(S3) - PT #3 - Flashback

[ralz9]

PIERNO PULLS OFF UPSET IN COLLEGE DEBUT

When Nicholas Pierno first took the field for NC State his freshman year, the Wolfpack were a paltry 2-7. The competition that weekend was in Death Valley as the Pack traveled to Clemson.

Pierno had no idea he was going to play, but when the Pack’s starting senior quarterback went down on the first play of the game, his number was called.

It wasn’t pretty as the rain poured down on the grass—many called the game a fluke because of it—but Pierno finished 10-for-20 for 69 yards and a TD and ran 25 times for 111 yards and a TD as the Pack pulled off a 17-16 upset win over the then-undefeated Tigers.

PACK DOWN HEELS TO ADVANCE TO ACC TITLE GAME

Anyone from North Carolina knows that there’s some serious inner-state beef between the state’s premier ACC programs: Duke, North Carolina, NC State, Wake Forest and even East Carolina of the AAC.

No matter the record when these teams played, especially NC State and North Carolina during the NCAA rivalry week, both squads came in on equal footing.

After achieving wins over East Carolina and Wake Forest earlier in the season, Pierno had one opponent standing between him and an ACC Championship game appearance: the Tar Heels.

In front of a packed crowd at Carter-Finley Stadium, Pierno led a 98-yard drive down the field, passing for 61 yards and running for another 37 as he punched in the game-winning score as time expired to give the Wolfpack a 45-43 victory.

The student section rushed the field and tore down the goal posts in what Pierno calls “the greatest day” of his life.

PIERNO WINS NSFL DEBUT ON GAME-WINNING DRIVE

Despite not having a lot of NSFL experience, Pierno’s first-ever weekend in the league was one to remember. Sure, it was a match-up of two of the bottom-tier teams in the league and Pierno finished the game with a paltry line of 13 for 28 for 144 yards and three interceptions, but when it mattered most, he stepped up to the plate, passing for 72 of the Yeti’s 76 yards on the game-winning scoring drive that secured the 14-10 victory.