North Carolina 31, N.C. State 24

Posted 8:38PM on Saturday 24th September 2005 ( 19 years ago )

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) North Carolina dominated in nearly every aspect of the game, from rushing yards to time of possession to special teams. There was little doubt which team deserved to win this game. ``I knew that we would bounce back and that this group would keep on fighting,'' coach John Bunting said. ``We are doing a lot of the right things on both sides of the ball.'' Barrington Edwards ran for a career-high 129 yards and a touchdown, Matt Baker recovered from a miserable first half to throw for the go-ahead score and North Carolina held off North Carolina State 31-24 Saturday. The Tar Heels (1-2, 1-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) beat their rival from just down the road for the 10th time in the past 13 meetings by finally finding a running game. In two opening losses, they had only 118 yards on the ground, then totaled 144 against one of the best defenses in the country. ``I'm particularly excited about the way we won,'' Bunting said. ``Playing hard all game long on offense, on defense, and making a play on special teams. I think we left a lot of points on the field, but give them credit.'' On the second play of the game, Edwards rumbled 62 yards 3 more than his two-game output to give North Carolina an early chance to take the lead. But Baker threw an interception in the end zone that simply was the beginning of his struggles. He was 1-for-9 for only 3 yards in the first two quarters before finding his rhythm after halftime. At one point, Baker completed seven consecutive passes, including one that went 10 yards for a touchdown to Jon Hamlett that gave the Tar Heels a 28-24 lead. ``The key was we just had time, I got hit every time we threw in the first half,'' Baker said. ``We put ourselves in must-pass situations. In the second half, the running game was there.'' A much-maligned defense held it. N.C. State (1-2, 0-2), which came in leading the ACC in total offense, gained 270 yards, nearly 200 less than its average. The Wolfpack managed only 13 yards on the ground, thanks mostly to six sacks by the Tar Heels. ``I take full responsibility for this game,'' N.C. State coach Chuck Amato said. ``I'll get this stuff taken care of. I'm embarrassed for our fans. This team is too good to stay down too long, though.'' Freshman Toney Baker ran for two touchdowns and Jay Davis added another through the air for N.C. State, but it wasn't enough. The Tar Heels took advantage of two fumbles in the first half, both of which gave them possession inside the Wolfpack's 10-yard line. Those came during an awful opening 30 minutes for both teams. North Carolina also made two turnovers, even if Baker's interception indirectly helped lead to its first points. N.C. State went backward on three plays and lined up to punt, but William Lee's snap sailed high and delayed John Deraney's kick. Wallace Wright broke through to block it, and Quinton Person snatched the loose ball and sprinted 11 yards for a touchdown. Later, with the Wolfpack driving at the end of the second quarter, they used all their timeouts and allowed the clock to run out after a completion from Davis to Anthony Hill moved the ball to North Carolina's 7. ``That was my bad,'' Davis said. ``I was an idiot. They told me to throw it in the end zone.'' The second half started much better. Darrell Blackman took the opening kickoff 73 yards and Baker ran the final 2 to give N.C. State a 17-14 lead. A three-and-out by the Tar Heels led to great field position for the Wolfpack. Davis quickly made it work, throwing a 39-yard TD to tight end T.J. Williams, who was celebrating his 23rd birthday. ``Then we went to sleep,'' Amato said. ``Maybe we thought, 'We've got 'em now.' But we didn't.'' Baker started clicking with short passes to combat a brutal pass rush by N.C. State that also got six sacks, and he led an 80-yard drive that culminated in Edwards' 2-yard touchdown run. On the Tar Heels' next possession, Baker ran his streak of completions to seven and found Hamlett for what turned out to be the winning score. ``We all know that Baker can do a lot of good things, but it is hard for him to do anything on his back,'' Bunting said. Connor Barth, who missed two field goals earlier, connected from 24 yards to make it a seven-point lead in the fourth quarter, and the Wolfpack never really threatened after that. ``We just couldn't take them out of their game,'' said N.C. State defensive end Manny Lawson, who had three sacks. ``They were able to move the ball up and down the field on us.'' (Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

http://accesswdun.com/article/2005/9/125175