North Carolina will wear the all-black uniforms against Miami in game billed as “Zero Dark Thursday.” The all-black uniform is the first installment of the “Tar Pit Series,” which will feature an alternate uniform or helmet for one game each year. This year’s alternate uniform color has been taken from the black tar in the Tar Heel logo.
—Kevin Best, North Carolina Media Relations
The 1973 NC State football team will reunite and be honored during Saturday’s game versus Syracuse. Many of the names that populate the Wolfpack record books were on the ‘73 roster, including 2013 ACC Legends Dave and Don Buckey, who led the squad in passing and receiving respectively. But head coach Lou Holtz’s main weapon on that ACC Championship squad was the quadruple threat of running backs Willie Burden, Stan Fritts, Roland Hooks and Charley Young – otherwise known as “The Stallions,” who combined for 2,594 yards and 29 rushing touchdowns. Burden led the way and was named the ACC Player of the Year for his efforts. The squad finished with a 6-0 mark in ACC play and
finished 9-3 overall, including a 31-18 victory over No. 19 Kansas in the Liberty Bowl. Paving the way for those backs were All-ACC offensive linemen Bill Yoest and Rich Druschel, who were both drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1974 draft. On defense, Mike Devine pulled in seven interceptions, a mark that ranked second in school history until 2011. Ralph Stringer averaged 25.5 yards on kickoff return duty as a freshman in ’73, and went on to hold the school record for return yardage for almost 30 years.
—Annabelle Myers, NC State Sports Information
Duke is averaging 193.0 rushing yards per game and 4.8 yards per rush in 2013, numbers that rank among the top
six in the ACC. The 193.0 rushing yards per game would be Duke’s most since the Blue Devils rushed for 198.6
yards in 1977. Duke has rushed for at least 130 yards in every game, including a pair of 200-yard efforts. Dating
back to the 2012 regular season finale against Miami, Duke has rushed for at least 130 yards in seven consecutive
games. Duke ran for a Cutcliffe-Era best 257 yards on 5.2 yards per rush against Memphis in week two. Despite a
running back group that features four backs averaging 4.3 yards per rush or better, Duke QB Brandon Connette (Corona, Calif.) leads the team with 61 rushing attempts and six rushing touchdowns.
—Art Chase, Duke Sports Information