CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – Now N.C. State can’t stop the run, either.
After giving up a combined 820 passing yards to Wake Forest and Duke, the Wolfpack couldn’t shut down a Boston College offense whose strength seemed to play into N.C. State's hands.
Sophomore Montel Harris set school records with 264 rushing yards and five touchdowns as Boston College sent N.C. State reeling into its open date with a 52-20 defeat on Saturday at Alumni Field.
N.C. State coach Tom O’Brien fell to 0-3 against his former team, which is 3-4 and winless in three ACC games. Boston College (5-2, 3-2 ACC) is 25-10 since O’Brien left; N.C. State is 14-18 under O’Brien.
The Wolfpack was giving up just 62.8 rushing yards per game, the best mark in the ACC, entering the game. Harris exceeded that mark with one 70-yard run in the first quarter from the “wildcat” formation, where he lined up behind center and took a direct, shotgun snap.
Boston College had used the wildcat sparingly earlier in the season but used it to churn out huge gains Saturday. In the third quarter alone, Harris set up a touchdown with a 46-yard run and broke loose for a 29-yard scoring run from the wildcat.
N.C. State quarterback Russell Wilson passed for 243 yards and one touchdown and ran for another score, but the Wolfpack couldn’t come close to matching Boston College's gaudy point total.
The last time the Wolfpack gave up more than 50 points was Oct. 28, 2000, in a 58-14 loss to Florida State in former coach Chuck Amato’s first season.
Earlier. . .
Boston College coach Frank Spaziani is piling on the points against his old buddy, Tom O'Brien.
On fourth-and-goal from the 6-yard line, Dave Shinskie passed to Billy Flutie for a touchdown to stretch Boston College's lead to 52-20 with 6:22 remaining. Eagles running back Montel Harris, who's rushed for school records of 264 yards and five touchdowns, has been taken out of the game with the win safely in hand.
N.C. State hadn't given up more than 50 points in a game since Oct. 28, 2000, in a 58-14 loss to Florida State in former coach Chuck Amato's first season.
...
After 21 straight Boston College points, N.C. State finally has returned to the end zone.
Jarvis Williams atoned for a dropped pass with a 27-yard touchdown catch from Russell Wilson with 13:09 remaining in the fourth quarter, cutting the Eagles' lead to 45-20.
Earlier...
Montel Harris has set a Boston College record with his fifth touchdown run as N.C. State has folded.
One play after Jim Ramella caused and recovered a Russell Wilson fumble, Harris ran 29 yards on a direct-snap "wildcat" play for a touchdown with 1:33 left in the third quarter. Boston College leads 45-13.
Harris has 244 rushing yards, 9 short of the school record.
Earlier. . .
Last week, N.C. State couldn't stop the pass.
Now the Wolfpack can't stop the run. Montel Harris rumbled 46 yards to the N.C. State 7-yard line on a "wildcat" play, setting up his own 1-yard scoring run for a 38-13 Boston College lead with 5:51 remaining in the third quarter.
Harris has 212 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 22 carries.
Earlier. . .
It's turning into a rout at Chestnut Hill, Mass.
Montel Harris capped an 11-play, 72-yard drive with a 10-yard touchdown run to increase Boston College's lead to 31-13 over N.C. State with 8:45 remaining in the third quarter.
Harris has 159 yards and three touchdowns on 19 carries. Boston College has scored 17 straight points after the Wolfpack closed to within 14-13.
Earlier. . .
Sid Aponavicius, the walk-on kicker Tom O'Brien discovered by accident, sneaked a 37-yard field goal over the cross bar on the final play of the first half to extend Boston College's lead to 24-13 over N.C. State at halftime.
O'Brien, the Eagles' former coach had a graduate assistant who saw Aponavicius practicing field goals at Alumni Stadium, and asked if he would be interested in walking on the team.
Now Aponavicius is 6-for-6 on field goal attempts as a senior.
After giving up 820 passing yards in its last two games, N.C. State's defense has failed to stop the run at Boston College.
Eagles sophomore Montel Harris has 12 carries for 132 yards and two touchdowns. He ran 70 yards on a direct snap in a "wildcat" formation in the first quarter to set up the game's first touchdown.
The Eagles gained 261 yards in the first half.
N.C. State has 238 yards at halftime, but had to settle for two Josh Czajkowski field goals in the third quarter after getting inside the Boston College 20-yard line.
Earlier...
N.C. State drove to Boston College's 41-yard line before a third-and-10 interception of Russell Wilson by Wes Davis gave the Eagles the ball with 1:02 remaining in the second quarter and a 21-13 lead.
Wilson's ball was tipped before Davis intercepted.
Earlier...
With N.C. State seemingly seizing momentum, Boston College running back Montel Harris picked his way down the field with three big runs.
Harris ran for 13, 9 and 12 yards, with the last carry netting a touchdown and extending the Eagles' lead to 21-13 with 3:01 remaining in the second quarter. A 42-yard kickoff return by Jeff Smith gave BC a short field to operate with.
Earlier...
Josh Czajkowski of N.C. State has made it a one-point game at Boston College with a 32-yard field goal with 5:44 remaining in the first half. The Eagles lead 14-13.
The Wolfpack is 1-for-7 on third down conversions on offense as Boston College's defense has stiffened on consecutive drives in the third quarter inside the 20-yard line to force field goal attempts.
Earlier. . .
N.C. State's Josh Czajkowski has kicked the first field goal of the day, 25-yard kick to cut Boston College's lead to 14-10 with 10:46 remaining in the second quarter.
Russell Wilson completed a 10-yard pass to Jarvis Williams on fourth-and-1 from the Boston College 21 to keep the drive alive.
...
Before the game, the big question was whether Boston College would try to run or pass against an N.C. State defense that was stout against the pass but weak against the run.
The Eagles took advantage of big plays on the run and the pass to lead N.C. State 14-7 at the end of the quarter.
Montel Harris broke loose for a 70-yard run against a defense allowing 62.8 rushing yards per game, setting up his own 2-yard plunge and the game's first score.
Eagles quarterback completed a 59-yard TD pass to Colin Larmond. In between, N.C. State got a 1-yard TD run from Russell Wilson.
BC finished the quarter with 162 yards of total offense.
N.C. State has given up two plays of 50-plus yards in the first quarter.
Boston College's Dave Shinskie completed a 59-yard fade route to Colin Larmond for a touchdown with 3:51 remaining in the first quarter for a 14-7 lead. Freshman cornerback Rashard Smith, a new starter in the secondary, had good coverage on the play but failed to adjust to the ball in the air.
Earlier...
Russell Wilson is back on target for N.C. State. He completed passes of 25 yards to Owen Spencer and 30 yards to Darrell Davis to set up his own 1-yard TD run, tying the score at 7-7 at Boston College with 5:46 remaining in the first quarter.
N.C. State's offense had gone more than three quarters, dating back to last week, without a score.
Earlier...
BC's Montel Harris solved N.C. State's ACC-leading rush defense quickly, with a 70-yard run to set up his own 2-yard scoring plunge for a 7-0 lead with 8:28 remaining in the first quarter.
Harris ran off right guard and cut to the right sideline before being caught by DeAndre Morgan. N.C. State's first two drives resulted in punts.
Comments
Next 4 out of 5
Mon, 10/19/2009 - 10:07 — SurferOnly saw the second half, so what I saw was not that pretty. Can State win the next 4 out of 5 to become bowl eligible? Yes. Will they? I doubt it. VT, Clemson and FSU appear to be the stumbling blocks.
Yep
Sun, 10/18/2009 - 12:45 — YAR8packReally went out there and stunk it up, huh. The Pack's lack of any semblance of a performance left me with pink eye. Damnit. Yeah. The defensive group isn't making any tackles, but the D coordinator's getting taken to school each week. Ever heard of adjustments, guys? You know. That's what you do when a team has shown how the offense is showing and you get blown out a couple times. You make changes to try to hinder the offense. State needs to figure that out. %*&^!
No way to spin this one.
Sat, 10/17/2009 - 20:57 — JPDOhioState's defense is just bad. I can only hope that it is because the majority of the linebackers and secondary are young and will get better with experience. I am confident that TOB will not panic and will stick with his program. He doesn't have much choice, but it is the right thing to do.
I think the offense's problem (and Russell' in particular) is that they are trying to compensate for the lack of defense. RW is making bad decisions trying to make plays that aren't there. I don't blame him, but it doesn't work.
I will obviously continue to support the Pack as usual and still feel the future is promising. But this year will continue to be a struggle. Hopefully, we will see some progress in the last part of the season.
Agreed
Sun, 10/18/2009 - 12:05 — ncsfeddieI agree. The offense has to be under a lot of pressure. Going out there every series thinking you need a score because you know your opponent will get one is no way to play
I guess
Sat, 10/17/2009 - 20:57 — JPDOhioI did kind of spin it.
NO
Sun, 10/18/2009 - 00:24 — gvillegatrI didn't think you spun it. hard to imagine there is a pack fan in this state that thought this team would be this bad. If you thought so, and told me right now, i'd think you were lying.
the team is in a different position than the last few years. yes, the offense is struggling but not near as bad as the defense who couldn't tackle my 3 yr old son.
I don't know about you guys but I am tired of state and UNC sucking! damit, we are BOTH supposed to be better than this? ..........................
Bad team,...
Sat, 10/17/2009 - 19:54 — TGRYDERThis team is bad. Has to be the worst defence in football. I believe a high school team could beat state. Defensive coaches. or all the coaches need to go.
Coaches need to go?
Sun, 10/18/2009 - 12:15 — ncsfeddieOur problem is execution not coaching. When a defender falls flat on his face in one on one coverage to give up an easy touchdown. When the first three or four defenders miss the tackle. When passes bounce of the hands of wide receivers. These are not coaching problems. The coaches can't get on the field and do it for them. The only thing the coaching staff can be blamed for is not yet having players who can execute.
Easy there, sir
Sat, 10/17/2009 - 20:39 — Heels20This team is bad, but even as a Heels fan, I have to recognize the fact that this is a coaching staff that knows how to bounce back. In 2007, they were 1-5 to start the season, and ended up 5-7. Last year, they started 2-6, but won 4 in a row to become bowl bound and beat up on a Rutgers team in the first half who could not solve Russell Wilson.
Even with that being said, NC State has some young talent at linebacker and in the secondary. If Nate Irving wasn't out, we could be talking about a 5-2 team right now. Robert Crisp will be a great addition to a struggling O-line, which is really the only major weak point I see in NC State's future. Even then, those questions can be answered.
This team is under-achieving at the moment, but that huge bye week is coming up. State then faces FSU (which hopefully, but not likely will be coming off a loss to UNC) and a not-so-great Maryland team. They need 7 wins to go to a bowl, but I still wouldn't count them out. November 28 won't be as big as we all hoped it would be, but it could have bowl implications.
c'mon
Sun, 10/18/2009 - 00:15 — gvillegatrheels20,
did you lose a bet to mad max or jpdohio?? public relations??
this team is terrible. there is no talent in the secondary. none. One guy, RW, can't come close to doing it on offense so why do you think one guy in Irving could do it for the defense??
regardless of whether they beat UNC, there will be no bowl game for the pack.
why?
this teams problem in the past was offense. somehow, they were able to get their $hit together and figure the offensive woes out. it is very obvious to anyone, NOW, that the problem NOW is defense. there is no light switch for this defense. they suck. bad. period.
Just covering my bases
Sun, 10/18/2009 - 04:04 — Heels20You've gotta keep in mind that the low point of this season doesn't compare to the low points of the past two years. 2007, the Pack got blown out 37-0 by a mediocre-at-best Maryland squad. Last season, the 34-0 loss to South Carolina, followed by an ugly 10-point win over W&M, eventually followed by a 41-10 beating by USF in one of the worst performances I have EVER seen in college football. Despite all that, the Pack managed to establish themselves as the scariest offense in the conference at the end of last season, starting after their bye week.
I know that you say the defense is the problem, and I agree 100%. However, you have to keep in mind that they're still facing FSU (a team in a similar spot), Clemson (which Tiger team will show up?), Maryland, VT (okay, let's go ahead and label this as a loss) and UNC. That's 4 out of 5 games that State will win if they play like they did at the end of last season. The defense sucks, but they can only go up. I'm not saying they will definitely bounce back, but if history is an indication, you have to watch out for it.
That being said, I'm just ready for next Thursday. Hopefully our bye week helped out. After UVA, I'm convinced that if Jake Delhomme and TJ Yates could conceive a child, he would throw backwards. Let's hope that's no longer the case. Go Heels
This year vs. last year
Sun, 10/18/2009 - 09:05 — JPDOhioThe biggest difference is that, last year, State's turnaround coincided with Nate Irving and RW getting healthy. This year, it won't happen unless the young guys on defense get better in a hurry. It is unlikely that will happen soon enough to make a difference-this year.
The thing about college kids, though, is that they grow and mature. There is serious young talent at State on both sides of the ball. And more is on the way. That's why it is correct for TOB to follow his program regardless of the current results. It will work, but it will take time.
Many Pack fans are tired of being patient and want results now. They will continue to be frustrated. I get that, but they should hang in there and support this team, because it is on the right track.
Re: This year vs. Last year
Sun, 10/18/2009 - 11:50 — Heels20The emergence of Russell Wilson and Nate Irving last year were definitely important, but the Pack was in a much worse situation two years ago that they bounced back from. Starting out with a 1-5 record as Harrison Beck threw more Pick 6's than TDs, the season seemed hopeless. However, after the bye week, a few young guys stepped up to get the defense going. Nate Irving made a name for himself as a freshman, Thomas Barnes worked his way into the starting line-up and DaJuan Morgan started his NFL campaign. Daniel Evans did a great job towards the end of the season with big games against ECU, UVA and Miami and they worked their way back to 5-5.
Now, obviously there is no DaJuan Morgan on this NC State defense, but the offense has much more potential than that of two years ago, while there are a few young LBs who could be very good players. I'm not saying the Pack will definitely have a 7-win season, but based off the past two years, I wouldn't consider it out of the realm of possibility.
respectfully disagree
Sun, 10/18/2009 - 14:10 — gvillegatrmore sober this morning! lol.
if the defense doesn't get any better (wayyyy better) it does not matter what the offense does. plain and simple.
not to mention, RW doesn't even remotley look like he did middle end of last season.
you can use th past few seasons to attempt to point at what could happen this year, but it is a stretch.
honestly, ncsu would be best served to cut ties with Archer right now. This team (defense) needs a spark and that might would do it. the kids don't believe in him or you would at least some heart out there.
good post
Sun, 10/18/2009 - 06:09 — noneyabusiness"After UVA, I'm convinced that if Jake Delhomme and TJ Yates could conceive a child, he would throw backwards."
That was funny. Thanks for lifting my depression just a bit.
Awful
Sat, 10/17/2009 - 18:17 — mrdubWhat would Glennon do, play defense? I don't recall ever seeing the D this bad. Maybe Archer should be fired. Not at the end of the year, tonight.
embarrassing
Sat, 10/17/2009 - 17:54 — gvillegatrthis may be some of the most embarrassing football I have ever witnessed. this team (no surprise to anyone) is the worst tackling team in the nation. I have no concerns about UNC football being the worst in the ACC at this time.
game
Sat, 10/17/2009 - 17:41 — jaa1751State has problems. Better get Roman Gabriel to give us some help. This is going to be an ugly season( in my opinion)
GO PACK
State still has the worst
Sat, 10/17/2009 - 17:12 — mad_maxState still has the worst defense in the league. 4 weeks in a row now, and things aren't getting better. Starting to get very concerned here...
Wow this is getting ugly.
Sat, 10/17/2009 - 17:03 — Heels20Wow this is getting ugly. Time to throw in Glennon and get him some experience. This one is over.