Richmond at NC State

Richmond at NC State

This is Missed It. Richmond at NC State, Friday, September 11, 88 and overcast at Carter-Finley Stadium, with the Wolfpack. You missed it? Here's the whole game, as it happened.

Pregame

It's a beautiful day for football, Wolfpack Nation. The Richmond Spiders are in town, and they've got the ball first. We're oh and oh on the season, they're oh and oh, and somebody's about to get their first taste of what this year's going to be about. The crowd's buzzing, the band's warming up, and there's that electric feeling in the air that only comes with opening day. Richmond's offense is taking the field, and our defense is lining up across from them, ready to set the tone. Let's see what we're made of.

The Sequence

Richmond takes the field first, and they're trying to establish something early. They put together a seven-play drive, moving the ball a little bit, but our defense holds firm and forces a punt. The Spiders get nothing out of it, and now it's our turn. We take over and we don't waste any time. Four plays. That's all it takes. On the fourth play, Gause takes the handoff, cuts left, and he's gone. Nineteen yards to the end zone, and just like that we're on the board. Vinesett's kick is good, and it's seven to nothing. The crowd erupts. That's how you answer. Richmond gets the ball back, and they're trying to respond. Five plays, and they're facing a fourth down. They go for it, and our defense says no. Turnover on downs. We're taking over with all the momentum. And then, the dagger. Scott takes the snap, finds a seam up the middle, and he's off. Sixty-five yards. Nobody's touching him. He's in the end zone before the defense even knows what happened. Fourteen to nothing, and this place is rocking. Richmond's reeling now. They put together eight plays, but they can't sustain anything, and they punt it back to us. We take over and we methodically march. Thirteen plays. We're chewing up clock, we're moving the chains, and we're wearing them down. Scott finishes it off with a seven-yard run up the middle, and it's twenty-one to nothing. Richmond gets the ball back with a minute left in the quarter, and they're trying to just get to the break. But Veney takes the handoff, and he's hit hard. The ball pops out. White recovers it for us at their forty-two. We've got the ball, we've got all the momentum, and this game is already feeling like it's over.

Q2

We take over after that fumble, and we're smelling blood. Six plays, and Bailey punches it in from a yard out. Twenty-eight to nothing. This is getting out of hand. Richmond gets the ball back, and they're desperate for anything. Four plays, and they turn it over again. We're taking over with incredible field position, and we're not letting up. Wilson scores from a yard out, and it's thirty-five to nothing. The Spiders are completely broken now. They go for it on fourth down again, and again we stop them. We take over, and Bailey finds Douglas on a short pass. Douglas catches it, turns upfield, and he's in. Fifteen yards, and it's forty-two to nothing. Richmond tries to respond, but they can't do anything. They go for it on fourth down again, and again we stop them. We take over, but we can't convert, and we have to punt. Richmond gets one more chance before the half, but they go for it on fourth down and we stop them again. We take over with a minute and a half left, and we're not done. Ten plays. We're moving the ball at will. Wilson scores from a yard out with twenty-four seconds left, and it's forty-nine to nothing. Richmond gets the ball back, runs two plays, and turns it over again. The half can't end soon enough for them.

Halftime

Forty-nine to nothing. That's where we stand at the half. The game turned on that fumble late in the first quarter, when Veney lost the ball and White recovered it for us. That was the moment the floodgates opened. We were already up twenty-one, but that turnover broke whatever spirit Richmond had left. From there, it was just wave after wave. We scored on nearly every possession, and the defense was absolutely suffocating. The second half is about one thing: keeping the foot on the gas. We don't let up. We don't get sloppy. We finish this game the way we started it.

Q3

We get the ball to start the second half, and we're not taking our foot off the pedal. Twelve plays. We're grinding, we're moving, and Wilson caps it off with a five-yard run to make it fifty-six to nothing. Richmond gets the ball back, and they're just trying to survive. They're facing a third down, and they get called for a delay of game. That pushes them back, and they can't recover. They turn it over again, and we're right back in business. We take over, and Paylor breaks off a huge run. Fifty-one yards down the right side, all the way to the three. Wilson finds Provience on a short pass, and it's sixty-three to nothing. Richmond gets the ball back, and they finally put together a drive. Eight plays. They're moving the ball, they're eating clock, but they can't get into the end zone, and they have to punt. We take over with about a minute and a half left in the third, and we're still pushing. Wilson breaks off a twenty-four-yard run to get us into their territory. We're driving, and we're going to add more points before this quarter is over.

Q4

We're still driving as the fourth quarter starts. We're deep in Richmond territory, and we're looking to add to the lead. We get down to the red zone, but the Spiders finally stiffen up. They hold us to a field goal, and it's sixty-six to nothing. Richmond gets the ball back, and they're just trying to get something on the board. Five plays, and they go for it on fourth down. Our defense says no again. We're taking over, and we're not done. McCoy takes the handoff, and he's off. Fifty-one yards. He's in the end zone, and it's seventy-three to nothing. The crowd is going crazy. This is a statement. Richmond gets the ball back with under two minutes to play, and they're just trying to run out the clock. Four plays, and the game is over. Seventy-three to nothing.

Wrap-up

Seventy-three to nothing. That's the final. We came out, we set the tone early, and we never let up. From the first touchdown to the last, this was a complete performance. The offense was unstoppable, the defense was relentless, and the special teams were perfect. This is the kind of game that sends a message. This is the kind of game that builds a season. Wolfpack Nation, we've got something special here. Let's enjoy this one, because it doesn't get any better than this.

By the Numbers

The Wolfpack by the numbers. Final score, NC State 73, Richmond 0. 734 yards of offense to their 110, 306 through the air and 428 on the ground. 31 first downs. 8 of 10 on third down. 1 turnover for us, 2 for them. We held the ball for just under 38 minutes.

Outro

That was Richmond at NC State, from the Wolfpack side. This has been Missed It. Every game, both sides, at missed it dot net. Produced by James Barrett.