The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/743343
12 ■ THE WOLFPACKER The rains and winds that Hurricane Matthew swept through Carter-Finley Stadium on its 50th birthday in the 10-3 victory over Notre Dame on Oct. 8 might have seemed like the worst possible weather for an NC State home game, but it wasn't exactly unprec- edented. Yes, the storm was bad, causing historic floods in the eastern part of the state. Big-play redshirt junior tight end Pharaoh McKever made the game's decisive play when he blocked Irish kicker Tyler Newsome's punt into a puddle in the southwest corner of the field. Teammate Dexter Wright, a redshirt sophomore safety in just his second game of the season after returning from a shoulder injury, managed to control the ball and run 16 yards for the game's only touchdown. But the weather may not have been as bad as the rains from Hurricane Dennis that poured down on Lou Holtz in his return to Carter-Finley on Sept. 4, 1999, in his debut game with South Caro- lina. The game's only touchdown was scored by receiver Koren Robinson after defensive back Brian Williams blocked a Gamecock punt in the fourth quarter. The Notre Dame game, with its slipping and sliding and overall sogginess, was probably worse than the rains from Hurricanes Bon- nie and Earl that fell during the Sept. 3, 1998, game against Ohio when Wolfpack reserve receiver Roderick Brown blocked a punt in the fourth quarter and receiver Chris Coleman returned it 13 yards for a touchdown in the 34-31 victory. There was a tree that fell over in front of the Murphy Center just after the Wolfpack logged its win over the Fighting Irish — it snapped off at the base and fell away from the wolves statue and waterfall — but that was nothing compared to the damage done by Hurricane Fran, when it took Herculean efforts by some 500 athlet- ics department staff, family and friends to get Carter-Finley ready for the Wolfpack's season-opener against Georgia Tech. With about a million customers without power across the state from the worst storm (at the time) to ever sweep through Wake County, the Wolfpack and Yellow Jackets managed to kick off about 33 hours after the storm ripped through the state. Matthew left the eastern part of the state in a mess. East Carolina, which hosted and beat nationally ranked Miami at Carter-Finley after Hurricane Floyd devastated Greenville, was again affected by a major hurricane, shutting down the school for a week. The Pirates moved a home women's soccer game against Southern Methodist to NC State's Dail Soccer Field and sent the school's volleyball, cross country and tennis teams to Raleigh to practice for more than a week. At Primetime With the Pack at Reynolds Coliseum on Oct. 21, NC State's men's and women's basketball teams and the volleyball team encouraged fans to bring canned goods to help restock the Food Banks of Eastern and Central North Carolina, which are criti- cally low on non-perishable food items. — Tim Peeler The Wolfpack Survives Another Hurricane Game At Carter-Finley TRACKING THE PACK ■ NC State's Tropical Weather Games Here's a list of games hosted by NC State within three days of landfall of a southern Atlantic coast hurricane or tropical storm. Date Hurricane/TS Game Result 10/14/1933 Unnamed Florida at NC State T, 0-0 10/21/1944 Unnamed Wake Forest at NC State L, 21-7 10/16/1954 Hazel Florida State at NC State L, 13-7 9/16/1967 Doria UNC-CH at NC State W, 13-7 10/19/1968 Gladys Virginia at NC State W, 19-0 10/2/1971 Ginger UNC-CH at NC State L, 27-7 9/10/1977 Babe Virginia at NC State W, 14-0 9/15/1984 Diana Furman at NC State L, 30-24 9/23/1989 Hugo UNC-CH at NC State W, 40-6 9/15/1990 H. Klaus/TS Marco Wake Forest at NC State W, 20-15 9/7/1996 Fran Georgia Tech at NC State L, 28-16 9/3/1998 Bonnie/Earl Ohio at NC State W, 34-31 9/4/1999 TS Dennis South Carolina at NC State W, 10-0 9/14/2002 Hanna Wake Forest at NC State W, 32-13 9/6/2008 Hanna William & Mary at NC State W, 34-24 10/3/2015 Joaquin Louisville at NC State L, 20-15 9/1/2016 Hermine William & Mary at NC State W, 48-14 10/8/2016 Matthew Notre Dame at NC State W, 10-3 Record 11-6-1 NC State defeated Notre Dame 10-3 in a game made difficult by torren- tial rains and wind gusts that measured up to tropical storm strength, all the effects of Hurricane Matthew. PHOTO BY LARRY BLANKENSHIP