N.C. State and North Carolina will renew the state's most bitter ACC football rivalry today, with plenty still at stake for both teams.
Kickoff will be at noon at Kenan Stadium in Chapel Hill.
N.C. State, making another strong finish under Coach Tom O'Brien, has won its past two games to improve to 4-6 overall (2-4 ACC), but it still needs two victories to qualify for bowl eligibility. Key players have recovered from injuries to fuel the run, and O'Brien said he likes the way his team is playing.
"They're playing for a lot," O'Brien said. "They still have a goal of getting six wins. They've fought their way back to get No. 4, but you can't get to six unless you get to five.
"I don't think they've acted like it's everything to gain and nothing to lose. I think it's ‘everything to gain' that they're playing for right now."
North Carolina (7-3, 3-3 ACC) still has an outside chance to win the Coastal Division title and play in the ACC championship game after Georgia Tech's win over Miami on Thursday.
Fullback Bobby Rome said that the Tar Heels will need a strong all-around performance to defeat the Wolfpack.
"I think any time you play N.C. State, at any time of the season, they're going to give you their best," Rome said. "We're rivals. N.C. State has played every game this season hard. They play hard every snap."
N.C. State has benefitted from the return of sophomore linebacker Nate Irving, who has become the defense's spark. He missed three games with an ankle injury but has helped State holds its past two opponents to 17 points each.
Russell Wilson, a redshirt freshman quarterback, has also been critical to State's late-season surge. He has 12 touchdown passes and no interceptions in the past six games and has thrown 175 straight passes without an interception, the second-longest streak in school history. He also has 1,166 yards passing in the six-game run.
The Tar Heels' defense could test Wilson. They are tied for No. 2 in the nation with 18 interceptions, and they have returned four for touchdowns to set a school record.
The offense, however, could have a new quarterback. Coach Butch Davis has spent the week looking at Cameron Sexton and T.J. Yates to decide who should start.
Sexton has led the team to five wins in the past seven games, but Yates has recovered from a broken left ankle.
Yates was injured Sept. 20. Sexton became the starter on Sept. 27, against Miami.
The quarterbacks split practice plays 50-50 early in the week. Davis wanted to give the quarterback who would start more practice time Wednesday and Thursday, but he wouldn't say who that was. Davis said that the starter's identity will be revealed when the Tar Heels take the field today.
Rome and receiver Cooter Arnold said that the players on offense have confidence in both quarterbacks and that there won't be any major adjustment if Davis goes with Yates.
"I'm comfortable with both of them," Arnold said. "I trust both of them to put the ball where it needs to be. I don't see it affecting me or any of the other receivers at all."
Davis said that he can't make a wrong decision.
"The plusses are that we now have two guys that our football team believes can win games for us," he said. "T.J. has the benefit of 12 games of experience and exposure last year. Cam has not only the starting experience that he's gained this year, but the experience he gained in 2006."
State defeated UNC 31-27 in Raleigh last season, and O'Brien said he expects the Wolfpack to be highly motivated.
"I don't know that I have to say a lot because it certainly is an important game," O'Brien said. "They're hearing it every day on campus or wherever they go. It's important to our school, and that's what creates it to be a rivalry game."
â– Bill Cole can be reached at bcole@wsjournal.com.
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