Who made the play of the game and more superlatives from NC State's win over UNC
NC State ended its regular season on a ridiculously high note, defeating North Carolina in its rival’s home stadium after a nail-biting double overtime showdown. Plenty of players stepped up to make the victory possible, and The Wolfpacker wanted to recognize their accomplishments with a few superlatives.
From the play of the game, to the celebration afterwards, here is who stood out during the Wolfpack’s best win of the year.
The MVP of the win
This is a tough award to give out, with so many members of the Pack making major contributions, but Drake Thomas deserves this award. He is one member of a truly elite Wolfpack defense, but he has separated himself down the stretch as one of the top linebackers in the country.
He racked up a total of 10 tackles against the Tar Heels, continuing his consistent season that includes an ACC-leading 15 tackles for loss. The linebacker was a constant presence in the opposing backfield on blitzes, finishing the game with 2 tackles for loss and 1 sack.
Not to be forgotten, however, are his 3 quarterback hurries. UNC quarterback Drake Maye gets the ball out quick, but Thomas was still able to disrupt passing lanes and get a hand up to help force errant throws. Thomas might have solidified his case as ACC Defensive Player of the Year Friday night.
Who made the play of the game for NC State?
Again, there are plenty of candidates for this award. Devin Carter made a couple of huge plays, Ben Finley thew some beautiful passes and NC State’s linebacker room made plenty of plays as well. With that said, Tanner Ingle’s game-changing interception takes the title here.
With all of the momentum trending towards North Carolina in the fourth quarter with the game tied, Ingle got his hand under a tipped pass, juggled it and came up with the pick.
Not only did that turnover completely disrupt the rhythm by the Tar Heels’ offense, it set up the go-ahead touchdown late in the game.
Ingle continued to improve this year and finished the regular season with 73 tackles and 2 interceptions, which should garner All-ACC considerations. However, even with all of the extremely impressive plays he made over the course of 12 games, nothing was more impactful as his pick against the Tar Heels.
The safety rated his hands as a 10 out of 10 during his post-game press conference. After watching that play Friday night, The Wolfpacker agrees.
The quote of the game
Well, this one is easy. ABC’s Dave Pasch said head coach Dave Doeren told him this before the game.
“They don’t like us, we hate them. We are blue-collared, they are elitists. Their coaches talk down to us, they talk behind our backs recruiting negatively against our coaching staff.”
Pasch then asked if that quote was on the record. Doeren reportedly replied “I don’t give a [expletive].”
Who won the post-game celebration?
This is the most difficult category to choose. After UNC missed the game-deciding field goal in overtime, mayhem ensued, with each member of the Wolfpack celebrating clearly ecstatic to leave Chapel Hill with a victory. It is impossible to choose just one person for this award, so here’s my top three.
1. NC State plants the flag in ‘Carter-Finley West.’
After securing the win, Carter, Jordan Houston and Derrek Pitts Jr. grabbed a Wolfpack flag and made a statement by placing it at the 50-yard line of Kenan Memorial Stadium.
2. Dave Doeren did not hold back
It was clear how much this win meant to Doeren, who unveiled a “light it red” shirt to the crowd and showed off his dance moves after the game.
3. The NC State flag fun continues
Cyrus Fagan and Finley made sure they got in on the celebration as well, waving the flag around the field as Tar Heel coaches, fans and athletes headed out of the stadium.
