Tar Heels Beat Pack

RALEIGH -- North Carolina found its offense in the second half of a 31-24 victory over arch-rival N.C. State on Saturday at the Wolfpack's Carter-Finley Stadium.

The Tar Heels fell behind 24-14 early in the second half when N.C. State struck quick to score back-to-back touchdowns, but then Carolina quarterback Matt Baker and the offense began moving the ball and didn't stop until UNC walked off the field with an improbable victory.
"It's a great to come out and have your first victory as a starter against N.C. State," Baker said. "It's so much sweeter for the team. This offense has been so close, but close doesn't count in football.

"We came out against our biggest rival, in a hole, 0-2 and came out with a victory. That is big for this team."

Baker finished the day 13-of-23 for 177 yards, two touchdowns and one interception as the Tar Heels improved to 1-2 overall, 1-1 in the ACC.

The Wolfpack fell to 1-2, 0-2 in the conference.

When N.C. State took control with those two touchdowns to start the second half, it looked as if UNC might be done, particularly considering how ineffectively the Tar Heels had played on offense this season.

But neither the offense nor the defense panicked. The offense instead played in a way that it had not in the two previous games.

"We knew there would be a tremendous amount of emotion and a tremendous amount crowd noise so he had to manage it," Coach John Bunting said of Baker. "At this level, he's learning how to manage that. He handled that emotion, being behind by 10 points, and managed to come back and keep playing."

The players said that Baker took charge when they needed him.

"Baker is very, very calm," UNC center Steven Bell said. "He has a calm-but-firm demeanor. It really makes him a great leader. When he comes in there, no one gets too anxious. There is not a lot of anxiety."
The anxiety belonged to the Wolfpack and its supporters after the game. Fans booed the coaching staff at times and the referees as they walked off the field. Some fans also yelled at Coach Chuck Amato, questioning his job status.

"I take full responsibility for the game," Amato said afterward. "I'll get this stuff taken care of. The kids wanted this one really bad for the Wolfpack nation in this 150th meeting of these two rivals, in this stadium, and they wanted to do better for people.

"I'm embarrassed for our fans. This team is too good to stay down too long, though."
UNC's defense turned in its second consecutive strong performance. The Wolfpack had 13 net yards rushing on 28 attempts, which is the lowest production from a Carolina opponent since Wake Forest gained negative-2 yards rushing in 2000.

Sacks count against rushing yards, and UNC's six sacks of N.C. State quarterback Jay Davis accounted for 50 yards in losses.

"We couldn't run the football today," Amato said. "The number of sacks really set us back."
This was a new experience for the Tar Heels, who have struggled to get pressure on the quarterback since 2001.

"That was really an incredible effort by the guys up front," Bunting said. "Our defensive line is the best they've been since 2001. If we get them to play that way game in and game out, they will be great."

But this one would not have turned out as a Carolina victory had the offense not found itself. The Tar Heels struggled mightily against Wisconsin last week, but they exploded in the second half against State.

That burst also fueled the defense.

UNC finished with 321 yards of total offense against an N.C. State team known for having one of the best defenses in the country.

"It was the way it was supposed to be," Bell said. "We got it going. The defense has kept us in it and played their hearts out. We had to go out there and grind it out."
The Tar Heels did just that, scoring two touchdowns, on sustained drives of 80 and 82 yards, to answer the Wolfpack. This scoring burst allowed Carolina to seize control of the game in front a hostile crowd.

"That was a big help," UNC linebacker Tommy Richardson said of the two Carolina touchdowns. "We had been out there for a long time (on defense). It was outstanding for the offense to go down and score the way they did, so decisively.

"It gave the defense a chance to get revamped. It was great to see Matt Baker lead the team."

Source-TarHeelDaily

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