September 29 Crowd Reacts

Not many know the pressures a head coach is under in a big game, let alone what goes through a kicker's mind when he has to trot out for the big kick that could decode the game. But we do know when they do it right that they will hear the Roar of the Crowd just like happened in a game way back in 1990.

It is always a big event in any state when two of their top College football teams meet, especially if they are rivals in the came conference. North Carolina is no exception and when the NC State Wolfpack and the Tar Heels of UNC meet up on the gridiron folks take notice. This was no exception on Saturday September 29, 1990 when the Pack visited Chapel Hill to battle the boys clad in Carolina Blue at Kenan Stadium.

State was lead by second year Head Coach Dick Sheridan while Mack Brown was in his 3rd season as field boss of his first stint with the Heels. The game was a defensive battle between the two foes for much of the game as only a few field goals were scored. With about four minutes left to play NC State was up 9-6. Tar Heel Quarterback Todd Burnett was started to heat up after a less than spectacular start, moving the UNC offense to the State 5-yard line with less than two minutes on the clock. Suprisingly Mack Brown elected to take Burnett out of the game with first and goal and inserted Steve Jerry, who was the normal signal caller in goal line play because he was fleet of foot and a great weapon in the option game. Jerry gained a yard on first down and then threw an incomplete pass. It was 3rd and goal on the four yard line, and in came Burnett back to the huddle. Burnett darn near connected with Corey Holiday at the goal line but the pass was tossed a tad low and Corey couldn't haul it in.

Facing fourth and goal with no time outs, Brown sent in the Field Goal team and the chip shot kick was made by Clint Gwaltney from 21 yards out to knot the score at 9. At that time there was not an overtime procedure, as the NCAA did not install one until 1996, to a tie score at the end of regulation was a draw in the books. Mack may have felt the pressure as his team had lost to the Wollfpack the past two seasons n this rivalry by wide margins. Surely a tie would be better than not scoring and losing again, wouln't it?

N.C. State and their future NFL QB Charles Davenport got the ball back with 1:06 showing on the scoreboard and only one time out in their pocket. Davenport went to work throwing an incomplete pass followed by a 15 yard strike  to Rondell Jones. The State QB then dinked and dunked passes while battling the clock, getting the Ball all the way to the Tar Heel 39-yard line with one second left. Then out strode kicker Damon Hartman.

He had been busy loosening up so was not aware of the distance of the kick and he may have been the only one in the stadium that did not know it was a 56-yarder that needed to be made. Then came the snap, the holder got it down, spun the laces and foot hit ball. The kick was a low line drive that cleared the outstretched UNC arms. Hartman  claimed later that he did not see the flight of the ball as he wanted to keep his head down so as not to pull the ball. His first sight was when the stadium got quiet. He looked up to see the ball barely cleatr the cross bar and the officials' hands go up to signal it good.

North Carolina State had won the game 12-9 in their rival's home stadium, and Damon Hartman heard the roar of the crowd.

That kick was a school record and only one yard shy of an ACC best ever successful field goal.

North Carolina went on to finish with a 6-4-1 record, and fail to get an invitation to a bowl game. N.C. State on the other hand was invted to the All-America Bowl at legion Field in Birmingham where they defeated Number 23 inthe Nation Southern Miss 31-27.

Special thanks to Newspapers.com and the September 30, 1990 post in the Carlotte Oberserver in an article by Charles Chandler.