Tim Peeler: NC State forced 6 turnovers in Miami's first game at Carter-Finley Stadium
How do you overcome the humiliation of giving up two touchdowns on the first two pass attempts by a future NFL Hall of Fame quarterback?
For one-time NC State defensive coordinator Pete Carroll, the answer was simple: Make Jim Kelly’s afternoon as miserable as the 41-degree temperature and 30-mile-an-hour wind at Carter-Finley Stadium.
The afternoon of Nov. 21, 1981, was the first time the warm-weather beach bums of Miami ever played a football game in Raleigh against NC State. The No. 11-ranked Hurricanes, on NCAA probation for recruiting violations, were out to prove a point in the contest.
By winning their final two games, at State and at Notre Dame, coach Howard Schnellenberger’s team would finish with nine victories against two losses to set the single-season school record for wins. Since they were not allowed to play in a postseason bowl game, they had to had to win both.
Schnellenberger’s team did it, but Carroll’s Wolfpack defense made it more difficult than they expected.
What happened was this: NC State’s offense fumbled the ball away on the second play of the game. On Miami’s second play, Kelly hit running back Mark Rush on a 5-yard touchdown pass.
After an NC State 3-and-out, Kelly hit Rush again on a 60-yard bomb that gave the ‘Canes a 14-0 lead just four-and-a-half minutes into the game.
On the next possession, Kelly drove his team down to the Wolfpack 5-yard line, but just as he was about to throw his third touchdown of the afternoon, NC State safety Eric Williams stepped in front of a Miami receiver and intercepted the pass.
It was the first of six turnovers Carroll’s defense would force that day, giving the struggling Wolfpack a rare chance for victory in head coach Monte Kiffin’s second season. The Pack had won four of its first five games but lost five in a row going into the Miami game. NC State had struggled to move the ball all season long.
The outlook certainly wasn’t optimistic for the losing streak to end, especially after those first three possessions.
However, Carroll’s defense stepped up, forcing six and recovering four Hurricane fumbles that day and intercepting two Kelly passes. Making matters worse, Miami missed two 39-yard field goals in the first half that would have padded its lead.
Early in the third quarter, NC State linebacker Robert Abraham knocked the ball out of Miami running back Larry Brodsky’s hands, putting the ball deep in Miami’s territory.
When Wolfpack platoon quarterback Ron Laraway hit receiver Mike Quick over the middle for a touchdown pass, it drew State within a single score and gave the often under-appreciated Quick a school-record 10 career touchdown receptions.
Alas, reliable placekicker Todd Auten missed the extra point and his own 39-yard field goal attempt into the wind, and the Pack did not have another scoring opportunity.
Miami dominated the contest, outgaining the Pack 472-136 yards in total offense and had a 22-8 first-down advantage. Kelly completed 21 of 30 passes for 244 yards, while State’s quarterback platoon completed just 5 of 17 passes for 49 yards.
State, switching between passing artist Laraway and running phenom Tol Avery under center, just couldn’t get things going on offense, with Miami’s defense squelching the pass and preventing Wolfpack freshman running back Joe McIntosh from getting the 70 yards he needed to break North Carolina tailback Amos Lawrence’s ACC freshman rushing record of 1,211 yards. McIntosh, who Schnellenberger called the best running back in the country ahead of Curt Warner of Penn State and Jam Jones of Texas, had 48 yards on 19 carries and finished 21 yards short of the league freshman record.
“We weren’t exactly playing Willie off the pickle boat out there,” said second-year coach Kiffin. “Miami’s a pretty salty team. Still, I’ve got to be proud of this football team. I’m not proud that we finished 4-7. But I am proud of the way this team has held together.
“I’ve been with some great football teams, and I’ve seen some 10-1 teams that didn’t stay together as much as this one.”
The season soured many Pack fans against Kiffin, whose outrageous off-field antics wore thin on athletics director Willis Casey. Not having a playmaker on offense didn’t help.
“We need to get settled on a quarterback in the spring, no doubt about that,” Kiffin said. “We haven’t been consistent at the quarterback slot. We’ve got to get our offense untracked.”
Kiffin was fired following the 1982 season, in which his team posted another 6-5 season.
Carroll went on to win two college football national championships at Southern Cal and a Super Bowl for Seattle — with the help of former NC State quarterback Russell Wilson, placekicker Steve Hauschka and offensive lineman J.R. Sweezy.
Miami did beat Notre Dame the following week to finish with a school-record 9-2 mark and ranked No. 8 in the final Associated Press poll.
“It’s a shame that Miami is on probation,” Kiffin said. “Miami is as fine a football team as we’ve played. Their defense is very similar to Clemson’s and might even be a shade better.
Miami’s win, though messy, was its 13th in 15 games. Two years later, in Schnellenberger’s final season with the Hurricanes, Miami won the school’s first college football championship.
“After we got that lead, we had some sloppy ball carrying by our backs,” Schnellenberger said through a puff of pipe smoke. “We had more turnovers in this game than any game I’ve ever been in. We had that 14-0 lead, we shouldn’t have let that [third] touchdown get away from us.
“State played good when they didn’t have a whole lot to play for.”
Tim Peeler is a regular contributor to The Wolfpacker and can be reached at [email protected].
