WRAL Sports Fan

North Carolina State University

Game blog: N.C. State beats Miami 38-28, becomes bowl eligible

By Tim Hall

Nov 29, 2008

3:18 p.m., Game over:  N.C. State wins, and they do it in style.  They let up a late touchdown to Laron Byrd.  Justin Byers made a poor effort to defend the pass and waited for the ball in the endzone trying to make the pick.  Tom O'Brien showed his disgust for that play with some shouting.  Miami then recovers the onside kick, but throws an interception to Jeremy Gray.  The Pack had four takeaways today and the only turnover was an Andre Brown interception. 

3:11 p.m., Andre is in:  This game is all but over as Brown goes in from four yards out.  N.C. State leads 38-21 with under three to play in the game.  This team will become bowl eligible for the first time since 2005.

3:08 p.m., A long drive ended hard:  Nate Irving quickly shut down a long Miami drive with a snag of an interception, followed by a 40 yard return.  N.C. State has a ten point lead with 5 minutes left, and they are nearing the red zone. 

2:50 p.m., State driving:  Wilson hits Owen Spencer for a big play to get deep into Miami territory.  Spencer dropped six ball in the last two games, but you just have to keep going to this guy.  He gets so wide open.  He's got great speed too so he can make things happen after the catch.  Russell Wilson has taken a couple sacks on third down today to make tougher field goals.  The Pack connect on a long one though to make it 31-21 with 8:57 left.

2:43 p.m., Fourth quarter:  N.C. State is up 28-21 with one quarter left to go.  They have one quarter to go to get to bowl eligible.

2:36 p.m., Big interception:  Jimmaul Simmons reads Robert Marve very well and comes up with a big turnover.  The Wolfpack can't take advantage of a good runback and go three and out.  But a nice punt puts Miami back at their own two.

2:24 p.m., Touchdown Wolfpack!:  Russell Wilson hit T.J. Graham for a 42 yard play, and then ran up to the line and hit Owen Spencer on a streak to the endzone on the next play for a 32 yard touchdown.  He was flagged for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for simply raising the ball in the air.  It was literally no celebration, a really dumb call by the refs.  This rule is getting rediculous now.  The penalty didn't count because there was a roughing the passer call as well.  The Wolfpack connect a two-point conversion to take a 28-21 lead.  I didn't like the call to go for it at that point and risk losing the two field goal lead.  They made it though so I don't mind as much anymore.  Miami has a huge kick return negated because of an illegal block.

2:19 p.m., Canes take the lead:  Miami just isn't going away.  They hit another big play in the middle of the field which has been a problem today for the Pack.  Their safeties are not doing a good enough job over the middle.  Javarris James runs in for a one yard score for his second of the day.  Miami is up 21-20 with 6:58 left in the third.  The rain is also starting to come down.  There are ponchos everywhere you look.

2:09 p.m., Eugene trucking:  Jamelle is no small guy at 195, and he completely stiff armed DeMarcus Van Dyke for seven yards and finished it by completing shrugging him off and planting him on the ground.  The drive now stalls inside the ten and a short field goal is converted.  It's 20-14 with 10:46 left to play in the third.

2:03 p.m., Second half starting:  Russell Wilson had 65 yards rushing and 74 passing, and two total touchdowns.  He had one in the air and one on the ground.  TV-5's Ken Medlin came up here and shared a nice on-field story.  The Miami mascot is a giant duck named Sebastian.  Medlin was wearing a Yankees cap, and another reporter wore a Red Sox cap.  The giant duck tried to start a fight between them.

1:34 p.m., State with another chance before halftime:  N.C. State had an unfortunate illegal block in the back call that negated a huge Wilson run.  The scoring drive would have had a high scoring probability if the Wilson run stood.  Instead they run the clock out and take the 17-14 lead to the locker room.

1:25 p.m., Fun to watch:  There isn't a player that is more fun to wactch right now then Russell Wilson.  When he gets out of the pocket, you know he is going to make someone miss.  The Pack are inside the ten with 2:41 left in the half.  They kick a field goal for a 17-14 lead.

1:15 p.m., Interception:  The Pack end a Miami drive on a tipped ball that was picked off by DeAndre Morgan.  Jacory Harris threw the pick.  State just went three and out after the turnover, but Miami picks up a roughing the kicer personal foul on third and very long.  It's the dumbest play in football.  It basically works just like a turnover.  Instead of having the ball in Pack territory, N.C. State has it beyond their own 30 with a fresh set of downs.  It's incredibly stupid to go after the kicker right there.

1:08 p.m., Team is hyped:  The kicker, Bradley Pierson made the special teams tackle after his kick-off.  He shot up out of nowhere, took a stiff arm and still brought Graig Cooper down.

1:05 p.m., Wilson is amazing:  Right after a 16 yard loss on a bad snap, Wilson scrambled for a 29 yard touchdown run.  He probably ran 65 yards on the play.  He zigged, and zagged, and caught some good blocks down field and went in untouched.  The Pack tie the game at 14 with 10:44 left in the game.

12:59 p.m., A needed big play:  Wilson finds T.J. Graham for a big third down conversion and Wilson then draws a 15 yard personal foul late hit call as he slid at the end of a scramble.  N.C. State all of a sudden has the ball at Miami's 13.

12:51 p.m., Pack needs a stop:  They have lost all the momentum they had to start the game.  Ray Michel just gave Miami a first down and put them in the red zone with a stupid personal foul.  Miami is heading into the endzone as we speak now.  Javarris James goes in for a one yard run.  Miami leads 14-7.

12:43 p.m., Not the same Wolfpack team:  Another bone headed play here from the Pack.  Andre Brown tried the halfback pass and threw a horrible interception.  The play didn't work, he should have thrown it away.  He didn't.

12:38 p.m., Breakdown in coverage:  This happened to N.C. State against Wake Forest too.  Robert Marve tossed a 69 yard touchdown to Dedrick Epps to ties the game at seven.  The Pack were in the wrong coverage scheme or they miscommunicated.  Nate Irving dropped off the TE when he went deep up the middle, and there were no safety to be found.  With 3:48 left in the first the game is tied.

12:31 p.m., Great stop again:  The Pack hold Miami to another three and out.  A nugget that Mike and I did not mention on the pre-game show, and surprisingly because I love to plug my alma mater, Kansas.  Miami's new defensive coordinator this year is Bill Young, who most recently had that job with the Jayhawks.  He coached them to the 12th ranked defense nationally last year when they went 12-1 and won the Orange Bowl.  Already he has Miami the 8th ranked pass defense in the nation in his first year on staff.

12:22 p.m., Terrific drive:  Andre Brown and Russell Wilson were playmakers as the Pack drive 96 yards for a touchdown.  It ended witha two yard pass to Brown for the score.  Wilson scrambled for a huge gain and hit Brown for a 22 yard pass play on a tipped ball.  The Pack are up 7-0 with 7:42 left in the first.  This is the same dominant team that has shown up the last three games.  The team knows what is at stake today and it sure looks like they mean business.

12:14 p.m., That's how you start:  The N.C. State defense came out hitting and held Miami to a three and out.  But a good punt starts the Wolfpack at their own four.

12:09 p.m., All set for kick-off:  Greetings.  I just made my way up from the Fan Zone in between the RBC Center and the stadium.  Mike Maniscalco and I broke down this game for two hours on The Fan.  Our consensus was that Miami should be the team that plays loose with nothing to lose.  They already have a bowl game.  N.C. State has everything to lose, and Tom O'Brien's coaching of his kids this week will be shown very quickly with how this team responds.  Does N.C. State let the pressure get to them, or do they keep playing sound, mistake free football?  Miami starts the game with the football on its own 29 yard-line.