NC State Wolfpack

The wild celebration that erupted in the northwest corner of Darrell Royal Stadium said it all on Saturday night. Moments after NC State had somehow found a way to knock off 16th ranked Texas, the two thousand or so Wolfpack fans that had made the trip to Austin were showering their heroes with cheers and high fives. The adulation was well deserved.

Fans in Texas will say that NC State had no business winning that game on Saturday night. Maybe they're right, but hey, somebody's got to take the 'steer' by the horns, right? Every time the Longhorns had a chance to put the Pack away they couldn't do it. The longer NC State hung around, the more you got the feeling that this was going to turn into another one of those early season surprises that Mike O'Cain and company have become famous for.

A commitment to conditioning that dates all the way back to June paid off more than anyone can really quantify. The Texas offense was on the field for 24 of 30 minutes in the second half. The NC State defense defied logic with its ability to go back on the field time and time again with virtually no rest on a sultry 95-degree night. Even more amazing is the fact that the Pack 'D' seemed to be getting stronger with every possession.

The players were obviously energized by a brilliant game plan that gave just about everyone in the front seven a chance to get a clean shot at Texas quarterback Major Applewhite. The Longhorns offensive line never knew who was coming or from where.

And the Horns played right into the Pack's hands when they abandoned their inside power running game. For some inexplicable reason, Texas threw the ball 46 times! Now I'm no Bill Walsh, but if my offensive line outweighs the opposition's defensive front by 30 or 40 pounds per man, I'm running fullback leads and simple zone plays until the defense begs for mercy.

Finally, a word on Joe Pate. This is a man who takes his football very seriously. Given a choice of watching film and watching Cindy Crawford in a bikini, he would choose film. NC State fans should be thankful. The special team's coach of the Wolfpack turned into an offensive coordinator on Saturday. His punt block team accounted for 16 points. Most coaches like to say, "we've got keep their offense off the field." Texas coach Mack Brown probably said, " we've got to find a way to keep their punt block unit off the field."

They didn't find a way, but the Wolfpack sure did.