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NC State football countdown to 2023 kickoff: 70

MattCarterby:Matt Carter•06/22/23•

TheWolfpacker

Photo by Ken Martin
NC State offensive lineman Obadiah Obasuyi (Photo by Ken Martin/On3)

The NC State football season opener for 2023 is at Connecticut on Aug. 31 — or 70 days away. TheWolfpacker.com’s countdown for the season looks at the significance of the number 70 in Pack history.

NC State Football And No. 70

• Wearing No. 70 this fall for NC State football will be true freshman Obadiah “Obi” Obasuyi.

Few high school offensive linemen look the part like Obasuyi, who is listed on the official GoPack.com roster at a very believable 6-foot-6, 305 pounds.

What’s impressive about Obasuyi, who spent his senior season at Alpharetta (Ga.) High, is how well put-together is his frame.

That likely played a major role in NC State giving Obasuyi an offer during last year’s evaluation period. Within a month of receiving that scholarship from the Wolfpack, Obasuyi was on campus for an official visit and committed, despite also being a target for Power Five programs like Central Florida, Duke, Georgia Tech, Indiana and Mississippi State.

Obasuyi projects as an offensive tackle at the collegiate level. For the moment, NC State appears set at the position with redshirt juniors Anthony Belton and Timothy McKay. That means Obasuyi, who is still raw, will be a decent bet to redshirt this fall.

• The 1970 season marked the first time that NC State football ever played a game against East Carolina. The two teams have now met 32 times, with the Wolfpack holding a 19-13 edge in the spirited in-state rivalry after winning the last three meetings, including surviving 21-20 in Greenville in the 2022 season opener.

That first meeting was a 23-6 win for NC State on Oct. 10, 1970. The two teams would play every year through the 1987 season. The Pack won 10 of the first 13 games between the rivals.

Future games are on the books between NC State and East Carolina in 2025 (Raleigh) and 2028 (Greenville).

• That 1970 season marked the last year in legendary Earle Edwards’ 17 years as head coach of NC State football. The Wolfpack won five ACC titles in his tenure, and he was named ACC Coach of the Year four times.

His 1967 squad is generally considered one of the best in program history, having started the season 8-0 with a road win over then-No. 2 Houston and climbing to No. 3 in the Associated Press poll before losing a heartbreaker at Penn State, 13-8. From 1963-68, Edwards’ teams won four of six ACC championships.

Edwards finished his tenure with a 77-88-8 overall record, including a 55-45-5 mark in ACC games. That 1970 team went just 3-7-1 overall, including 2-3-1 in the ACC, the first losing conference record for Edwards since 1962.

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