North Carolina–NC State football rivalry

North Carolina–NC State football rivalry
North Carolina Tar Heels
NC State Wolfpack
First meetingOctober 12, 1894
North Carolina, 44–0
Latest meetingNovember 30, 2024
NC State, 35–30
Next meeting2025 in Raleigh
Statistics
Meetings total114
All-time seriesNorth Carolina leads,
68–40–6 (.623)[1]
Largest victoryNC State, 48–3 (1988)
Longest win streakNorth Carolina, 9
(1943–1955)
Current win streakNC State, 4
(2021–present)
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NC State
NC State
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North Carolina
Locations of the two universities in North Carolina.

The North Carolina–NC State football rivalry is an American college football rivalry between the North Carolina Tar Heels football team of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the NC State Wolfpack football team of North Carolina State University.[2][3][4]

Both universities are members of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and the yearly matchup is a protected rivalry in the expanded ACC.[5] The rivalry game is played at the end of each season during Thanksgiving week.[6] North Carolina leads the all-time series 68–40–6. Through 1955 North Carolina had built a commanding 34-5-6 series lead; since 1956 NC State leads 35-34-0. The Wolfpack have currently won four matchups in a row, in addition to 7 of the last 9 and 13 of the last 18 in the series. NC State won the most recent contest 35-30 on November 30, 2024. It is annually anticipated as the biggest college football game in the state of North Carolina.[7]

Only twice in the history of the rivalry has the game been contested anywhere beside Chapel Hill or Raleigh. The game has been played 60 times in Chapel Hill, 51 times in Raleigh, and twice in Charlotte, North Carolina (1998 and 1999). Played uninterrupted since 1953, the game since 1965 has alternated annually between the two respective campuses (save for the aforementioned 1998 & 1999 games). Games in odd-numbered years are played in Raleigh at NC State, and even-numbered years in Chapel Hill at UNC.

ACC era

North Carolina and NC State were both charter members of the Atlantic Coast Conference, which was founded in 1953. Since that year, the rivalry has been played every season without a break. NC State hired Earle Edwards as head coach in 1954, and he was able to have considerably more success against North Carolina than his predecessors. Edwards amassed a 6–3 record against North Carolina during that time period and a 9–8 record during his career as head coach of the Wolfpack, making him the winningest NC State coach against the Tar Heels.

In the first 26 seasons of the ACC, the series record was tied at 13. Beginning in 1979, North Carolina went on a seven-game winning streak. During this time, North Carolina head coach Dick Crum amassed an 8–2 record against the Wolfpack. NC State hired Dick Sheridan as head coach prior to the 1986 season, and he went 6–1 against the Tar Heels. Following Sheridan's retirement from coaching, North Carolina went on another seven-game winning streak, leaving NC State head coach Mike O'Cain winless against Tar Heels coaches Mack Brown and Carl Torbush. The 1998 and 1999 games were held at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC, with the Tar Heels victorious in both.

During the 2000s, NC State went 6–4 in the series, including winning the last three games of the decade under Tom O'Brien, who finished with a 5-1 record against Carolina. From 2000 to 2024, NC State leads 16–9. The series record in the ACC currently stands at 37–35 in favor of North Carolina. Mack Brown finished his career with a 7–9 record against NC State as head coach of the Tar Heels. His overall record against NC State as a head coach was 7–11 (UNC-Chapel Hill, Texas, and Appalachian State). [8] NC State head coach Dave Doeren is currently 8–4 against UNC-Chapel Hill, including a 5–1 record in Kenan Stadium. [9]

After the Wolfpack's victory and conclusion of the 2024 matchup in Chapel Hill, which was also the final game for the Tar Heels' coach Mack Brown, a minor skirmish broke out at the midfield line when players from the Wolfpack planted their flag into the midfield. This altercation came after a similar event had occurred earlier that day during the Michigan-Ohio State game. Both Brown and NC State head coach Dave Doeren later condemned the altercation, with Brown calling the altercation "disresepectful" during a postgame press conference. [10]

Game results

North Carolina victoriesNC State victories
No.DateLocationWinnerScore
1 October 12, 1894 Chapel Hill, NC North Carolina44–0
2 October 20, 1894 Raleigh, NC North Carolina16–0
3 October 12, 1895 Chapel Hill, NC North Carolina36–0
4 October 2, 1897 Chapel Hill, NCNorth Carolina40–0
5 October 15, 1898 Chapel Hill, NC North Carolina34–0
6 October 7, 1899 Chapel Hill, NC North Carolina34–0
7 October 28, 1899 Raleigh, NC Tie11–11
8 October 16, 1901 Chapel Hill, NC North Carolina39–0
9 November 19, 1901 Raleigh, NC North Carolina30–0
10 November 8, 1902 Raleigh, NC Tie0–0
11 November 16, 1904 Chapel Hill, NC Tie6–6
12 November 12, 1905 Raleigh, NC Tie0–0
13 October 23, 1919 Raleigh, NC North Carolina13–12
14 October 21, 1920 Raleigh, NC NC State13–3
15 October 20, 1921 Raleigh, NC NC State7–0
16 October 19, 1922 Raleigh, NC North Carolina14–9
17 October 18, 1923 Raleigh, NC North Carolina14–0
18 October 16, 1924 Raleigh, NC North Carolina10–0
19 October 15, 1925 Raleigh, NC North Carolina17–6
20 October 30, 1926 Chapel Hill, NC North Carolina12–0
21 October 29, 1927 Raleigh, NC NC State19–6
22 November 3, 1928 Raleigh, NC Tie6–6
23 November 2, 1929 Chapel Hill, NC North Carolina32–0
24 November 7, 1930 Chapel Hill, NC North Carolina13–6
25 October 31, 1931 Raleigh, NC North Carolina18–15
26 October 29, 1932 Chapel Hill, NC North Carolina13–0
27 November 4, 1933 Raleigh, NC North Carolina6–0
28 October 27, 1934 Chapel Hill, NC Tie7–7
29 November 2, 1935 Raleigh, NC North Carolina35–6
30 October 31, 1936 Chapel Hill, NC North Carolina21–6
31 October 2, 1937 Raleigh, NC North Carolina20–0
32 October 31, 1938 Raleigh, NC North Carolina21–0
33 November 4, 1939 Chapel Hill, NC #9 North Carolina17–0
34 October 19, 1940 Raleigh, NC North Carolina13–7
35 November 1, 1941 Chapel Hill, NC NC State13–7
36 October 31, 1942 Raleigh, NC NC State21–14
37 October 30, 1943 Chapel Hill, NC North Carolina27–13
38 November 8, 1947 Chapel Hill, NC #18 North Carolina41–6
39 October 16, 1948 Chapel Hill, NC #1 North Carolina14–0
40 September 24, 1949 Chapel Hill, NC North Carolina26–6
41 September 23, 1950 Chapel Hill, NC #20 North Carolina13–7
42 September 22, 1951 Chapel Hill, NC North Carolina21–0
43 September 26, 1953 Chapel Hill, NC North Carolina29–7
44 September 25, 1954 Chapel Hill, NC North Carolina20–6
45 October 1, 1955 Raleigh, NC North Carolina25–18
46 September 22, 1956 Chapel Hill NC NC State26–6
47 September 21, 1957 Chapel Hill, NC NC State7–0
48 September 20, 1958 Chapel Hill, NC NC State21–14
49 October 3, 1959 Chapel Hill, NC North Carolina20–12
50 September 24, 1960 Chapel Hill, NC NC State3–0
51 September 30, 1961 Chapel Hill, NC North Carolina27–22
52 September 22, 1962 Chapel Hill, NC NC State7–6
53 October 19, 1963 Chapel Hill, NC North Carolina31–10
54 September 19, 1964 Chapel Hill, NC NC State14–13
55 October 9, 1965 Raleigh, NC North Carolina10–7
56 September 24, 1966 Chapel Hill, NC North Carolina10–7
57 September 16, 1967 Raleigh, NC NC State13–7
58 September 21, 1968 Chapel Hill, NC NC State38–6
No.DateLocationWinnerScore
59 September 20, 1969 Raleigh, NC NC State10–3
60 September 19, 1970 Chapel Hill, NC North Carolina19–0
61 October 2, 1971 Raleigh, NC #20 North Carolina27–7
62 September 23, 1972 Chapel Hill, NC North Carolina34–33
63 October 6, 1973 Raleigh, NC NC State28–26
64 October 19, 1974 Chapel Hill, NC North Carolina33–14
65 October 18, 1975 Raleigh, NC NC State21–20
66 October 16, 1976 Chapel Hill, NC NC State21–13
67 October 15, 1977 Raleigh, NC North Carolina27–14
68 October 21, 1978 Chapel Hill, NC NC State34–7
69 October 20, 1979 Raleigh, NC #19 North Carolina35–21
70 October 18, 1980 Chapel Hill, NC #8 North Carolina28–8
71 October 17, 1981 Raleigh, NC #4 North Carolina21–10
72 October 16, 1982 Chapel Hill, NC #11 North Carolina41–9
73 October 15, 1983 Raleigh, NC #3 North Carolina42–14
74 October 20, 1984 Chapel Hill, NC North Carolina28–21
75 October 19, 1985 Raleigh, NC North Carolina21–14
76 October 18, 1986 Chapel Hill, NC NC State35–34
77 October 17, 1987 Raleigh, NC North Carolina17–14
78 October 15, 1988 Chapel Hill, NC NC State48–3
79 September 23, 1989 Raleigh, NC #18 NC State40–6
80 September 29, 1990 Chapel Hill, NC NC State12–9
81 September 28, 1991 Raleigh, NC NC State24–7
82 September 26, 1992 Chapel Hill, NC #23 NC State27–20
83 September 25, 1993 Raleigh, NC #18 North Carolina35–14
84 October 29, 1994 Chapel Hill, NC #24 North Carolina31–17
85 November 24, 1995 Raleigh, NC North Carolina30–28
86 November 2, 1996 Chapel Hill, NC #8 North Carolina52–20
87 October 18, 1997 Raleigh, NC #4 North Carolina20–7
88 November 28, 1998 Charlotte, NC North Carolina37–34OT
89 November 11, 1999 Charlotte, NC North Carolina10–6
90 October 14, 2000 Chapel Hill, NC NC State38–20
91 September 29, 2001 Raleigh, NC North Carolina17–9
92 October 12, 2002 Chapel Hill, NC #14 NC State34–17
93 September 27, 2003 Raleigh, NC NC State47–34
94 October 9, 2004 Chapel Hill, NC North Carolina30–24
95 September 24, 2005 Raleigh, NC North Carolina31–24
96 November 18, 2006 Chapel Hill, NC North Carolina23–9
97 November 10, 2007 Raleigh, NC NC State31–27
98 November 22, 2008 Chapel Hill, NC NC State41–10
99 November 28, 2009 Raleigh, NC NC State28–27
100 November 20, 2010 Chapel Hill, NC NC State29–25
101 November 5, 2011 Raleigh, NC NC State13–0
102 October 27, 2012 Chapel Hill, NC North Carolina43–35
103 November 2, 2013 Raleigh, NC North Carolina27–19
104 November 29, 2014 Chapel Hill, NC NC State 35–7
105 November 28, 2015 Raleigh, NC #14 North Carolina 45–34
106 November 25, 2016 Chapel Hill, NC NC State 28–21
107 November 25, 2017 Raleigh, NC NC State 33–21
108 November 24, 2018 Chapel Hill, NC NC State 34–28OT
109 November 30, 2019 Raleigh, NC North Carolina 41–10
110 October 24, 2020 Chapel Hill, NC #14 North Carolina 48–21
111 November 26, 2021 Raleigh, NC #20 NC State 34–30
112 November 25, 2022 Chapel Hill, NC NC State 30–272OT
113 November 25, 2023 Raleigh, NC #22 NC State 39–20
114 November 30, 2024 Chapel Hill, NC NC State 35–30
Series: North Carolina leads 68–40–6[1]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Winsipedia - North Carolina Tar Heels vs. North Carolina State Wolfpack football series history". Winsipedia.
  2. ^ "NC State hosts UNC looking to move on from crushing loss". USA Today. AP. November 24, 2017. North Carolina State figures it's had way too much practice at bouncing back from soul-crushing losses over the years. Finding an emotional edge shouldn't be a problem against rival North Carolina.
  3. ^ "UNC, NC State renew rivalry with eyes on even bigger goals". Sports Illustrated. AP. November 24, 2016. When these neighborhood rivals play Friday, the only thing for certain is that it'll be a tough day for the losers - whose pursuit of their biggest remaining goal will be denied by the team they dislike the most.
  4. ^ Armstrong, Mark (November 24, 2017). "Armstrong: The 5 biggest NC State-UNC football rivalry moments (since I've been here)". Abc11 Raleigh-Durham. WTVD.
  5. ^ "ESPN - Breaking down ACC football's matchups through 2030". ESPN. October 30, 2023.
  6. ^ "Lucas: 2014 Schedule Thoughts".
  7. ^ "North Carolina – N.C. State: the rivalry America doesn't care about - FanRag Sports". www.fanragsports.com. Archived from the original on July 19, 2018. Retrieved April 20, 2018.
  8. ^ "North Carolina State Game by Game against Opponents". cfbdatawarehouse.com. Archived from the original on December 6, 2017. Retrieved April 20, 2018.
  9. ^ "Dave Doeren College Coaching Records, Awards and Leaderboards".
  10. ^ "Fight breaks out after NC State player tries to plant flag on field at Mack Brown's final game :: WRALSportsFan.com". www.wralsportsfan.com. Retrieved December 1, 2024.