N.C. State routs E. Tennessee St.

Posted 8:47AM on Sunday 1st September 2002 ( 22 years ago )

RALEIGH, N.C. - Greg Golden scored twice and Lamont Reid returned the opening kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown as No. 25 North Carolina State beat Division I-AA East Tennessee State 34-0 Saturday night. The Wolfpack improved to 2-0 for the third time in as many seasons under Chuck Amato, while the Buccaneers were shut out in their second straight season opener. Pittsburgh beat the Bucs 31-0 to begin 2001. Golden, coming off a sub-par game in the opener after switching from defensive back to tailback, scored on runs of 3 and 14 yards as N.C. State took a 21-0 halftime lead. Philip Rivers, who had three touchdown passes and two rushing scores in the Wolfpack's 34-14 win last weekend over New Mexico, was 10-for-12 for 145 yards before being replaced by backup Jay Davis late in the third quarter. Rivers become the 17th player in Atlantic Coast Conference history to throw for at least 6,000 yards in just his 24th game. The crowd had just settled into their seats on a rainy night when Reid took a line drive kick on one hop and broke down the right sideline untouched for a score 14 seconds in. The Wolfpack then started four straight drives in East Tennessee State territory to built its three-touchdown lead at halftime. N.C. State could have led by much more, but Rivers was intercepted at the East Tennessee State 3 on his club's second series. T.A. McLendon fumbled at the 5 midway through the second quarter. Runs of 9 and 13 yards by Golden set up his first score. The sophomore raced 20 yards two series later and scored from 14 yards out after taking a direct snap. Not much went right for East Tennessee State early on, getting just 35 total yards on 36 plays in the opening half. On the first series after Golden's second score, star receiver Cecil Moore dropped a pass at the N.C. State 35 with no defenders within 15 yards of him. The Bucs didn't cross midfield until there was 5:13 left in the half, but former Wolfpack quarterback Jatavis Sanders fumbled it away to Marcus Hudson, who also had a first-half interception. McLendon, the national prep record-holder with 170 career rushing TDs, scored for the first time in his college career when the freshman bolted in from 5 yards out midway through the third quarter. Rivers added N.C. State's fifth TD less than three minutes later on a 4-yard scramble.

http://accesswdun.com/article/2002/9/190633