Hey NC State:  See what you missed?

(Photo courtesy of Associated Press)

Last year when the Wolfpack beat Cincinnati 30-19, NC State did not have to deal with Bearcat running back Isaiah Pead who sat out with a knee injury.

"I had to sit on the sideline and it was tough for me," said Pead.  "Going into this one, my teammates kept reminding me, 'This is your game.  We're going to live off you.'  I took that and tried to put the team on my back.  When the game was just about to start, Coach Coombs came up to me and said, 'They haven't even seen you yet.'  I was like, 'You know what?  They haven't.'  I was ready to play.

It showed.

The senior from Columbus carried 27 times for 167 yards and a touchdown, and also caught a 25-year TD pass in the Bearcats 44-14 win.  For the season, Isaiah is averaging 106 yards per game, and 7.9 yard per carry.

"I could have carried 47, 57, 67 times," Pead said with a laugh.  "In a game, I don't even realize how many carries or catches that I have.  I just love having fun with my teammates and getting the crowd into it."

"Our players love blocking for him," said head coach Butch Jones.  "Our team really believes in him and respects him because of all the work that he's put into it."

The Bearcats dominated the game up front on both sides of the ball, rushing 46 times for 240 yards on offense, while sacking NC State quarterbacks six times.

"Coach Jones kept pushing that we had to come out and be physical," said Pead.  "Last year, they brought it to us and it was an ugly score.  That sat in the back of his mind and he said that out of all of our games, he was looking forward to this one."

"This was a game that we've been preparing for for a full year," Coach Jones said.  "I thought it was a great team win."

It was the Bearcats most impressive victory under Butch Jones, and one that provided a much-needed boost for the Big East Conference. 

"It was a statement that we can play football in the Big East and in Cincinnati," Pead told me.  "We don't always get the respect that we deserve and sometimes we don't prove ourselves the way that we should.  But tonight on national TV, the world got to see what we can do.  And it's only going to get better from here."

"I believe there are only 24 programs in America that have the opportunity to play on Thursday night in prime time we were one of them," said Jones.  "So it was a 4-hour commercial for our great city, university, and football program."

It was billed as a blackout...and turned out to be a blowout.

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