Column: NC State’s instant-classic win over UNC gives Pack fans plenty to be thankful for

NC State and North Carolina have now met 111 times on the football field in the historic Tobacco Road rivalry. 

We just witnessed the best one. Ever. 

Is it recency bias? Maybe. 

But that was an instant classic.

UNC had a nine-point lead with just over two minutes remaining. NC State had no timeouts. All hope was lost. 

Because a Carolina possession would have ended the game, the Heels were one play away from checkmate. 

By the end of the fourth quarter, the temperature in Raleigh had dropped to 36 degrees. 

Fans of both squads started heading towards the parking lots. 

NC State fans understandably didn’t want to watch UNC head coach Mack Brown celebrate what would have been his third-straight victory over the Pack and the second in a row at Carter-Finley Stadium.

And not to mention, both the red and blue-blooded southerners in attendance were cold. This isn’t Big Ten country. 

Then the unthinkable happened. 

According to ESPN’s in-game metrics, the Pack had a mere 0.01 percent chance of victory. 

So you’re saying there’s a chance? 

A 64-yard touchdown catch by fifth-year senior receiver Emeka Emezie with just over 90 seconds to play put butts back in seats. The Heels fell asleep at the wheel, and Emezie could have walked into the end zone. 

Okay, now Carolina just has to take possession and take knees to run out the clock.

Then, unbelievably, UNC was taken by surprise again. Junior placekicker Christopher Dunn delivered a perfect onside kick right up the middle of the field, then recovered it himself to give the Pack the ball on its own 46-yard line, needing just a field goal to beat its archrival. 

Is this actually happening right now? 

The Wolfpack didn’t settle for a field goal, however. 

Senior night was Emezie’s night. Redshirt sophomore quarterback Devin Leary’s 24-yard touchdown connection with Emezie was his second in less than a minute. 

In 55 seconds of gameplay, NC State had gone from having all hope lost to taking a four-point lead with just over a minute left. 

With that kind of momentum, there was never any doubt the Wolfpack defense would let such a gift go to waste. 

Knowing Carolina needed to find the end zone, NC State’s defense kept everything in front of it for the final minute. 

UNC was down to its last play. 

Preseason ACC Player of the Year and consensus preseason Heisman candidate quarterback Sam Howell threw up a prayer into the north endzone of Carter-Finley Stadium, only for it to be intercepted by graduate corner Derrek Pitts, Jr. 

Elation. 

Potentially another first in program history: NC State fans rushed the field at Carter-Finley Stadium for the second time this season. 

The first was the signature win against Clemson in October. The second was last night. 

Most UNC fans couldn’t get out of Raleigh quick enough.

On my way out of the stadium, I only encountered one group of Carolina fans still willing to heckle back at the celebrating Wolfpackers. 

Their swipe?

“You guys rushed the field on a 6-6 team.”

First of all, that’s a self-own for a program that was picked to finish Top 10 in both the AP and the coaches preseason rankings. 

Secondly, rushing the field is one of the many traditions that make college football great. 

And nights like last night are what keep you coming back. 

It’s the true essence of NC State fandom. 

No matter how many times State gets knocked down, Wolfpack fans always show back up and find a way to believe. 

It would have been understandable for Pack fans to not show out in numbers on a cold November night over a holiday weekend. 

But it was a sellout. And the student section was as electric as ever. 

When it seemed that a disappointing defeat was all but a foregone conclusion, the NC State football team exuded the spirit of legendary men’s basketball coach Jim Valvano. 

“Don’t give up, don’t ever give up.” 

It’s a motto the NC State community holds close to its heart. 

That message came full circle in a crucial situation on a night with so much on the line, and it’s a moment Wolfpack fans will cherish forever. 

The total weight of last night’s game is still unknown. If Boston College beats Wake Forest Saturday afternoon, it will be how the Pack clinched its first-ever appearance in the ACC Championship game. 

And if that doesn’t happen, it still doesn’t take away from the magic that was the regular-season finale. 

On this Thanksgiving weekend, Wolfpack fans certainly have much to be thankful for.

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