Heading into halftime of its matchup with Florida State, North Carolina State appeared on its way to losing what head coach Tom O’Brien said was the biggest game for the Wolfpack during his tenure. Three straight second-quarter touchdowns for the Seminoles put NC State in a 21-7 hole at the break.

But quarterback Russell Wilson took over in the third quarter, scrambling for two touchdowns to tie the game. After FSU regained the lead, the NC State offense drove the ball down to the Seminole one-yard line on the ensuing drive as the clock ticked down. Three straight runs were stuffed for no gain.

O’Brien sent the field goal unit on to tie the game but called a timeout before the tying kick. Instead he decided to go for the score, and Wilson hit tight end George Bryan in the back of the end zone.

The biggest game in the O’Brien era ended in a 28-24 Wolfpack victory last Thursday night. And his players have recognized just how important this win was.

‘This is great,’ freshman running back Mustafa Greene said. ‘We needed this win. We really needed this one. It’s off to the next one now, but I’m thanking God that we won this one.’

The victory puts NC State (6-2, 3-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) in a couple positions it has not been in for the majority of this decade. The Wolfpack is already bowl-eligible. It now controls its own destiny in the ACC Atlantic division, which the school has not won since the conference split into two divisions in 2005. Should it win the Atlantic, the Wolfpack would play in the conference championship game for its first ACC title since 1979.

And it’s all possible thanks to the biggest win in recent program history.

‘It was so exciting out there,’ senior wide receiver Owen Spencer said. ‘We had a lot of enthusiasm on both sides of the ball. The fans were in it. Everybody was in it. It was big for us. Plus, to play a good team like Florida State at home on a big stage and beat them, it’s something that’s very huge for our program and very huge for our season.’

The win over Florida State (6-2, 4-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) marks the first for O’Brien over the Seminoles since he took over the program prior to the 2007 season. With four more games left, the Wolfpack can guarantee its first winning season since 2005 with just one more victory. The victory also made NC State bowl-eligible before November for the first time since San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers graduated from the program following the 2003 season.

All those firsts for the Wolfpack have resulted mostly from its high-powered offense, which leads the ACC in yardage and ranks second in scoring. It has scored at least 27 points in all eight of its games this year.

Commanding the offense is the junior Wilson, who serves as a dual threat in the backfield. He can take off and run, as he did for three scores against Florida State. Or he can hurt defenses through the air. He leads the conference in both passing yards (2,302) and passing touchdowns (19).

The quarterback said the win over Florida State was probably the biggest of his career. But he added that the team has to stay focused on the rest of the season to capture the Atlantic division.

‘We’ve got another big (game) next week we’ve got to try to win,’ Wilson said. ‘I think that every week, a challenge goes up and the importance of each game matters.’

O’Brien echoed his signal-caller. He knows the Wolfpack controls its destiny. With every win, his team gets closer to clinching the division title and getting a shot at the ACC championship. And that makes every game that much more vital.

‘Each one gets bigger as you go along,’ O’Brien said. ‘That’s the great thing about this year, and it’s a great thing for these kids. They’ve worked so hard to put themselves in this position. We have to go to Clemson, and we’re in a must-win situation the rest of the year.’

Big man on campus

Roy Helu Jr.

Senior running back

No. 9 Nebraska (7-1, 3-1 Big 12)

Last week’s stats: 28 carries, 307 yards, 3 TDs

Helu’s performance in the Cornhuskers 31-17 win over No. 14 Missouri (7-1, 3-1) earned the senior his own chant from the fans and a Gatorade shower from his teammates. Helu racked up the most yards on the ground by one player in a single game this year and set the Nebraska record for rushing yards with the performance.

Until the game against the Tigers, Helu had not gone over the 110-yard mark and only tallied multiple scores in one game this year.

His three touchdowns against the Tigers all came from more than 50 yards away. He scored on Nebraska’s first possession with a 66-yard scamper down the left sideline. He then ended the first quarter with a 73-yard sprint down the right sideline to put Nebraska up 24-0. After two Tigers touchdowns closed the lead to 10 halfway through the third, Helu gashed Missouri through the middle for a 53-yard score on the ensuing possession to all but eliminate the Tigers’ comeback hopes.

Team of the week

No. 15 Iowa (6-2, 3-1 Big Ten)

Last week’s result: W, 37-6 vs. No. 16 Michigan State (8-1, 4-1)

The Hawkeyes used an opportunistic defensive performance and three touchdown passes from senior quarterback Ricky Stanzi to knock Michigan State from the ranks of the unbeaten teams.

After scoring on their first drive of the game with a short touchdown pass from Stanzi to Colin Sandeman and kicking a field goal to go up 10-0 on their next possession, the Hawkeyes let their defense take over.

With the Spartans driving into Iowa territory, junior cornerback Tyler Sash intercepted a Kirk Cousins pass and picked up a couple yards before pitching a lateral to teammate Micah Hyde. Hyde then reversed field and took the pick 66 yards into the end zone to put Iowa up 17-0.

Cousins threw another interception on the ensuing possession, this time inside the Hawkeyes’ 20-yard line, that was returned into Spartans’ territory, and the Iowa offense scored three plays later to extend the lead.

The Hawkeyes added one more score in the half to go up 30-0 and coasted to the victory.

zjbrown@syr.edu

 

Published on November 2, 2010 at 12:00 pm