Resurgent N.C. State Notches 19-16 Win Over Miami

Miami drove down to kick a game-tying field goal with seconds remaining, but the momentum did not carry for the Canes in overtime. Kicker Darren Daly missed a 27-yard field goal wide left in the extra time, and N.C. State’s Steven Hauschka played the role of hero, knocking home a 42-yard field goal to seal the victory.

“My focus on the last kick was just to slow down because everything happens out on the field a lot faster than out in practice,” Hauschka said. “I was just happy to be in the situation.”

Despite an early miss of a 27-yard field goal, the player of this game was Hauschka. A graduate student via Middlebury (Vermont), Hauschka scored the Wolfpack’s last 12 points. His heroics earned him a ride off the field on his teammates’ shoulders.

"I've never had a chance to win a game like that with a kick, so I was really excited to have that opportunity,” Hauschka said.

The game ended in excitement, but was marked by ugliness. Miami’s Kirby Freeman, replacing regular starter Kyle Wright, was an abysmal 1-for-14 with three interceptions. His lone completion was an 84-yard pass to senior Darnell Jenkins, but even that was underthrown.

“I came up, I bit on the play-action pass, they snuck one over our head, and they capitalized on our mistake,” said strong safety DaJuan Morgan of the completion.

The poor performance of Freeman crippled Miami’s offense, and the poor special teams’ performance crippled any safety net Miami had.

“Special teams-wise we’ve got to kick the field goals. That is just the bottom line,” said Miami coach Randy Shannon. “Both of them were chip shots. He’s been kicking them in practice, but it’s like we’ve said from Day One, we’ve got to find a kicker and we’re going to continue trying to stress it and have competition in practice. If we don’t, it is going to be a tough time for us to win games.”

N.C. State’s run defense struggled throughout the game as well, allowing three rushers to gain over 60 yards, including 103 earned by sophomore Javarris James. The final field goal was set up by 15 consecutive rushing plays, gaining 70 yards in the process. Ultimately, the defense held strong in the red zone, repeating a familiar theme for the Wolfpack on the day: bend not break.

“We made the plays at the end,” said O’Brien. “You have to give Miami credit – they took the ball over the last six minutes and ran it down the field. We hung in there, got into overtime. We made a kick and they didn’t – that’s what it comes down to.”

N.C. State’s intensity never wavered, even when the Canes jumped out to their early 10-0 lead.

“We just finished the game and we fought, we fought, we fought, and came out victorious,” said defensive end Willie Young. “It was like a bowl game. We made sure we didn’t lose focus and everything came out for the best.”

Miami has been notoriously up and down this season, struggling against Duke and losing to North Carolina, while it appears N.C. State is finally hitting his stride under O’Brien, winning three games in a row, including two conference wins against Virginia and Miami.

“Mental toughness is a big part of it," O'Brien said. "You've got to learn to be tough. Hopefully we are progressing. We are not anywhere near where we have to get to, but we’re making strides."

The Wolfpack victory is the first over Miami since they joined the conference back in 2004. It’s also the first victory over Miami for O’Brien, including one attempt as a player for Navy in 1969 and eight attempts as head coach of Boston College.

“You show teamwork, great effort and determination” said Morgan. “Everybody did what the coaches told them to do by focusing on their assignments. We came together as one collective group and made it happen.”