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SPORTS

QB Wilson ignites Wolfpack

Sunday, November 23, 2008
(Updated 3:00 am)

CHAPEL HILL -- Jamelle Eugene jogged in for a rout-punctuating touchdown to the delight of thousands of red-clad N.C. State fans crowded into a few sections of Kenan Stadium. Most of North Carolina's crowd had long since departed their home stadium to skip the humbling final minutes.

It was as satisfying a scene as the Wolfpack could have hoped for against their rival.

Russell Wilson threw for two touchdowns and had a key run in the third quarter to set up another score, and N.C. State beat the 25th-ranked Tar Heels 41-10 on Saturday, earning the program's first season sweep of the state's four other major college teams in more than two decades.

Eugene ran for two touchdowns and Andre Brown ran for another for N.C. State (5-6, 3-4 ACC), which kept its bowl hopes alive with a surprising domination of a team that entered Saturday with slim hopes of winning the league's muddled Coastal Division.

Instead, the only title anyone was talking about afterward was the mythical "state championship" the Wolfpack had focused on entering the game. N.C. State has beaten North Carolina, Duke, Wake Forest and East Carolina in the same season for the first time since 1986.

"What it speaks to is we're the best football program in the state," Wolfpack coach Tom O'Brien said, "without question."

Certainly on this day, anyway.

N.C. State scored 21 points in the third quarter to blow it open, earning its biggest win in the series since a 40-6 victory in 1989. N.C. State finished with a season-high 466 total yards while holding North Carolina to a season-low 203, handing the Tar Heels (7-4, 3-4) their most lopsided loss under coach Butch Davis.

"A lot of guys look at us like, 'They're not that good,' " Wolfpack cornerback DeAndre Morgan said. "So every time we play someone, especially in state, they feel like it's just a run-over game. ... We just had to step up to the plate and respond to the challenge."

Wilson finished with a career-high 279 yards passing to go with 50 yards rushing. The redshirt freshman also extended his interception-free streak to a school-record 203 passes, part of a turnover-free day against a defense that has been one of the nation's best at forcing mistakes.

Instead, it was North Carolina giving it away.

North Carolina committed six turnovers -- two on fumbles by starting tailback Shaun Draughn in the opening 5 minutes -- and got no spark from the return of quarterback T.J. Yates to the starting lineup.

North Carolina's previous three losses were by a combined eight points.

"Our players and coaches are smart enough to know that if you play that poorly, you're going to get beat," said Davis. "And if you turn the ball over six times, you're going to got get beat badly."

N.C. State 3 7 21 10 -- 41

North Carolina 0 3 7 0 -- 10

NCSt--FG Czajkowski 39

NCSt--Bryan 17 pass from R.Wilson (Czajkowski kick)

NC--FG Barth 37

NCSt--Eugene 1 run (Czajkowski kick)

NC--Houston 5 run (Barth kick)

NCSt--Brown 2 run (Czajkowski kick)

NCSt--Spencer 21 pass from R.Wilson (Czajkowski kick)

NCSt--FG Czajkowski 32

NCSt--Eugene 1 run (Czajkowski kick)

A--60,000.

N.C. State UNC

First downs 18 13

Rushes-yards 45-187 26-56

Passing 279 147

Comp-Att-Int 17-28-0 14-28-3

Return Yards 33 12

Punts-Avg. 3-34.0 4-43.3

Fumbles-Lost 1-0 4-3

Penalties-Yards 7-55 2-20

Time of Possession 38:06 21:54

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING--N.C. State, Brown 20-81, Eugene 12-56, R.Wilson 11-50, Graham 1-4, Team 1-(minus 4). North Carolina, Draughn 13-56, Houston 7-27, J.White 1-0, Nicks 1-(minus 5), Yates 4-(minus 22).

PASSING--N.C. State, R.Wilson 17-28-0-279. North Carolina, Yates 10-22-1-116, Sexton 4-6-2-31.

RECEIVING--N.C. State, Spencer 3-94, Brown 3-28, Eugene 3-25, Ja.Williams 2-63, Hill 2-15, Smith 1-24, Bryan 1-17, Gentry 1-8, Graham 1-5. North Carolina, Nicks 4-56, Foster 3-33, Little 2-36, Rome 2-22, Draughn 2-3, J.White 1-(minus 3).

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