N.C. State rolls over Notre Dame

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Posted 7:10AM on Thursday, January 2, 2003

JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA - Notre Dame made incredible strides from last season, winning twice as many games and briefly entertaining thoughts of another national title. It sure doesn't feel that way now. North Carolina State whipped the Irish in the Gator Bowl, knocking their quarterback out of the game early, confusing them with formations that looked like fire drills and showing them how to end the season in style with a 28-6 victory. While No. 11 Notre Dame was soundly beaten in its final two games of the season, the 17th-ranked Wolfpack (11-3) finished off its best season in school history by beating Florida State and Notre Dame, not allowing an offensive touchdown by either. ``We had a great season, then we put a stamp on it,'' coach Chuck Amato said. ``To have (victory) No. 11 be Notre Dame, to win back-to-back against Florida State and Notre Dame, two of the best programs in America ... It's hard to do.'' It didn't look all that difficult Wednesday in the Gator Bowl. Phillip Rivers completed 13 consecutive passes and guided the Wolfpack to three straight touchdowns, entertaining the sellout crowd with one gimmick after another. He finished 23-of-37 for 228 yards, while Jerricho Cotchery caught 10 passes for 127 yards. Just as spectacular was the defense. Dantonio Burnette set the tone with a jarring hit against quarterback Carlyle Holiday that separated his shoulder and knocked him out of the game on Notre Dame's second possession. Rod Johnson, a senior safety who had one interception in his career at N.C. State, intercepted three of backup Pat Dillingham's passes. So much for that Irish mystique. ``It's still a very good season,'' said Notre Dame coach Tyrone Willingham, whose team was undefeated and ranked No. 4 two months ago. The Irish finished 10-3. ``There are not that many 10-win teams in the country. At the same time, we have to become accustomed to winning our last game, whether it's the regular season or a bowl game. Championship teams win their last game.'' This was no championship team. The Irish were eager to prove their 44-13 loss to Southern California last month, in which they gave up a school-record 610 yards, was an aberration. Instead, Rivers bobbed and weaved through the pass rush, finding open receivers and leading the Wolpack on drives that covered 96 and 76 yards as it seized control in a 21-point second quarter. ``Every game they show you something you haven't seen,'' Notre Dame safety Glenn Earl said. ``They were able to get us off balance. And they executed well.'' There was nothing the Irish could do, and usually they had no idea what to expect. The Wolfpack ran three trick plays in a drive that culminated with the fumblerooski. The linemen were upright and didn't move even after the ball was snapped to Rivers, who was in a short, shotgun formation. Rivers slipped the ball under the legs of T.A. McLendon in front of him, and the freshman plowed in for a 3-yard touchdown, his second of the game. N.C. State also ran a flea-flicker that picked up 24 yards. It might have been a touchdown had tight end Joseph Gray not fallen down catching the ball, especially since no one from Notre Dame was within 15 yards of him. Still, it was the defense that made the difference. Notre Dame had second-and-goal from the 1 on its second drive of the game when Holiday took the snap, rolled to his right and appeared to have an easy touchdown. Instead, Burnette hammered him so hard that Holiday remained on the turf. ``When I hit him I heard him groan, and when I looked down he was still on the ground,'' Burnette said. ``I was like, 'OK, this is going to turn the game around now.''' The Irish had to settle for a field goal, and they never found an answer for Rivers and a Wolfpack offense that made them look bad for the second game in a row. The Irish not only lost Holiday, they lost their temper with three personal fouls and wound up losing with sixth consecutive bowl game. This one put a damper on an otherwise remarkable year. Coming off a 5-6 season, Notre Dame won its first eight games and were the talk of the country. The Irish lost three of their final five games. After giving up only 145 points in its first 11 games, the Irish gave up 72 points in its final two games against Southern Cal and N.C. State. The Wolfpack had never won more than 10 games in a season in their 111-year history, and saw this game - and this opponent - as a chance to help put its program on the map. ``It seemed like we were the other team down here all week,'' Burnette said.