An NC-SC Border Rivalry Renewed

© Tim Peeler, 2017
Back in the summer, the NC State athletics communication office asked for a short list of the top football games ever played between the Wolfpack and South Carolina. That list of five is pretty easy.

However, since it aligned with another comprehensive historical project, it kind of made weird sense to look up the details of every game ever played between the two neighboring rivals, who played each other as members of the Southern Conference and the Atlantic Coast Conference, and when the Gamecocks were a college football independent and now that they are in the Southeastern Conference.

Though Saturday’s game in Charlotte is the first in the series played in a neutral location and is just the fourth meeting in the last 25 years, the two schools have had a heated rivalry and share a common history, just as their states share a common border. Overall, South Carolina leads the series, 27-26-4.

Heck, the two schools even share a former head coach: Lou Holtz was the coach at NC State from 1972-75 and South Carolina from 1999-2004. His first game at South Carolina was at NC State’s Carter-Finley Stadium, where Holtz lost just one home game in four years as the coach of the Pack.

They have played in remarkable games, and not just the two that are most frequently remembered: the 1957 game in which halfback Dick Christy scored all 29 of NC State’s points and helped secure the Wolfpack’s first ACC championship on the last day of the season and the 1986 game when Wolfpack quarterback Erik Kramer found double-covered Danny Peebles in the back of Carter-Finley Stadium’s south end zone for a game-winning touchdown.

Those were two of the three games in the series in which NC State scored after time had expired. Multiple other games were decided in the final minute.

The series had had some incredible players. In the early 1960s, there were six consecutive seasons with future NFL starting quarterbacks, Roman Gabriel (1959-61) for the Wolfpack and Dan Reeves (1962-64) for the Gamecocks.

The schools produced the only two former ACC players who, as NFL head coaches, went on to win the Super Bowl. Reeves won it as a player with the Dallas Cowboys and as the head coach of the Denver Broncos. Former NC State linebacker Bill Cowher, who once had 24 tackles in a game again the Gamecocks, led the Pittsburgh Steelers to the Super Bowl Championship.

For six consecutive seasons, there was at least one first-round NFL draft running back on the field, Ted Brown for the Wolfpack (1975-78) and Heisman Trophy-winning George Rogers for the Gamecocks (1977-80). In two of those games, they were both there.

Perhaps the most germane thing discovered, however, is something of interest for the Wolfpack: In the eight seasons NC State has won or tied for a conference championship, it owns a 7-1 record against the Gamecocks (this includes the controversial 1965 forfeit South Carolina won on the field but was reversed to help the Wolfpack win a share of the ACC title with Clemson).

The only loss came in 1979, when the Gamecocks were no longer a conference foe and Rogers rolled for 217 yards, the second highest rushing total of his career. (South Carolina was also a nonconference foe in 1973, when the Wolfpack won 56-35 in the highest scoring game in the series.)

So before Saturday’s 3 p.m. kickoff at Bank of America Stadium, here’s some reading material about a rivalry that dates back more than 100 years, even if it is a relative rarity today.

Southern Conference Years
 

Oct. 11, 1900: South Carolina won 12-0 in Columbia, South Carolina, in the first game played between the neighboring schools.

Nov. 29, 1900: In a rematch of a game earlier in the season, South Carolina took a 17-5 Thanksgiving Day victory over A. & M. College at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds, which were located across Hillsboro Street (the spelling at the time) from the small Raleigh campus. A steady rain poured throughout the game, and South Carolina returned a turnover for its first touchdown of the game, as A. & M. had trouble trouble holding on to the ball. The News & Observer reported that A. & M.'s stars of the game were tackle J. Platt Turner and O. Max Gardner, who was elected governor of North Carolina in 1928.

Nov. 12, 1903: Leading 5-0 late in the game, South Carolina seemed to be in line for its third consecutive win in the series. But A. & M. back Joseph Miller scored on an 8-yard touchdown run, then kicked the point after touchdown to become the first player from the Raleigh land grant school to score all of his team's points against South Carolina. Dick Christy did it 54 years later on a much grander scale. This was the last season for Arthur Devlin, who doubled as a minor league baseball player, as the coach of the Raleigh school. He was called up to the major leagues the following season. He spent 10 years playing third base for the New York Giants and the Boston Braves. In 1905, he swiped 59 bases to share the National League lead.

Nov. 5, 1904: New A. & M. head coach W. S. Keinholz held out his best player, Babe Wilson, from the game with a minor injury because he did not want scouts from the University of North Carolina 11 days later to get too much information about the Wolfpack's offensive system. No one did, as the game at the state fairgrounds ended in a 0-0 tie with neither team threatening to score. The game against the Tar Heels in Chapel Hill wasn't much better, as it ended in a 6-6 tie.

Oct. 27, 1905: Using what new coach George Whitney called a "Heisman delay trick pass"-- a flummoxing lateral--A. and M. scored a big 29-0 victory over its South Carolina rivals in Columbia.

Oct. 21, 1915: South Carolina took a 19-10 victory in Raleigh, in a midweek game played on the Thursday of the North Carolina State Fair, which at the time was just across Hillsboro Street from the North Carolina State College for Agriculture and Mechanic Arts campus. Neither school had its current nickname, as A&M was referred to as the “Aggies,” the “Techs” and the “Farmers” and the South Carolina players were referred to as the “Palmettoes.” South Carolina scored two of its three touchdowns thanks to a fumble recovery and a 49-yard interception return.

Oct. 13, 1923: NC State back Charlie Shuford intercepted a Gamecock pass and raced 55 yards for the only score of the day, as the Wolfpack of NC State College beat South Carolina, 7-0. It was one of three errant passes picked off by State College on the day, with others by Red Lassiter and Dick Bostian. It was the first of 13 consecutive years the two teams met.

Oct. 11, 1924: In the first meeting between the two teams in Columbia, South Carolina, the “Game Cocks” defeated the Wolfpack 10-0.

Oct. 11, 1925: South Carolina took advantage of a dropped punt by young NC State player Jack McDowall and took an early lead at Raleigh’s Riddick Stadium. Late in the game, however, McDowall threw a 48-yard pass down to the 1-yardline. The Wolfpack scored on the next play, but a bad snap on the point after touchdown aided in a missed kick and the Gamecocks won 7-6.

Nov. 20, 1926: South Carolina took a 20-14 victory in Columbia.

Oct. 24, 1927: Star back Jack McDowall threw three touchdown passes and scored three extra points in a Thanksgiving Day clash at Columbia’s Melton Field, as the Wolfpack completed its only undefeated league schedule as a member of the Southern Conference. The Pack, which posted a 9-1 overall record and 4-0 league mark under the guidance of head coach Gus Tebell, was officially declared co-champions of the 22-team Southern Conference with Georgia Tech and Tennessee, both of which had one tie among their undefeated conference results.

Nov. 29, 1928: Team captain and quarterback Bob Warren ran for two touchdowns and threw a pass to Basil Melton for a third as the Wolfpack won 18-7 in a Thanksgiving Day game at Riddick Field.

Nov. 30, 1929: Before the game, North Carolina Governor O. Max Gardner, who had played football for the Wolfpack at the turn of the century, presented NC State team captain John Lepo a football signed by rising movie star Nancy Carroll. But few people were around for the presentation. As temperatures dropped to 18 degrees in Raleigh this Thanksgiving weekend, only about 2,000 spectators saw the Wolfpack close out the 1929 season with a 20-6 loss to the Gamecocks in dual-sport head coach Gus Tebell’s final football game with the Wolfpack, which finished 1-8 on the season. South Carolina back Happy Edens set the tone for the game with an 85-yard touchdown run from scrimmage in the first quarter and the Gamecocks never trailed. Following the 1929-30 basketball, Tebell left to become an assistant football coach at Virginia, where he eventually became the head football coach, athletics director and duly elected mayor of Charlottesville.

Nov. 22, 1930: A blocked punt and two turnovers allowed South Carolina to score a 19-0 victory in Columbia, as the Wolfpack brought a tumultuous season to a merciful end. Head coach John Van Liew, a high school coach from Iowa, was hired sight unseen on the recommendation of Notre Dame head coach Knute Rockne, but he brought with him an unusual offensive formation in which he had his quarterback line up, butt-to-butt with the center, facing his split backfield. He went AWOL in the middle of a home game against Mississippi State and did not return for the second half. He was relieved of his position and replaced by team trainer Roy “Doc” Sermon, who lost all four of his games as head coach. Including the season finale against the Gamecocks. Sermon later served as basketball coach and athletics director.

Nov. 21, 1931: John “Clipper” Smith completed his first season with the Wolfpack with a 21-0 loss to South Carolina in Columbia. Smith, an All-America lineman at Notre Dame, was later inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a player.

Nov. 24, 1932: Raleigh native Allen Nelms, in his final game with NC State, scored his team’s only touchdown in a 7-7 tie when he fell on teammate Rex Ray’s fumble in the end zone late in the game. The tie ended the Wolfpack’s best season at 6-1-2 since the 1927 Southern Conference title.

Nov. 11, 1933: South Carolina halfback Earl Clary, known as “The Gaffney Ghost,” scored a pair of second-half touchdowns as the Gamecocks took a 14-0 victory in Columbia.

Oct. 13, 1934: As the defense held South Carolina to just 14 rushing yards, NC State got a late touchdown pass from quarterback Nick Hayden to back Vince Ferrar for a 6-0 victory, as first-year head coach Hunk Anderson led his team to victory for the second time in three games. It was the last win of the season, however, as the Pack lost five and tied one to end the season.

Oct. 5, 1935: NC State quarterback Cowboy Robinson threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to Charlie Gadd and Eddie Berlinski scored with less than a minute to play to give the Wolfpack a 14-0 victory in Columbia. South Carolina’s offense totaled negative 37 yards in the game and had just three first downs, all of which came on NC State penalties. 

Atlantic Coast Conference Years

Nov. 10, 1956: Despite both teams being members of first the Southern Conference and then the newly formed Atlantic Coast Conference, they went 21 years without facing each other on the gridiron. The heavily favored Gamecocks finally returned to Riddick Stadium for NC State’s Homecoming Game. State quarterback Frank Kackovic and halfback Dick Christy scored touchdowns to pull off the upset on head coach Earle Edwards’ 48^th birthday. The two teams faced each other 35 of the next 36 seasons.

Nov. 23, 1957: Senior halfback Dick Christy had never attempted a field goal as a college player until he convinced head coach Earle Edwards to let him try a 37-yarder with no time left on the clock, thanks to a South Carolina defensive interference penalty. Christy had already scored the Wolfpack’s first 26 points in the contest, on four touchdowns and two extra points. The Pack’s regular kicker, Dick Hunter, had missed his previous six extra-point attempts and had not made a field goal all season long, so Edwards had to make the choice of going for another Hail Mary pass to the end zone or giving Christy the chance to become the biggest single-game star in ACC football history. With a low line-drive kick that barely made it over the crossbar at Carolina Stadium (later named Williams-Brice), Christy not only capped off the biggest solo scoring day in school history, he gave Edwards and the Wolfpack its first ever ACC title, thanks to North Carolina’s win over favored Duke on that same afternoon. For years, until the two teams stopped playing regularly, the media selected an NC State player as the recipient of the Dicky Christy Award.

Nov. 22, 1958: South Carolina held on for a 12-7 lead in Columbia, despite a late NC State threat that included a Wolfpack onsides kick, a Gamecock fumble and an intercepted NC State pass in the final moments of the game.

Nov. 21, 1959: For the fifth time in the season, NC State lost a fourth-quarter lead, falling to the Gamecocks in Riddick Stadium by a 12-7 score, despite the record-breaking passing of sophomore quarterback Roman Gabriel, who had 19 completions on 30 attempts.

Nov. 11, 1960: NC State missed out on sharing an ACC football championship with Duke because of a season-ending 8-8 tie with the Gamecocks. Trailing 8-0 in the final period, the Wolfpack tied the game when Roman Gabriel threw a pass to wide receiver George Vollmar, who carried the ball to the South Carolina 30, then pitched to teammate Jim Tapp, who ran the final distance to complete a 59-yard touchdown pass. South Carolina drove to the NC State 10, but missed a potential game-winning field goal. NC State recovered a fumbled punt, but had a 37-yard field goal partially blocked. South Carolina had one last chance to win the game, but a drop-kick from the 22-yard line late in the fourth quarter sailed wide of its mark. The Pack ended the season with a 6-3-1 overall mark and a 4-1-1 second-place ACC finish.

Nov. 18, 1961: A total of 16,000 spectators saw Roman Gabriel play his final home game in a Wolfpack uniform at Riddick Stadium and the two-time ACC Player of the Year did not disappoint. Gabriel completed 17 of his 22 passes for 215 yards, ran for an additional 40 yards and was responsible for four touchdowns while leading his team to 27 unanswered points after it fell behind early 14-7. Gabriel was taken as a first-round pick of the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams (No. 2 overall) and the AFL’s Oakland Raiders (No. 1 overall) following the season.

Nov. 11, 1962: After beating North Carolina 7-6 to open the season, the Wolfpack suffered six losses and a tie, ending with a 17-6 loss to the Gamecocks in Columbia. South Carolina sophomore quarterback Dan Reeves—who later won Super Bowl VI as a player with the Dallas Cowboys and Super Bowl XII as the head coach of the Denver Broncos—led the Gamecock offense to 17 points in the second half.

Oct. 10, 1963: NC State won its fourth consecutive road game to start the season, 18-6 over South Carolina at Carolina Stadium in Columbia, to grab a share of first place in the ACC standings. End Don Montgomery blocked a punt and returned it nine yards for a touchdown and quarterback Jim Rossi set up the Pack’s other two touchdown, throwing a 21-yard touchdown pass and setting up another with a 33-yard run. Despite losing at North Carolina the following week in its fifth consecutive road game, the Wolfpack held on to win its second ACC championship under head coach Earle Edwards by beating Wake Forest in Riddick Stadium on Nov. 22, the day President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas.

Oct. 31, 1964: A 72-yard run by quarterback back Ron Skosnik thrilled NC State’s Homecoming crowd of 21,000 and a 12-state regional television audience, as the Wolfpack won a 17-14 decision at Riddick Stadium. The Halloween afternoon victory pushed the Wolfpack’s record to 5-2 overall and 5-1 in the ACC. Despite losing its final three games of the season—to Virginia Tech, Florida State and Wake Forest—the Wolfpack was the outright winner of the ACC championship despite having two league losses on the season.

Oct. 2, 1965: South Carolina won this meeting on the field, fair and square, a 13-7 victory in Columbia that featured a 74-yard touchdown run by Gamecock back Ben Garanto. It was one of four losses the Wolfpack suffered in the season’s first five games. However, head coach Earle Edwards and his team reeled off five straight wins to close out the regular season, then claimed a share of the ACC title with Clemson when South Carolina admitted to paying extra meal and textbook benefits to two players. ACC commissioner Jim Weaver forced South Carolina to forfeit all six of its league games, giving the Wolfpack and Tigers identical 5-2 conference marks. Duke, which beat South Carolina and gained no benefit from the forfeit, finished with a 4-2 record in the unbalanced league schedule and lost its claim to the conference title. (To this day, neither NC State nor Clemson claim the forfeited wins in their all-time results.) It was the third consecutive season that the Wolfpack earned at least a share of the ACC title.

Dedication Day at Carter Stadium

Oct. 8, 1966: A crowd of 35,000 spectators were on hand for Carter Stadium Dedication Day to see the Wolfpack host the Gamecocks in the first game played at NC State’s new off-campus stadium off Blue Ridge Road. Named in honor of brothers Nick and Harry Carter, graduates of NC State’s School of Textiles, the state-of-the-art steel and concrete stadium was a long-awaited dream for Pack head coach Earle Edwards. Sadly for the gathered crowd, South Carolina won the game 31-21 for its only victory of the season, thanks to a 98-yard touchdown by Bobby Bryant that still ranks as the longest punt return in ACC history. Bryant went on to play 14 seasons in the NFL as a member of the Minnesota Vikings's "Purple People Eater" defense and won four Super Bowl titles.

1967: For the only time in a span of 36 years, the two conference foes did not meet.

Oct. 12, 1968: Running back Charlie Bowers rushed for three touchdowns and gained 123 yards on the ground as the Wolfpack smashed South Carolina 36-12. Defensive back Jack Whitley also returned a punt 86 yards, which still stands as the fifth-longest return in school history, and the remnants of the White Shoes defense added a safety. It was a big rebound victory for the Pack after losing at Oklahoma and at Southern Methodist the two previous weeks. Edwards and his team lost only to Clemson on its ACC slate and won its fifth league title in 12 seasons.

Oct. 11, 1969: South Carolina scored two quick touchdowns in the opening six minutes of the second half at Williams-Brice Stadium and held on for a 21-16 win over the defending ACC-champion Wolfpack. Under the direction of Paul Dietzel, the Gamecocks finished with an unblemished 6-0 league mark for their only football championship during a two-decade stay in the ACC.

Sept. 26, 1970: South Carolina reserve quarterback Jackie Young replaced injured starter Tommy Suggs to throw a 2-yard pass with 4:25 remaining to give the defending-ACC champion Gamecocks a 7-7 tie. The Wolfpack defense created three interceptions and recovered four of nine fumbles against the Gamecock offense, but could not pull off the upset. It was the last season for Edwards, whose 77 career wins at NC State remains the record for Wolfpack head coaches.

Nonconference Years

Sept. 25, 1971: For the first time since the inaugural meeting in 1915, the two old rivals met in a nonconference game, following South Carolina’s decision to leave the Atlantic Coast Conference in a dispute over the league’s initial eligibility requirements for student-athletes. The independent Gamecocks outrushed the Wolfpack 239-57 and a porous Wolfpack defense had no answer in a 26-6 defeat. It was the only season as interim head coach for longtime defensive coordinator Al Michaels, who returned to his coordinator position the following season under new head coach Lou Holtz.

Oct. 28, 1972: Sophomore fullback Stan Fritts ran for 130 yards to lead a Wolfpack backfield called “The Stallions,” which also included Willie Burden, Roland Hooks and Charley Young. It was the fifth win in a stretch in which the Wolfpack won seven of its final eight games, including a 49-13 victory over Bobby Bowden-coached West Virginia in the Peach Bowl in Atlanta.

Oct. 3, 1973: In one of three instances when the Wolfpack scored against South Carolina after time ran out, a Dave Buckey pass thrown in the final seconds bounced off the hands of Pat Hovance and into the arms of John Gargano after time expired, giving the Wolfpack a 56-35 victory over the Gamecocks in Williams-Brice Stadium. South Carolina, battered and bruised from a close loss the previous week at LSU, called timeout with four seconds to play, despite a two-touchdown deficit. The Wolfpack, who went on to record a perfect 6-0 record in the ACC for Holtz’s only league title while in Raleigh, used the timeout to set up one final scoring play that even Holtz said was unnecessary, to record the most points by either team in the series history. In his four games (all wins) against South Carolina—a team he would later coach—Holtz led the Pack to a 168-107 advantage on the scoreboard.

Nov. 2, 1974: As the Gamecocks marched down the field in the third quarter with the chance to tie a close game, sophomore defensive tackle Ron Banther picked up an errant option pitch from South Carolina quarterback Ron Bass and raced 84 yards for a touchdown that changed the game. The Pack went on to win 42-24 in the Homecoming contest at Carter Stadium. The Pack beat Penn State and Arizona State in its final two regular season games and tied Houston in the Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl for a 9-2-1 record, its best winning percentage under Holtz.

Nov. 1, 1975: In a wild Saturday night game broadcast regionally, the two teams rolled up 932 yards in total offense, with 526 coming from the Wolfpack. South Carolina, which led 10-0 at the half, took a 21-20 lead with 1:29 remaining in the game, but the tandem of senior Dave Buckey and freshman Ted Brown kept Holtz’s unbeaten record against the Gamecocks intact. It was Wolfpack fullback Timmy Johnson who scored with nine seconds remaining on the clock. Brown added a two-point conversion for the final 28-21 score. Along with late wins against Florida and North Carolina, it was the third time that season that the Wolfpack scored in the final minute to steal a late win in Carter Stadium.

Oct. 30, 1976: Multiple Wolfpack miscues throughout the game allowed South Carolina to take a 27-7 victory in Columbia, including drives of 63 and 66 yards in the fourth quarter. The defeat kicked off a three-game losing streak to end a perfectly miserable debut season (3-7-1) for first-year head coach Bo Rein, who at the age of 31 was the youngest head football coach in the nation. “It was the lousiest game we played all season,” Rein said afterwards.

Oct. 29, 1977: A stellar State defense, wearing as it had all season red shoes, held the Gamecocks to only three points in two trips inside the 10-yard line and stopped them again inside the 25-yard line in the final two minutes of the game, thanks to an end zone interception and a fumble recovery at the 25. Sophomore cornerback Woodrow “El Presidente” Wilson added two more interceptions and junior linebacker Billy Cowher had 24 total tackles. Junior tailback Ted Brown scored the 7-3 victory’s only touchdown and gained 122 yards on 22 carries. After losing to Penn State at home and beating Duke on the road, the Wolfpack defeated Iowa State in the Peach Bowl in Atlanta.

Nov. 4, 1978: After being eliminated from the ACC race with a home loss to Clemson the week before, the Wolfpack bounced back with a 22-13 victory at Carter Stadium. Quarterback Scott Smith and tailback Billy Ray Vickers were the offensive stars for the Wolfpack, but the defense forced three turnovers to put the Pack in good position and Nathan Ritter booted a pair of field goals. Banged-up senior tailback Ted Brown, who had 26 career 100-yard rushing games, was held under 100 yards for the third time that season—he finished with 99 yards on 20 carries.

Nov. 3, 1979: South Carolina junior tailback George Rogers continued what turned out to be a 21-game streak of rushing for more than 100 yards by rumbling for 217 yards on 30 carries to lead his Gamecocks to a 30-28 nonconference victory at Williams-Brice Stadium. It was the second highest rushing total of his record-breaking career. The Wolfpack, however, went on to win the ACC title that season with a 5-1 league mark, though it did not play in a postseason bowl game. It’s the only time in the history of the rivalry that the Wolfpack did not beat South Carolina in route to a conference title, as it had done in 1927, 1957, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1968 and 1973.

Oct. 4, 1980: George Rogers, on his way to winning the Heisman Trophy, rushed for 140 yards in the first half and finished the game with a total of 193 yards in a 30-10 victory at Williams-Brice Stadium against first-year head coach Monte Kiffin and the Wolfpack. Rogers exceeded 100 yards in every game of his senior season and easily won the award as college football’s top player.

Oct. 31, 1981: NC State’s offense fumbled nine times, losing the ball twice, in mistake-laden Halloween nightmare on the artificial turf of Williams-Brice Stadium. The Pack threw four interceptions, two missed field goals and had a blocked extra point in a 20-12 loss to the Gamecocks. The Pack was unable to take advantage of its defense creating five South Carolina turnovers (four interceptions and one fumble). After winning four of its first five games, the Pack lost its final six games of the year; this was the third loss in that season-ending streak.

Oct. 30, 1982: With a career-high 158 yards on the day, freshman running back Mike Miller had the first 100-yard rushing day as a member of the Wolfpack, while Larmount Lawson added 93, as sophomore Joe McIntosh, who suffered an ankle injury early in the contest, ceded his claim as the team’s top rusher for the day. The Pack broke a three-game losing streak in the series with a 33-3 victory at Carter-Finley Stadium. Even though the Pack finished with a 6-5 overall and 3-3 ACC mark, Kiffin was not retained as head coach.

Oct. 29, 1983: NC State walk-on All-America John McRorie had an amazing defensive game, intercepting three passes and recovering a fumble, as the Wolfpack was the beneficiary of seven South Carolina turnovers. But it wasn’t enough to help first-year coach Tom Reed and his mistake-prone team get a much-needed victory at Williams-Brice Stadium, as the Gamecocks willingly accepted a 31-17 gift. The Wolfpack gave up touchdowns on an 85-yard kickoff return, a 47-yard run up the middle and a 35-yard interception return. Two of those scores came after the Wolfpack tied the game at 17 midway through the third quarter.

Nov. 3, 1984: The nationally fifth-ranked and unbeaten Gamecocks needed every moment to pull out a 35-28 victory at Carter-Finley Stadium, as the Wolfpack dropped its third last-second game in as many weeks by giving up 25 fourth-quarter points. It was the Gamecocks’ first win in the Wolfpack’s home stadium since they spoiled Dedication Day in 1966. Vince Evans ran for 156 yards for NC State, kicker Mike Cofer became the Wolfpack’s career leader with 35 field goals and sophomore wide receiver Haywood Jeffires caught a 48-yard touchdown from quarterback Tim Esposito.

Nov. 2, 1985: Quarterback Erik Kramer hit wide receiver Haywood Jeffires on a pair of fourth-quarter touchdown passes, including a go-ahead 75-yard pass, as the Wolfpack recorded its second overall and second road win of the season. It marked the first time in head coach Tom Reed’s tenure that the Wolfpack won more than one away game in a season.

Erik Kramer throws a Hail Mary with no time left on the clock.

Nov. 1, 1986: With no time remaining on the clock, the Wolfpack had one last-ditch opportunity to beat visiting South Carolina, thanks to a Gamecock offsides penalty. Using a play literally drawn up in the dirt on the sidelines by first-year head coach Dick Sheridan—a South Carolina alumnus—future NFL quarterback Erik Kramer went looking for star receiver Haywood Jeffires, who had burned the Gamecocks in each of the previous two seasons. Instead, Kramer found dual-sport star DannyPeebles in the back of the south end zone for a 35-yard Hail Mary touchdown and a 23-22 victory. It’s still regarded as the most exciting finish in the 50-year history of Carter-Finley Stadium. However, Kramer was injured on the final play and missed most of the team’s next game at Virginia, a loss that cost the Wolfpack a conference title in Sheridan’s first season.

Oct. 31, 1987: In the worst thrashing of Dick Sheridan’s head coaching career, the Wolfpack lost to its coach’s alma mater 48-0 at Williams-Brice Stadium. It was the 19^th-ranked Gamecocks sixth consecutive win after hosting Pope John Paul II at their stadium earlier in the year. State’s offense did not cross midfield in the game, had no first downs in the second half and only three for the game. South Carolina sacked two Wolfpack quarterbacks, Preston Poag and Shane Montgomery, five times, held the Pack to minus-17 yards rushing and 59 yards passing. Back when he was clever, an intrepid Technician reporter wrote of the game: “Had Sheridan worn the game’s stat sheet to a Halloween costume party Saturday night, he would have been the scariest villain in Raleigh.” South Carolina’s offense rolled under quarterback Todd Ellis and wide receiver Sterling Sharpe.

Oct. 29, 1988: South Carolina coach Joe Morrison picked up his 100^th win as a head coach and the Gamecocks handed the Wolfpack a 23-7 loss that began the end of what could have been an exceptional season. The Pack had started the season 6-1, with only a loss at Maryland, and entered the game with the nation’s top-ranked defense, but the Gamecocks came out on top. Senior Nasrallah Worthen, despite suffering a strained hamstring in the game’s first series, caught 10 passes for 141 yards to win the Dick Christy Award and set the career yardage mark for a Wolfpack wide receiver.

Oct. 28, 1989: After winning its first six games and rising to No. 12 in the Associated Press poll, NC State lost at Clemson the week before facing South Carolina in Columbia. South Carolina suffered a significant blow early in the game when All-America quarterback Todd Ellis suffered a torn knee ligament on a tackle by linebacker Mark Thomas. Ellis’s replacement connected on just four completions the rest of the game. Wolfpack quarterback Shane Montgomery led his team to a 20-10 victory, throwing a go-ahead touchdown pass to receiver Al Byrd. It was the final win of the season for the Wolfpack, which lost four in a row, including a 17-10 setback in the Copper Bowl against Arizona in Tucson.

Oct. 27, 1990: The NC State offense, averaging just 256 yards per game, exploded for 459 yards in a 38-29 victory at Carter-Finley Stadium that put Dick Sheridan’s team over the .500 mark for the season and greatly increased the Pack’s chances for a postseason bowl game. State split its final two games of the season, at Virginia Tech and at home against Duke, and was invited to the All-American Bowl in Birmingham, Alabama, where it faced Southern Mississippi and its All-American quarterback Brett Favre. State won 31-27 with a late touchdown.

Nov. 2, 1991: For the second time in three years, the Wolfpack won its first six games, lost at Clemson for its first loss of the season and beat South Carolina in Columbia. This time, the final score was 38-21 and the Wolfpack won the game with a grinding rushing attack. Junior tailback Anthony Barbour gained 133 of his team’s 304 rushing yards. Sheridan’s team lost the following week at nemesis Virginia, but beat Duke and Maryland to close out the regular season and record its second consecutive nine-win season. The Wolfpack lost to East Carolina, 37-34, in the Peach Bowl.

Renewal of a Rivalry

Sept. 4, 1999: Former Wolfpack coach Lou Holtz made a drenched return to Carter-Finley as head coach of former ACC-foe South Carolina, thanks to a game-time deluge brought by Hurricane Dennis. Holtz’s career got off to a miserable start as his team lost four of eight fumbles in the downpour and went on to lose all 11 games in his inaugural season with the Gamecocks. The Wolfpack scored the 10-0 game’s only touchdown on a blocked punt.

Defenses dominated the most recent meeting in the rivalry.

Aug. 28, 2008: Future Super Bowl champion quarterback Russell Wilson made his first career collegiate start against the Gamecocks in Williams-Brice Stadium—but he didn’t last long. The young player suffered a severe Grade III concussion and had to be carted off the field early in the second quarter. The Wolfpack lost the season-opening game, 34-0, but Wilson came back and had a record-setting first season for second-year head coach Tom O’Brien, becoming the first freshman to be named first-team All-ACC quarterback.

Sept. 3, 2009: South Carolina scored the Thursday night season-opener’s only touchdown early in the first quarter, shortly after NC State fumbled away the game’s opening possession, then missed two field goals, gave up an interception and could not score in two additional trips to the red zone against a tough Wolfpack defense. State’s offense, however, managed just 133 yards of total offense and a field goal in the 7-3 Gamecock victory. Quarterback Russell Wilson was sacked six times.