CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Hollywood Smothers slipped through the middle of the line for a 2-yard touchdown with 25 seconds left to help NC State beat rival North Carolina 35-30 on Saturday night in the Tar Heels’ final game under Mack Brown.
Smothers’ short TD run capped the go-ahead 75-yard drive that pushed the Wolfpack (6-6, 3-5 Atlantic Coast Conference) to bowl eligibility. The key play was CJ Bailey‘s deep ball to Noah Rogers, who snagged a 44-yard catch while taking contact from two defenders to set up the go-ahead score.
That capped a wild finish that saw the Tar Heels (6-6, 3-5) take a 30-29 lead on Omarion Hampton‘s 47-yard catch and run to the end zone with 1:51 left in a huge day for UNC’s top weapon. Hampton ran for 185 yards and a touchdown to go with four catches for 78 yards.
“Great time for me to get out; this isn’t the game I signed up for,” Brown said in his final postgame news conference. “I’m leaving it better than I found it.”
The Tar Heels were coming off a lopsided loss at Boston College, which killed optimism about the team’s trajectory during a three-game win streak immediately preceding it. Then came the announcement on Tuesday that Brown wouldn’t return as coach to set this up as a farewell moment for the winningest coach in program history who also led Texas to the 2005 national title.
“I’m absolutely amazed that they were able to compete like they did tonight and play as hard as they did, with all the pressure on them and with the uncertainty in their future,” Brown said of his players. “So I’m really, really proud of them.”
Athletic director Bubba Cunningham informed Brown of his decision on Tuesday, but at the time, a decision had not yet been made about whether he would coach the Tar Heels in their bowl game. After Saturday’s loss, however, Brown told reporters that he won’t coach the bowl, and that the loss to the Wolfpack was “another sign from God that it’s time to go.” He later added that “as far as the new coach goes, I will get out of the way.”
The rivalry chippiness got going quickly when NC State offensive lineman Timothy McKay went low for a block and hit the planted left leg of Kaimon Rucker, leaving the Tar Heels pass rusher face down on the turf in pain in the first quarter. As trainers tended to Rucker — who ultimately was helped to the tunnel and didn’t return — fellow UNC linemen Jahvaree Ritzie and Desmond Evans stood near the middle of the field pointing and yelling toward Wolfpack players gathered on the sideline.
Two possessions later, officials declared offsetting unsportsmanlike-conduct penalties on every player on the field after a post-play bit of tangled jawing. And in the second period, UNC offensive lineman Howard Sampson was flagged for unnecessary roughness after running in late after a big run by Hampton to hit Wolfpack cornerback Brandon Cisse late and leave him shaken up.
After the game, players from both teams squabbled at midfield during postgame handshakes.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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