MY MEMORABLE STATE-UNC MOMENT: T.J. Graham
Former Wolfpack standout T.J. Graham recalls growing up a NC State fan, playing against North Carolina, and his most memorable moment from the State-Carolina rivalry.
If you grow up in Raleigh, North Carolina you have to pick one... Red or Blue. Are you going to wear Red or Blue? You have two different Blues you can pick, but there is only one Red.
I chose Red.
My mom was a UNC basketball fan because she played basketball growing up and ran track, and one of my other family members, Alan Caldwell, played for UNC and in the NFL back in the day. I remember going to his house and him always talking trash about NC State, a lot of my family members on that side did because they knew I grew up around NC State and was a fan for as long as I could remember.
When I went to State, playing in that game, it always meant a lot to me. The Florida kids on the team, they wanted to win, but guys like me really wanted to win because of what it meant to me and my family and friends around Raleigh.
You wanted those bragging rights every year.
I have a lot of memorable moments from the series, but two really stick out. My senior year, in 2011, we won 13-0 in Carter-Finley. A lot of people may not remember this, but I scored the only touchdown in that game. Our defense was dominating, and we had a couple of field goals too, but I scored the only touchdown in the State-UNC game my senior year.
I'll never forget that.
That was a huge moment for me, but it can't beat the punt return for a touchdown my junior year over at their place. It's tough, but that is my memorable moment.
I wasn't having a great season offensively, but on special teams I was making plays and the punt return in the 2010 game really sparked it. We all will remember the Hail Mary. It was one of the best plays I've ever seen in my life. I still don't know how Owen caught that ball or Russ got it to him, and then you had the fight in the endzone... that was one emotional game.
But, I feel like my return was a killer. Those types of touchdowns are like swift daggers... it felt like I dropped a bomb in their stadium. It just took the air out of the place.
I'll never forget it.
We were down a couple of points at the start of the fourth, and I'm back there waiting for the ball. Their punter drove the ball to me on a line, and it gave me space to generate speed and see the field. I remember spotting the sideline and all I saw was a clear lane... a straight line to run. I didn't see Blue or Red, all I saw was the sideline. I tried to run down it as fast as I could, and because of the start, the defenders were in trouble because my speed forced them to take bad angles.
At the end I just had the punter to beat, and the punter's not getting me.
When I scored it felt like I had to wait ten minutes for the rest of my teammates to get down there and celebrate. That punt return, it was a game-changer. I think it was the difference.
To make big plays in that series as a junior and a senior, I'll never forget it. Those were big reasons why I ended my career 4-0 in the series, and I still tell people I was 5-0 because we won the game right before I got there too.
I can always brag about that. I'll still see Tar Heel fans around or former UNC players in the NFL, and they'll want to talk about basketball, but I'll bring up that I never lost to them. I'll hold up five and say I never lost to you. I can only speak on the things I had a say in or that I was able to influence.
For me, it's a forever thing.
I'll always be undefeated against the Blue, and I'll always be wearing Red.
