Would 2023 finally be the year UNC beats NC State in football again?
The answer was clear from opening kickoff – a resounding NO.
NC State, a team known more for its defense than its offense, hung 504 yards on the Tar Heels’ porous defense in a 39-20, Wolfpack victory.
UNC has been exposed a lot in recent weeks, but just how embarrassing was Saturday night in Raleigh?
North Carolina State has eight scoring drives against UNC and hasn't punted. Quite the destruction in the Triangle and still a ton of time left.
— Bryan Fischer (@BryanDFischer) November 26, 2023
Typically, even the hottest of teams will have an occasional drive stall out.
Not the Wolfpack. Not against the Tar Heels, who couldn’t stop a turtle from 100 yards downfield.
Dual-threat quarterback Brennan Armstrong played like an all-star for NC State, completing 22-of-31 passes for 334 yards and three touchdowns. Kevin Concepcion gave Carolina trouble at both running back and receiver – leading all rushers with 55 yards, plus all receivers with 131 yards and two touchdowns.
How badly did UNC play on offense?
To sum it up in short, Drake Maye didn’t complete a single pass in the first quarter. He did finally end his night with 254 passing yards and two touchdowns, but a majority of that yardage and scoring came in garbage time.
Carolina star running back Omarion Hampton, who entered the game with six straight, 100-yard outputs and tied for the FBS lead in rushing yards, finished with a disappointing 28 yards on nine carries.
We all knew winning in Raleigh would be a tall task for UNC, a place it hasn’t won since a 41-10 win in 2019.
But we also figured Carolina would be more competitive in a rivalry game.
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