A STUDENT'S PERSPECTIVE: Students, Fans Create Magical Atmosphere

Any NC State fan who has attended a night game at Carter-Finley will tell you that it’s a special experience. The fans and the students combine forces to create a special environment for the Wolfpack, regardless of the outcome of the game.

Thursday against Louisville, however, Carter-Finley stadium reached a new level of extraordinary.

The Cardinals had difficulty with handling the overwhelming atmosphere all night, amassing six false start penalties throughout the course of the game.  Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson clearly struggled to communicate with the rest of the offense, and there were clear miscommunications and poorly executed plays on both sides of the football as a result of the crowd noise.  NC State’s players felt the energy too, motioning to and jumping with the crowd on numerous occasions and raving about the crowd’s impact on the game after the victory.

There were countless high points for the team and the fans over the duration of the evening, but arguably the height of the contest’s excitement came at the very end of the game. The Wolfpack capped off the win with 2:52 left in the fourth quarter, when Germaine Pratt snagged a tipped ball out of the air and returned it for a touchdown, plowing over Jackson in the endzone in the process.  Carter-Finley stadium erupted in deafening applause, as NC State players and fans alike could start to feel that the ranked matchup was theirs.

The fan base’s impacts were felt beyond the game that was played on the field, though.  Less than 24 hours after the Pack’s impressive victory, junior college defensive end Joe Babros committed to the Pack. The mid-year enrollee had lots to say about his trip to Raleigh, but one aspect of his visit that stood out was the atmosphere he saw and experienced.

“Wow, I don’t even have words for what I watched,” said Babros after his visit. “The atmosphere, how pumped up the fans were.  I loved it.  I'd never been in an atmosphere like that before.”

When NC State fans take an opportunity like Thursday night and seize it like they did, big things happen.  Not only did they create a hostile environment for the visiting opponent, but they also impressed upon new Wolfpack member Joe Babros and other recruits in attendance by showing a passion and love for the program that can’t be found just anywhere.

The effort NC State’s fans showed on Thursday night is yet another strong reminder that the fans in Raleigh are loud and crazy, yes, but also play an integral part in the growth and success of NC State’s program. 

The high level of play that’s been seen this season is particularly satisfying, especially given that over the years, Wolfpack fans have had to demonstrate a high level of patience and loyalty to a program that hasn’t seen tremendous levels of success. Until Thursday, NC State hadn’t won a ranked matchup in Carter-Finley stadium since 1992. Last week’s win over Syracuse pushed the Wolfpack into the top 25, which is the first time program has been ranked since the end of the 2010 season.  Taking all of this into consideration, it is clear that Thursday night’s atmosphere was a culmination of patience, hope, and excitement for a fanbase that has seen its share of “down” seasons, and is more than ready to cheer their team onto bigger and better things.

As electric as Thursday night was, Carter-Finley could conceivably host an even more thrilling matchup in early November. NC State gets two extra days of rest this week before traveling to Pitt next Saturday.  After a bye week, the Pack will head to South Bend to play a tough Notre Dame team before returning home to square off against ACC Atlantic juggernaut Clemson.  If the Pack plays their cards right, they could be playing Clemson for the ACC Atlantic title on November 4th.

Will the Pack defeat Clemson at home?  How far can this year’s team go? There’s plenty of football to be played before those questions are answered, but after a magical Thursday night victory, it’s obvious that NC State’s students and fans are all in on helping them get there.