Holliday: Wolfpack on way to home field wins record

By Bob Holliday, WRAL Sports contributor

The great Lou Holtz era at NC State began with a tie at home against Maryland. But starting the next week against Syracuse, Holtz’s Wolfpack ripped off 16 straight wins at the place then known simply as Carter Stadium. From 1972 until early 1975 State beat all comers – the Marylands, North Carolinas, and Clemsons; the Pack even beat 7th ranked Penn State at home in 1974.

The streak ended abruptly on September 13 the following year. NC State, ranked 13th in the country, lost to Wake Forest 30-22. It was a stunning defeat.

The Demon Deacons won just two other games that season. In 1974, Wake coach Chuck Mills offered one of the great pregame quotes in ACC history before his 1-10 Deacons played mighty Oklahoma, whose mascot horses Boomer and Sooner run the sidelines after every OU score. Mills quipped, “I just hope we don’t get arrested by the SPCA, for cruelty to animals.” Indeed Boomer and Sooner ran a lot that day in 1974. The Sooners won 63-0. To Mills’ delight, there were no arrests.

My Facebook friend Don Buckey, senior wide receiver on that ’75 NC State team and twin brother of quarterback Dave Buckey, tells me that loss “still stings a little.” Don left the game at halftime and wasn’t able to return. I’m sure Dave missed his “go to” receiver in the second half. Don also maintains that Wake team was better than its 3-8 record. Don also had this to say: “It’s a great example of what can happen if a bunch of 18-21-year-old kids believes a team doesn’t have a chance. Our coaches warned us all week that Wake was a dangerous team. We heard it, but in our hearts we didn’t believe it.”

The Buckey brothers remain big supporters of NC State football, and Don says he would “love to pass the four years’ torch to Doeren’s guys,” adding “It’s past time.”

Saturday night, a much more imposing Wake Forest team stood in the way, almost 50 years after the 1975 Deacons ended the last long home streak, as Dave Doeren’s Wolfpack sought to build on its own remarkable home history. This was a Deacon squad that had been embarrassed at Louisville, surrendering eight sacks and committing eight turnovers. Dave Clawson’s charges came to West Raleigh looking for redemption and certainly had the personnel to make it happen.

Sam Hartman, who has thrown for almost 12,000 yards in his college career, and his highly acclaimed passel of receivers in fact ended NC State’s ACC title hopes last season in Winston-Salem. But here in 2022, the underdog Wolfpack defended its home turf, thanks to an unforgettable performance by new quarterback M.J. Morris and his receivers, as well as a stout defensive effort inspired by yet another sellout crowd at Carter-Finley Stadium.

Morris, the first freshman since Philip Rivers in 2000 to start at quarterback for the Pack, needed time to find his rhythm. The Pack kicked a field goal after a short drive set up by an interception, but otherwise went three and out on the other three of its first four possessions.

Wake led 7-3 well into the second quarter, and it would have been more but for a remarkable goal line stand by Isaiah Moore and the defense. Morris struggled, even had a bubble screen batted down by a Deacon defender.

However, two plays later, Morris on third and thirteen, found emerging star Keyon Lesane on a 44-yard fade. Two plays later, the freshman, in the face of Wake Forest pressure, calmly faked to Jordan Houston, stepped up in the pocket and fired a 12- yard strike to Lesane for a 10-7 lead.

Morris was a different quarterback the rest of the way.

Morris drew great support from his receivers, who got separation at times (where has that been?) and then went leaping or diving to corral the QB’s passes, often using one arm to fend off the physical Wake Forest defensive backs. Thayer Thomas, the one consistent receiving threat this season continued to lead the receiver group with eight catches for 79 yards, including a leaping snag of a 20-yard Morris pass that was well defended. Darryl Jones went high to secure a Morris throw to the end zone, one of two six pointers for the senior. And Lesane caught three passes for 71 yards; two of those came on third down. In sum, Wolfpack receivers not named Thayer Thomas caught 10 balls for 131 yards – struggling WR Devin Carter even caught a 20 yarder – and those are good numbers.

NC State also ran effectively at times. Morris, at 6’2" and 192 pounds has the size and strength to get tough yards and the speed to break off a chunk play. Defenses must account for M.J. as a ball carrier, which creates more room for Jordan Houston, who rushed 12 times for 53 yards. The coaching staff also inserted freshman speedster Michael Allen in to the game in the second quarter. The former Greenville Rose star got to the edge and raced for 12 yards on his first carry. Showing a quick burst through gaps in the Wake defense, Allen ultimately logged 36 yards on just five carries.

Four sacks and several other negative plays kept State from rushing for 150 yards on the night, but the Pack ran the ball well enough. That in conjunction with Morris’ passing enabled the Tim Beck offense to convert 6 of 14 third downs and score three touchdowns and two field goals in the red zone. Lack of touchdowns in the red zone has been a real issue in ACC play.

One more thing about Morris and the offense: These guys answered every Wake Forest touchdown with a score of their own. NC State took the lead with 1:30 left in the first half and never trailed again.

Dave Doeren was asked before the game if there was anything he could take away from Louisville’s dismantling of the Deacons’ delayed mesh zone read offense. Doeren noted the Cardinals’ front seven did a great job of shedding blockers and getting to the quarterback. NC State’s unit did very much the same thing.

The Pack made a statement in the first quarter when Wake Forest earned a first-and-goal on the one-yard line. Justin Ellison was dropped for a three-yard loss. On the next play, State stuffed Ellison four yards behind the line of scrimmage. On third and goal at the NC State eight, Hartman tried to pass, and was sacked for a nine-yard loss. All three negative plays were the work of one Isaiah Moore, a senior linebacker who played arguably the best game of his career after losing his beloved grandmother earlier in the week.

To top it all off, Wake then missed a field goal!

Moore not only set the tone during that sequence, but he may have paved the road to victory. If Wake scores a touchdown there, the Deacons might have built too big a lead before Morris got going.

NC State, like Louisville, completely shut down the Deacon run game. Hartman was able to get a couple of first downs early on run pass option plays. But Wake did not gain a single yard on the ground in the second half, taking the Deacs’ RPO’s out of the equation.

Hartman and his receivers are so good they can roll up almost 400 yards through the air even when the defense knows what’s coming. But not having to worry about the run allowed NC State to be disruptive. The Pack was credited with seven QB hurries and sacked Hartman four times. That pressure led to three interceptions and State’s DB’s broke up seven more passes.

So in the final analysis, DC Tony Gibson’s aggressive tactics forced three punts to go with three picks. There was also the missed field goal, and the Deacons in the final minute turned the ball over on downs. Of the Deacons’ 11 drives, only three finished in the end zone. 21 points. That ties the Louisville game for Wake’s lowest output of the season.

And that was enough on a night when NC State’s offense was finally clicking.

After the game Doeren spoke proudly of what his program, especially the senior class, has accomplished at “the Carter.” Since losing to Miami midway through the 2020 season, the Pack has piled up 16 straight wins and a 17th this Saturday against 2-7 Boston College appears quite likely.

But, Wolfpack, heed the words of Don Buckey. Don’t believe the Eagles have no chance. Learn from what happened in 1975 and if you do, you’ll shatter the record from the Holtz era almost 50 years ago.