Pack was up 14-0.
Nova went as much backwards as forwards on their third drive, with a bungled hard count and delay-of-game penalties backing them up. The 'Cats turned it over on downs and the Pack started a more measured scoring drive.
After a short completion to Harold, Dean found Katie Hillery for a 10-yard gain. A hook-and-lateral from greg to Anna Garwood picked up 30 yards and a first down. Kat Ross picked up 3 yards before Dean called his own number and scampered in to the end zone for 6 to make it 20-0 Pack just before the half.
After both teams went 3-and-out, the Pack got back on the scoreboard. A roughing the passer call moved State up to their own 25. Dean hit Katie (6 yards) Greg (14 yards) and Anna (17 yards) before Wil passed to Harold on the option for a 5-yard touchdown. 28-0 Pack
'Nova marched back down the field but took way too much time, scoring with only 3 minutes left in regulation. State's next drive ended in a punt, and the 'Cats next drive was ended by Kat's interception. 'Nova got the ball back during seven plays and gave up a safety. Wolfpack wins 28-6.
Game balls went to Marc Duncan and Alex Storey for getting up at 0-dark-30 to ref an early game.
State got some rest and a bit of lunch while awaiting the result of the Michigan State/Tufts game. The #22 Jumbos (No, I'm not kidding, their mascot is Jumbo the elephant!!) upset the #11 Spartans, and the Pack got them next.
After holding the Jumbos (haha, Jumbos...) on their first drive, State marched down the field and scored on a 2-yard pass to Kat to make it 6-0. Tufts found the going tough (ha!) against the pack defense as their next drive ended on an interception by all-star cornerback Kevin Honeycutt.
State's next drive was foiled near the end zone. After completions to Harold (35 yards) and Dana Creager (2 yards) to get the Pack in striking distance, Greg's pass to Dean was picked off in double coverage in the end zone. Tufts' ensuing drive ended in a turnover-on-downs, and the Pack came back, capping a 55-yard scoring drive with a 19-yard touchdown toss to Greg. Kevin picked off another Jumbo pass to end the half, 12-0 Pack.
State got the ball to start the second half and started a slow march down the field. It took a little while, but the pack scored again, this time on a 7-yard pass to Greg. 18-0 Wolfpack
Tufts finally got on the ball and went on a 58-yard scoring drive to make it 18-8. But the pack came back to score again on a 3-yard toss to Dana, who juked the lone defender out of his shoes on the way to a 24-8 Pack lead. Doug Jones picked off Tufts to put the final nail in the coffin.
State advances to the quarterfinals for the second time in three seasons. The next match is against #3 Michigan.
Pack Holds Off #3 Wolverines, 21-16
State survived and advanced to Sunday's quarterfinal action against #3 Michigan, Saturday was easy by comparison. Now State had to get past two former league champions to make it to the big game.
The Wolverines scored on their first possession to take a 7-0 lead but State quickly answered. Dean hit Greg on the left side for a 46-yard touchdown. Center Mark Johnson got loose on the PAT to tie the game at 7.
Michigan drove down the field again but Coach Wil picked off a pass at the NC State 5. State's drive didn't go far and the pack punted. Then Michigan came back and scored to make it 14-7.
State's made a habit of putting together one-play scoring drives this season, and here was one more. Dean found Kevin on the right side, who shook his defender and rumbled 65-yards for the touchdown. The Wolverines picked off the PAT pass in the end zone and ran it all the way back for a safety. 16-13 Michigan at the half.
State got the ball first in the second half with great field position at its own 38. A 3-yard pass to Anna picked up a first down, and another pass to her in the flats added 6 more. After a defensive offsides call, Dean found Greg again for a 30-yard touchdown. Kat reached for the pass to score the 2-point conversion and make it 21-16 Pack.
The Pack defense rose to the occasion to preserve the lead. Michigan moved the ball but never found the end zone, turning it over on downs and punting. State's offense went into ball-control mode, milking as much of the clock as possible. Michigan's last gasp fell short as Mark Matthews picked off a pass at the 5-yard line on the next to last play to seal the victory. State beats the two-time league champs, 21-16.
State Knocks Off Defending Champs, 14-7
Next up was defending league champs Colorado. The Buffaloes got the ball first but the Pack defense stepped up and took it back. After Anna sacked the quarterback for a 13-yard loss, Mark M continued his thieving ways by notching his second interception of the day. State capped a 77-yard scoring drive with a 3-yard pass to Katie to make it 6-0 Pack.
Colorado came right back to score and take a thin 7-6 lead. State's next drive stalled near midfield and Doug punted the ball through the end zone for a touchback. Colorado's drive came to an end on a pick by Kevin. 7-6 Buffaloes at the half.
State got the ball to start the second half and drove into Colorado territory before being picked off at the 25. A sack by Anna slowed the drive and Mark M ended it with a big fourth-down stop just short of midfield. The Pack's next drive only netted 10 yards before turnign it over on downs, but Colorado's drive ended on another interception by Wil. State made the most out of the pick, as Dean threw to harold for a 15-yard touchdown. Harold also hauled in the 2-point conversion to give State a 14-7 lead.
The next Colorado drive was costly for the Buffaloes. They moved the ball into the red zone but their quarterback was injured while running into Wil on the sideline and had to leave the game. Kevin later picked them off. The Pack went into ball-control mode to keep the Buffalo O on the sidelines, holding the ball into the final 7plays. Colorado got the ball back with three plays left in the game. One of their receivers got loose after a dump-off pass and rumbled 45 yards for a touchdown. Except there was an offensive block in the backfield... and the receiver was flagged for taunting before he got to the end zone, and the potential tying score was called back. Mark M batted down their last pass to out this win in the books. State advances to the title game, 14-7.
Wolfpack Runs Out of Gas Against #1 ECU
State was just one win away from its first ever alumni championship. All they had to do was beat East Carolina, undefeated and the #1 seed.
The game started off looking like it would be a defensive struggle. ECU picked off dean on the second play, and Kevin got it back for the Pack just a few plays later. State couldn't get the ball back out to the 20 and punted away, backing the Pirates up to their own 8. ECU marched down the field and scored to take a 6-0 lead.
The Pack offense went 3-and-out, but the defense did its part in the red zone with Doug picking off another ECU pass. The Wolfpack offense couldn't make much out of it and the half ended with a 6-0 ECU lead.
The second half wasn't any kinder to the Pack. Both teams were held in check on their opening drives but the Pirates found a way to score again. State put together a long drive, helped by a pass interference call and a roughing the passer call, but it ended with an interception just outside the end zone. The Pack defense held and gave the offense one more chance, but it was too little too late. Harold scored on the very last play of the game for pride. State loses 12-6.
It was a disappointing end to a great season. The Pack finished with a 12-3 record and made its deepest run ever in the tournament.
Thin #5 Pack Squad Loses to Tenn., 6-0
State went into the last game of the regular season against 2-7 Tennessee with a first-round bye in the tournament locked up, and it seemed like the Pack thought it could phone this one in. Many of the starters were out of town - in New York City no less - leaving just enough people to play. The State offense sputtered at times, with several drives ending in interceptions. The Volunteers weren't much better, but good enough to win. They scored on a 15-yard pass in the second half for what would be the game-winning score. NC State falls 6-0.
State ends the regular season at 8-2. The league tournament starts Jan. 6 and spans two weekends. The loss may knock the Pack down a few spots in the tournament seedings. Depending on how the field shakes out, this could be a blessing in disguise.
#5 Pack Strikes Early, Rallies Late to Beat Richmond in Overtime, 25-19
NC State came back from Thanksgiving break with a chance to lock up their second straight division title against 4-4 Richmond, and the Pack didn't waste any time. On the first play from scrimmage, multisport phenom Dean "Turkey" Duhon found Greg "Stuffing" Kirby on a fly route down the right side of the field for a 65-yard touchdown to take a quick 6-0 lead.
There wasn't much offense after that as the Pack struggled to find its rhythm. But the Pack did find the end zone again, as Dean pulled down a high snap and opted to keep it for a 10-yard touchdown.
Richmond broke open a big play as their top receiver evaded several Wolfpack defenders to score from 45 yards out to make it 12-6 State at the half.
Th State offense was flat for most of the second half, while the Spiders seemed to find some sort of rhythm. Richmond scored twide and made a 2-point conversion to take a 19-12 lead. With time winding down, State marched down the field. Greg finally shook his defender and got it down to the 1. Dean called his own number and ran a bootleg left to score. Dean checked down on the PAT and kept it, scampering 5 yards to make it 19-19 with 6 seconds left in regulation. Richmond got the ball back and kept it in the final seven plays (added after each game to account for any clock irregularities) but couldn't score. Overtime.
State won the toss and elected to go on defense first. Richmond got four cracks at the end zone fromt he 10-yard line, and missed them all. A Richmond receiver had the ball in his hands on fourth down but couldn't hang on to the low pass. Now it was State's turn.
On second down, Dean found Anna "Gravy" Garwood on a short pass up the middle, and she scooted through traffic and into the end zone to win the game. State wins 25-19.
Game balls went to Anna for the game-winning catch (which made up for an earlier end-zone drop) and to DeShaun "Cranberry Sauce" Jones, who had the unenviable task of defending the Spiders' No. 1 receiver.
With the win, State clinched its second straight division title and a first-round bye in the league tournament next month. State (8-1) concludes the regular season next Sunday against division cellar-dweller Tennessee (2-7).
Following Chuck Amato's dismissal right after Thanksgiving, rumors began flying about who would replace him as State's football coach. One of those included flag football coach Wil "Mashed Potatoes" Simmons.
Coach Wil sounded both flattered and bewildered when asked about the rumor during his weekly call-in radio show at Ermaline's Auto Salvage and Beauty College in Manassas. "It's nice that someone – as loony as they may be – thinks I'm a top candidate, but I'm not in the running." When asked about being contacted by the N&O, Wil grinned and said he had just gotten a puppy and wants to get him paper-trained. "Only the best for him," he said.
#5 Wolfpack Overwhelms #20 Syracuse, 41-6
The Wolfpack cracked the top 5 for the first time this season after manhandling George Washington in a muddy deluge. Next up was #20 Syracuse in what the media dubbed as the "Duhon Bowl," pitting Dean - State's starting QB - against his older brother Chad, the Orange's star QB. The pollsters predicted a State win (the spread was 8) and the Pack covered it easily, just as Dean will be covering Chad's plate on Thanksgiving with a big helping of smack.
State kicked off and held the 'Cuse to three-and-out. After the punt, the Pack drove 40 yards to score as Dean scampered 14 yards around the left for a touchdown. Wil 'Da Thrill' Simmons took the option pitch and ran it in for the two-point conversion to take a quick 8-0 lead.
The Orange couldn't get much of anything going on offense, mainly because State players kept catching the ball. One pass was tipped and caught by 'Wrong Way' Robyn Jones, who ran about 3 yards in the wrong direction after the catch. State scored on the ensuing drive, with 'Goalline' Greg Kirby throwing 18 yards to Dean in the right corner of the end zone for another touchdown. 14-0 Pack.
Another interception - this time by Kevin 'Sticky Fingers' Honeycutt - set up an 8-yard touchdown pass from Dean to Greg to make it 22-0 State just before the half. While running their routes, Greg and backup QB Harold 'Superman' Pettigrew collided in the end zone. Harold dislocated his left pinky, but it was later snapped back into place at the hospital. The injury is not expected to affect his stuffing-scarfing abilities.
The second half was a lot like the first. State got the ball first but the drive stalled in the red zone as Dean came up two yards short on 4th and goal. Syracuse couldn't make much of their drive before getting picked off AGAIN, this time by Doug ‘Right Way’ Jones. This set up a 5-yard touchdown pass to Brianne 'Twinkle Toes' Little to make it 28-0.
Syracuse finally got on the board with a 15-yard touchdown pass, but Kat 'Smackdown' Ross batted down a bobbled catch in the end zone to deny the PAT. 28-6 Wolfpack
On the first play of the next drive, Greg rolled right and found Dean in the flats. The pass was tipped by the "other" Duhon, only to be caught by Dean, who rumbled 55 yards for the touchdown. Dean found Dan 'the Man' Burrell in the end zone for the PAT to make it 35-6.
Another Orange drive, another interception. This one by Wil, who ran it back through traffic before pitching to Dan, who juked Chad and took off for the end zone. DeShaun 'INT' Jones ended Syracuse’s final drive with an interception in the end zone completing the rout…41-6 Wolfpack.
State improves to 7-1, while Syracuse falls to 5-4. The pack takes a week off to load up on turkey before finishing out the regular season against division foes Richmond (3-4) and Tennessee (2-6).
The #7 ranked alumni flag football team moved to 6-1 and sole possession of first place in the division after dominating 5th-ranked division rival GW in a mud bowl this past Sunday. The Pack got huge performances from QB Dean Duhon, WR Greg Kirby, and CB Kevin Honeycutt as well as all of the ladies who had to go Iron Woman in the second half due to injuries. The Pack dominated GW in the driving rain, leading 20-0 until the 2nd to last play of the game when the Colonials finally scored.
On Sunday the team battles Syracuse in the first annual 'Duhon Bowl.' The press thought that Manning vs. Manning was big, but ESPN and Vegas are predicting this battle to be bigger. Dean's brother is the QB for Syracuse and has been talking junk ever since taking over the reins for our Big East foe.
#7 Pack Muzzles Georgia Bulldogs 32-0
After a quick 3-and-out from Georgia to start the game, seventh-ranked NC State didn't waste time scoring. On the first play, Dean Duhon threw to Greg Kirby who bolted down the left sideline for a 65-yard touchdown. The two-point conversion was good, and that's all State needed in a 32-0 rout. State brought its A-game on defense too, with DeShaun Williams and Akhil Bhaskar both recording interceptions in the second half. State (5-1) rides the shutout into a bye week.
#8 Pack Rolls Past #19 Texas A&M, 32-12
Eighth-ranked NC State didn't quite have enough to beat Purdue last week, but they had more than enough to put away Texas A&M. State scored early and never looked back in the 32-12 rout. (Editor's note: The author was out of town and really has no idea how the game went, but that sounds good.) The 4-1 Wolfpack get into division play next Sunday against 2-3 Georgia.
#7 Wolfpack Rally Late But Fall Short Against #5 Purdue, 19-12
Despite being 2-0, NC State got knocked down a few slots in the week 3 coaches' poll, falling from #5 to #7. One reason was the rise of the next opponent, Purdue, who rose four spots to #5.
Again, Rob O. pegged this as one of the week's two big matchups: another close match, but favored the Wolfpack by 2. Maybe we should get him to pick against us in the future.
State got the ball first on its own 35 after a good kick return by Anna Garwood, but had to play two people short for most of the first drive. One of the gals was running late because, she had to get her hair done. (Editor's note: Really! I can't make this stuff up!) Dana Creager made an 8-yard catch up the middle and Anna made a 4-yard catch to get the Pack past midfield but later turned it over on downs.
The Boilermakers took the ball and didn't waste time hanging a TD ont he Wolfpack. 6-0 Purdue.
State's next possession ended on a punt. Purdue's next possession ended in another touchdown. 12-0 Purdue.
After finding harold for an 8-yard gain, quarterback Dean Duhon heaved the ball 40 yards to Kevin Honeycutt who made it down to the Purdue 5. The Boilermaker defense held and the half ended.
Purdue got the ball first in the second half and, whaddya know, score anouther touchdown. the PAT gives the Boilermakers a seemingly unsurmountable 19-0 lead.
State gets the ball back and starts down the field. harold picked up 15 yards for a first down before Dean scrambled for a 20 yard gain and another first down. Dean found Kevin for a 25-yard touchdown to make it 19-6.
The Pack defense finally figured out Purdue's offense and held the Boilermakers to a short drive. State got the ball back and marched 53 yards for another touchdown, capped by a 10-yard pass to Kevin to make it 19-12 Purdue.
Purdue moved the ball and threatened to put the game away, but kevin picked a the pass in the end zone for a touchback. Dean foudn Anna for a 15-yard gain and a firest down, then State went with the fleaflicker. the pass fell incomplete but the Boilermakers had too many people on the field, moving the Pack 5 yards closer to a possible tie. Kat Ross picks up 15 yards and a first down in Purdue territory, but the comeback stalls. Dean takes a sack and Dana only gains 10 yards. Purdue hold off the Wolfpack, 19-12.
It's a tough loss, but it has no division implications. The 2-1 Pack is only a half-game behind George Washington and there's a lot of football left to play. State's next opponent is 2-1 Texas A&M Sunday morning.
#6 NC State Vetoes #11 James Madison,
14-8
The rainclouds drifted away and the sun came out just in time for NC State's Sunday morning game against #11 James Madison. JMU had played the spoiler to the Pack in softball and basketball this year and the team wanted a little payback.
Rob O., the Maryland guy who runs the weekly coaches poll, had this pegged as one of the week's two big matchups. He also predicted a close game with JMU pulling away late to win by 5. (Hope you didn't put any money down on that Rob O...)
State and Madison went to halftime tied at 8, but the Pack wasted no time taking the lead back. On the first play of the second half, Dean Duhon hit Kevin Honeycutt for a 55-yard touchdown. The Dukes found success in the middle-distance game against the State defense, but the Pack thwarted several scoring opportunities. The Wolfpack holds off the Dukes 14-8.
State's next game is a rare Saturday matchup against perennial heavyweight Purdue.
Hold that Tiger: #9 Wolfpack Tops #14 Clemson 14-6
Ninth-ranked NC State's season opener against #14 Clemson wasn't pretty, but it was a win. State receivers dropped a lot of passes, but caught enough of them to build a 14-0 lead at the half. The Tigers scored a late touchdown but it was too little too late. In the end it was a lot like last week's preseason game. State wins 14-6.
The win bumped State up to #6 in the week 2 coaches poll, and the Pack ventures out of the division next Sunday to face #10 James Madison.
Pack Goes 2-1 in Preseason Tourney
NC State had a good showing in the 3rd Annual Charity Kickoff Classic. It was a team effort all the way around as the Pack dispatched Arizona State 24-0 and Clemson 15-6 on a cool, misty day.
State hit a streak of bad luck against tourney host Penn State - you know you're not fated to win when a batted pass lands on the chest of a receiver... while he's flat on his back... in the end zone. State loses in the semifinal 20-6.
The 9th-ranked Pack's regular season starts Sunday against #14 Clemson.