Happy Thanksgiving: It's State-Carolina week
There's much more than football on the line; Let's help the NCSU-UNC Food Pantries
We have this photo and want to share. We ask: Why is Boo Corrigan (the one in the middle) smirking? Who knows! One thing for sure: Except when he represents the College Football Playoff committee as its chair, wearing a coat and tie and his hair in combed, Corrigan represents NC State University as its Athletics Director and usually shows up with this disheveled look! You go, Boo!
Wolfpack and Tar Heels compete for food pantries
Before we get to the all-important football meeting between NC State and North Carolina in Chapel Hill Friday at 3:30 p.m., let’s get to this week’s competition of greater significance: The Pantry Bowl!
Simply put, it’s friendly competition between the Wolfpack and Tar Heels to raise money for their respective campus food pantries: Feed the Pack at NC State and Carolina Cupboard at UNC-Chapel Hill. The idea is to help reduce food insecurity for students, faculty, and staff at the two leading campuses of the UNC system.
It’s hard to believe that students, faculty and staff on these well-to-do campuses go hungry. Many do. These food banks help. And your contribution will go a long way to conquer hunger at NC State and North Carolina.
The competition is as much about participation as it is about monetary contributions. Last year in this competition, there were 674 contributors at State and 702 individuals gave to Carolina. If those numbers are surpassed this week (the effort runs November 20-27), the respective pantries will receive another $11,000 in donations at State and $10,350 at Carolina, from challenges made by other donors.
This competition, especially for Feed the Pack, is near and dear to me. Through informal golf tournaments, a raffle for a set of golf club grips, and $1.00 every other week donations from a small breakfast group of retired Methodist men (RUMMIES), I ushered several thousands of dollars to Feed the Pack over the last five years. My wife and I are contributing this year without the tournaments or raffle or RUMMIES. We encourage those who’ve participated in the past to step up this year on your own: Feed the Pack or Carolina Cupboard.
What do you need to do?
First, you must click on The Pantry Bowl!
Then click on the food pantry you want to support (Feed the Pack for NC State; Carolina Cupboard for North Carolina) and make a monetary donation.
Gifts in kind are accepted by both food pantries but only cash (credit card) donations count in the totals of the competition.
Donations for The Pantry Bowl! competition must be made November 20-27.
Your participation in this effort is very much is appreciated. Take the poll:
Wolfpack and Tar Heels compete in football
The State-Carolina football game seems to bring out the best jokes. Here’s a golden oldie: It was 1973 and Lou Holtz was in his 2nd year as the Wolfpack’s head coach; Bill Dooley was in his 7th season with the Tar Heels. It was State Fair week, early October.
Holtz decided to sneak away from football for a couple of hours and headed to the Fair. He was strolling down midway taking in the sights and sounds when he noticed Dooley approaching, carrying a pig under his arm.
“Where did you get that?” Holtz asked.
“I won him here at the Fair,” said the pig.
Hah, hah! The joke, though, in the rivalry (UNC fans say State is not its rival) over the history of the game, the first played in 1894, may be the Wolfpack. The Tar Heels lead the series with 68 wins; State has 37 wins; there have been six ties. On the other hand, the Wolfpack has won four of the last six games with UNC and 10 of the last 15.
Last year’s 34-30 victory by NC State included an unbelievable finish by both teams, State, trailing 30-21, scoring 13 points during the 58th minute of the game, and North Carolina giving up those points and then nearly scoring in the final seconds for the win but being intercepted by the Wolfpack to end the game.
State fans can’t get enough of that video. Of the more than 162,000 views of that video and plenty more who have watched similar links to the video, some (probably a lot) are by the UNC football team. It might serve as UNC motivation, or not, for this Friday’s (November 25) game which kicks off at 3:30 p.m. on ABC television.
For UNC, this game comes at an interesting time. The Tar Heels are headed to the ACC Championship game against Clemson a week later, December 3, and a bigger fish to fry than beating State. Until losing last Saturday to Georgia Tech in Chapel Hill), North Carolina had a shot at the College Football Playoffs if the Tar Heels could defeat Georgia Tech, NC State, and Clemson. That’s been lost because the Ramblin’ Wrecked the Tar Heels.
What does the game mean to UNC? Probably not much more than pride and bragging rights. The Tar Heels should be no less than the second pick in the bowl selections and first if UNC beats Clemson for the league title. If Clemson wins and goes to the College Football Playoff, North Carolina probably goes to the Orange Bowl which is where UNC would go if it wins the ACC Championship. If Clemson wins and doesn’t make it to the playoffs, Clemson goes to the Orange Bowl and UNC is the next selection, we think. After all that gets sorted, assignment of teams to bowls gets a little complicated.
What does the game mean to NC State? More than pride and bragging rights. The Wolfpack needs the win to finish with a disappointing 4-4 ACC record and a disappointing 8-4 overall record. At 4-4, State would be no better than tied for third in the ACC Atlantic division and no better than tied for fourth when combining the Atlantic and Coastal. At 3-5, NC State would be eighth or ninth in the combined league which pushes the Wolfpack down the bowl selection ladder.
It appears—while UNC doesn’t want to end the regular season with a home loss on Senior Day and all that jazz—the Wolfpack wants the win more for reasons other than pride and bragging rights. But NC State has issues with injuries, so I will not be surprised if North Carolina wins the game. Disappointed, yes; surprised, no.
The Wolfpack should run the ball most of the game, and the Tar Heels should throw short passes in the flats much of the game with an occasional long ball. But just when you think you know the key to victory, the coaches will step in and screw it up. I’ve picked the Wolfpack every game this season so far, and I’m not giving up now:
PREDICTION: NC State 28, North Carolina 24.
By the way, this game, as it was a few years ago, will not be a “save his job” game for Wolfpack coach Dave Doeren, who might flirt with other schools to try to get a contract extension and pay increases for his staff and him, but he’s not going anywhere, resigned or fired. Maybe State fans (me included) need to quit with the high expectations when it comes to football and men’s basketball. More on that next week.
For now, please donate to the food pantry of your choice: The Pantry Bowl!