CHAPEL HILL — The idea was clear to N.C. State coach Tom O'Brien: punt the ball and get the game to overtime.
Gio Bernard had other plans.
Bernard's 74-yard punt return with 13 seconds left clinched UNC's 43-35 win over the Wolfpack on Saturday at Kenan Stadium. O'Brien said punter Wil Baumann did what he wanted with the game tied at 35 and 30 seconds left on the clock.
"I think at that point, you just want to kick it and get it out of there," O'Brien said. "I think we might have over-kicked it."
O'Brien dismissed the idea of punting away from Bernard, who had injured his ankle earlier in the second half and did not return the preceding punts in the second half.
"What you want to do is kick it high in the air and make him fair catch it," O'Brien said. "You still have to cover and make a tackle."
Bernard broke around N.C. State's containment and raced up the right sideline for the score. Up until that return, N.C. State hadn't allowed a punt return longer than nine yards all season.
"It was good play by him and it won them the game," N.C. State senior center Cam Wentz said.
It was the second straight game in Chapel Hill that the outcome changed on a punt return. N.C. State's T.J. Graham returned a punt 87 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter of the Wolfpack's 29-25 win in 2010.
Comments
not much to add.
Wed, 10/31/2012 - 12:13 — noneyabusinessI really wish that Gio kid was wearing red. He is the real deal...
Wow. Great
Tue, 10/30/2012 - 21:42 — unc098Wow.
Great comments.....
Glad to see everyone ( who I give a s...t about ) commenting on this game. Thanks to Y8, JPD, Max on the congrats. You are classy folks wearing the red.
I am glad UNC gets a week off. A good set up for a good finish.
Good luck to the Pack for the remainder of the season.
wow
Mon, 10/29/2012 - 21:35 — mad_maxWhat a game! Congrats to the Heels for the win. I still disagree with the fumble call, and I thought there was a clear illegal block on Gio's punt return, but still, the Heels earned the win.
They threw everything they had at us...new uniforms, trick plays, sneaky 2 point conversions, etc. Combine that with State's 10+ dropped passes and a couple favorable calls, and you have a nice win. Well done, and a great game for the rivalry! You guys admit it's a rivalry game now, right?
Oh, and props to Glennon! Playing like a stud.
Thx, I guess
Tue, 10/30/2012 - 12:54 — gvillegatrThe fumble was a fumble. No, it was not obvious in real time, but under review the ball was clearly coming out of his hand. What really stinks is it should have been a defensive TD. I believe, but could be wrong, the Heels only got three points out of it?
There were no blocks in the back on the punt return. Were there some close calls? Yes. But both guys were blocked just on the inside of the blockee. They were clean blocks. A few degrees to the wrong side and they would have been blocks in the back.
It's finally good to see you guys experience a devastating loss at the hands of the Heels. Not saying you never have bc you have.m it's just been a little while and UNC has been carrying the burden for too long.
Well As I said in an early
Sat, 10/27/2012 - 21:17 — unc098Well
As I said in an early post. The last man standing will win this one and it happened to be Gio Bernard.
It was fun to witness yet another classic Pack/Heels game. Always interesting and more times than not a squeaker. I was surprised to see a less than full stadium and far more red than there should be.
I applaud Fedora for not going 0-3 against the Tobacco Road foes and starting his tenure off on the right note with a victory over the Wolves.
Heels need to finish strong and go 9-3.
We're not the same person
Sat, 10/27/2012 - 23:20 — gvillegatrBut damn if I don't share the same sentiments as you do across the board.
And kudos to you, Surfer and JPD for saying the game would come down to Gio. It literally did.
Man, WE came out like gang busters (would have lead the Bams) 15-0 and methodically got it to like 25-7. Then the damn wheels came off and everyone in Kenan and watching on tv knew the game was over bc of recent history. Damn if everybody wasn't wrong.
The best team won (finally) and the UNC crowd was an embarrassment.
60+ points
Mon, 10/29/2012 - 21:55 — mad_maxYou got it! Haha, when it was 35-25 in the fourth, all I could think of was our pre-game discussion. I knew we were still in trouble, even with the lead.
Anyways, congrats on the hard-earned win. Even though we lost, it was still a fantastic game to watch.
Now we need VT to stun the Noles this week...heh, yeah right.
?
Sun, 10/28/2012 - 10:55 — melvinfurdJust curious as to why you said the UNC crowd was an embarrassment.
I Wasn't very clear
Sun, 10/28/2012 - 15:03 — gvillegatrIt was pathetic that there were a lot of wuffies in attendance. And there were a few pockets of empty seats spread throughout the stadium.
The place was loud. Very loud in fact.
OK
Sun, 10/28/2012 - 17:32 — melvinfurdThanks. I don't know how the Wuffies got all those tickets, but it seems to me they have their ways of getting tickets & following the Wuffies on the road. I was in section 103. What I believe to be the Wolfpack's official ticket section was to my left and there was a large number of red tee shirts proclaiming how easy it is to beat the Tar Heels. It did my soul good to watch them filing out of the stadium with disbelief written on their faces.
Yea
Sun, 10/28/2012 - 18:00 — gvillegatrWe were in Section 134. There was a Wuffie sitting next to my brother. He was alright, though.
Some post game thoughts
Sat, 10/27/2012 - 23:55 — JPDOhio1. I may have been right on Gio, but you predicted the shoot out I never expected to happen. Yours was the better call. It's not a major risk to predict that Gio Bernard will be the difference-maker in a game.
2. I left for church with the Pack up 3 and couldn't believe they lost by 8 when we came out. Actually, I could believe it until I saw how the winning TD happened then I couldn't believe it again.
3. Seen many comments calling for TOB's head because he played it too safe at the end. I watched the end after that and I just didn't see it. I'll take State's offense today any day. As to State's defense, it is mostly solid, except for the handful of big plays that result in multiple scores for the opposition.
4. The real reason State lost-a countless number of dropped passes. At least half of them had the potential for serious yards after the catch. State could have (and should have) put more distance between them and the Tar Heels. Let a team hang around and bad things can happen.
4. Although I am obviously disappointed with the result, that was a great game to watch. Both teams came to play and it was clean and hard fought. Congrats to UNC for a hard earned win.
Apology and Promise
Tue, 10/30/2012 - 12:51 — YAR8packOkay. Now that I've calmed down, I'd like to first make an apology, and secondly I'd like to piggyback on what a few others are saying.
shape
Tue, 10/30/2012 - 13:06 — SurferNice comments. State has a very good chance to have a good season (9-3 or 8-4) But didn't they finish in 4th place in the league back in 2002, or something? I recall a lot of hype (and a parade) back then, maybe that was just CTC's doings and you are referring to the overall health of the program? In that case, TOB does seem to be doing a fine job in that regard.
Health
Tue, 10/30/2012 - 13:28 — YAR8packYep. I'm referring to the overall health of the program. Miles and miles better than when CTC was at the helm.
Not sure why you brought up 2002. But, for clarity, NC State finished 5-3 in conference; alone in 4th place.
Also, I don't think anyone directly associated with NC State made the parade happen. I think that was the doing of either the Governor or Mayor of Raleigh. Could be wrong. Something like that has Lee "Fowlup" written all over it.
Combo
Tue, 10/30/2012 - 13:21 — gvillegatrIf you could get CTC to recruit and TOBy to coach, you'd have a damn good program with a shot at a MNC in the next few years.
two points
Tue, 10/30/2012 - 13:02 — JPDOhio1. No apology necessary.
2. Don't make promises you can't keep.
;-D
3
Mon, 10/29/2012 - 21:41 — mad_maxYep, I don't get all the hate. After the sack, it was 2nd and 17 on our own 18, less than a minute to go. I have NO problem with the clock management at the end. As for the punt, that's obviously not what we wanted...punter kicked it too deep, and the illegal block didn't help us either.
illegal block?
Tue, 10/30/2012 - 12:15 — SurferI have watched the replay, from different angles and I just didn't see it/one.
Thoughts
Mon, 10/29/2012 - 10:22 — Surfer1. Gio, a defininte game changer. I still believe the WF and UL games would have been different had he played. Yet, we had him against Dook and still lost.
2. The winning TD; a "classic" for one set of fans and not so much for another set.
3. Agree, I didn't see him playing it safe at the end. Punting it deep was probably the best decision if they could have covered. Going for it on 4th would not have been a good idea and punting it out of bounds may have given the offense a short field, etc...
4. Disagree on this one. Yes, the State recievers dropped a number of balls that could have lead to extra yards. But I don't recall any of them being in the end zone, that would have definitely resulted in points. Of course "after a catch" could have resulted in extra yards, but also a fumble. It seems that State lost because they couldn't stop UNC when they needed to.
5. It was a great game to watch/experience. Both teams played well enough to win and it could have gone either way.
3
Sun, 10/28/2012 - 10:58 — YAR8packCouldn't disagree more, JPD. I think your take is all wrong. On the next to last offensive series for NCSU, they got a 1st down running with Thornton and then, for some unbeknownst reason, opted to go with 3 similar passing plays--which were all seam routes--that had no success. Dumb. Patented refusal to call some random plays.
The coaching staff wussed out at the end and hoped for OT. I mean, really, why not have confidence in your team when Glennon had already passed for 400+ yds, 5TD's on a suspect unc secondary, and had led a late game winning drive earlier this year against the Noles. You remember that, right? I sure as hell do.
Also, NCSU had 3 timeouts left to take. Maybe TOB thought he could trade the timeouts in at The Sizzler after the game in order to get a free ice cream?
Punked out and got punked. Plain and simple.
Not saying NCSU would've won the game, but when you don't play to win the game (thank you, Herm Edwards), the end result is already at hand.
One last mini-rant, I nearly had a coronary when listening to the post-game interview and TOB, when asked about kicking it to the best RB in the ACC and arguably top-3 in the nation, said NC State doesn't practice directional punts. Seriously. He said that.
Well
Sun, 10/28/2012 - 12:45 — JPDOhioOne out of five ain't bad (though I just noticed I doubled up on #4).
I understand your point. In fact, several of those comments I referenced above were yours posted on the article on the N&O's website. My main point is that if State doesn't drop 10 (give or take) passes or State contains Bernard on that punt return like they should have, we are not having this conversation. Punting to Bernard instead of away from him may be stupid, but it shows confidence in the team that you are arguing for.
Jim Tressel was accused of the same thing many are accusing TOB of today. Tressel won championships with that strategy. I am not saying TOB is Tressel by a long shot. I am saying that it was lack of execution on easy catches that would have put the game out of reach, not coaching decisions, that were the main reason for this loss.
This season is not over. 8-4 is likely and if the Pack can upset Clemson and FSU stumbles against Va Tech, then the Pack is in Charlotte and this is a distant memory. Am I predicting it? No. Is it likely? No. But it wasn't likely that State would beat FSU either. You never know.
Besides, I need something to hold onto since my Penguins are imploding.
WF
Sun, 10/28/2012 - 13:53 — YAR8packI'll bet you a meal at The Pit in downton Raleigh that NC State loses to WF.
7-5. Playing in the Sun Bowl.
Also, speaking of the "Vest," I'd gladly take him in Raleigh. Hell, one of my buddies co-owns a tattoo shop. He's not a fan of NC State, but I think I could probably hook something up. :-)
You're on
Sun, 10/28/2012 - 22:21 — JPDOhioDoes the Pit deliver?
No deliveries
Mon, 10/29/2012 - 13:22 — YAR8packAt least not all the way up where you're at. How about we hold the bet till you're able to come down to good ol' NC for a game? I'm hoping I owe you a BBQ plate.
gatr's right. The Pit isn't the same without the old pit master. I'm more of a fan of Clyde Cooper's as far as Raleigh and getting BBQ. However, if you've got time to venture over to eastern NC, there are a couple of places we can partake in.
Matters not now. The game is over. But I'll forever argue with people; the overwhelming majority of which are unc fans, that it was the right decision by TOB to opt to hope for OT. No reason not to pass the ball at least a couple times. It's not like MG hadn't had a good day against a suspect unc secondary.
I knew it was over when the team lined up to punt. I didn't think Gio would return it to the house. I figured unc would get it in field goal position and beat State the way UMd should have in the prior game. Oh well. Gio happens...
We'll talk.
Mon, 10/29/2012 - 21:57 — JPDOhioAfter the Wake game.
You're gonna owe me and, either way, we should make it happen.
It might over-nite
Mon, 10/29/2012 - 08:32 — gvillegatrWhile there is no question The Pit serves up a heaping helping of southern hospitality, there are at least ten other places in this fine state to not only get better BBQ, but also get it at half the cost (think $20 a plate at supper time).
Also, since the Pit Master, Ed Mitchell, got run off a year or so ago, it hasn't quite been the same. Still edible, though.