RALEIGH - N.C. State came within 32 seconds of receiving no alumni donations this year.
As all the past graduates congregated in Carter-Finley Stadium Saturday afternoon, cries of "How could this be happening?" and "We're losing to DUKE!" could be heard around the stadium.
On N.C. State's Homecoming, the Wolfpack (6-3, 3-3 in the ACC) played as if merely showing up would ensure a victory. Nevertheless, N.C. State did not meet the Duke team (0-10, 0-7) that had been the undeniable whipping boy of the ACC this season. It met a team that showed its first true signs of poise.
Before kickoff, parachuters descended from the sky, jet planes roared over head and canons sounded. N.C. State employed all of its available militaristic theatrics to impress the alumni and intimidate the seemingly feeble competition on a day that was supposed to be a demonstration of the Wolfpack's dominance.
Six minutes later, Chris Douglas caught a D. Bryant pass in the endzone, highlighting a vicious four-play, 80-yard scoring drive.
Just one touchdown, no reason to panic, right?
Wrong. Halftime score: Duke 21, N.C. State 17. It was officially time to panic.
"Our gameplan all week was to try to get on top of them, instead of always playing from behind," Bryant said. "We came out and scored some touchdowns and that just helped us roll all the way through the game."
When the second half started, N.C. State re-emerged from the locker room noticeably shocked and the crowd was all but deflated. When fullback Alex Wade scored on a punishing four-yard charge up the middle, Duke went up 28-17 with 25 minutes left.
As the Blue Devils took their biggest lead of the season, the Wolfpack players finally picked their jaws off the ground and started to play hard, emotional football.
After every tackle, every five-yard run, N.C. State players jumped around in an attempt to work themselves and the sea of red-clad fans into a frenzy.
It worked.
The Wolfpack scored on its next two possessions, tying the game up at 28-28 as the third quarter came to a close.
Square with Duke heading into the final quarter, N.C. State found itself in familiar territory, having played in three overtime contests and having conducted several late-game charges. Conversely, Duke's typical fourth quarter situation had been waiting for time to expire.
"They have been in many overtime games," said senior linebacker Kendral Knight, who was noticeably upset. "They are an experienced team, but it's the 10th game of the season, how much more experience do you need?"
Down by a field goal with 3:47 left to play, the Wolfpack, led by injured freshman Phillip Rivers-who passed for a career-high total of 413 passing yards-charged 80 yards to victory, narrowly avoiding an upset that would have left Raleigh reeling for weeks.
"Our guys gave a great effort today," coach Carl Franks said. "They played for themselves, their pride, their honor. They just came up a little short.... I am proud of our team for the way they fought and did not quit."
Despite tallying another notch in the loss column, Duke played its best football of the season.
On offense, Bryant finally showed the composure needed to earn the respect of his opponents. He stayed cool enough in the pocket to amass 310 yards in the air and exhibited strong improvisational skills as he scrambled for 64 yards.
"It feels like it's getting easier for me," Bryant said. "As you could all see, I did pretty well today.... The receivers were catching balls, and I was making good passes. Things were just clicking like they weren't earlier this season."
On the other side of the ball, Duke look much improved despite yielding 35 points. The defense blitzed on nearly every down, sacked Rivers five times, picked off a pass and stopped the Wolfpack in a crucial fourth down situation. Most of all, the Blue Devils' defense gave the offense an opportunity to win the ballgame.
However, a victory ultimately ended up being too much to ask for Saturday afternoon.
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