1971 NC State Wolfpack football team

The 1971 NC State Wolfpack football team represented North Carolina State University during the 1971 NCAA University Division football season. The Wolfpack were led by first-year head coach Al Michaels and played their home games at Carter Stadium in Raleigh, North Carolina. The team competed as members of the Atlantic Coast Conference, finishing in sixth.

1971 NC State Wolfpack football
Conference	Atlantic Coast Conference
Record	3–8 (2–4 ACC)
Head coach	Al Michaels (1st season)
Home stadium	Carter Stadium
Seasons ← 1970 1972 →

1971 Atlantic Coast Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
North Carolina $	6	–	0	–	0			9	–	3	–	0
Clemson	4	–	2	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
Duke	2	–	3	–	0			6	–	5	–	0
Wake Forest	2	–	3	–	0			6	–	5	–	0
Virginia	2	–	3	–	0			3	–	8	–	0
NC State	2	–	4	–	0			3	–	8	–	0
Maryland	1	–	4	–	0			2	–	9	–	0
$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll^[1]

Michaels had been the defensive coordinator for the Wolfpack under Earle Edwards, and served as the interim coach after his retirement. Lou Holtz was hired as permanent coach shortly after the end of the season, and Michaels returned to the defensive coordinator position under Holtz.^[2]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 11	Kent State*	Carter Stadium Raleigh, NC	L 21–23	24,300	^[3]^[4]
September 18	at Maryland	Byrd Stadium College Park, MD	L 7–35
September 25	at South Carolina*	Carolina Stadium Columbia, SC	L 6–24	48,315
October 2	No. 20 North Carolina	Carter Stadium Raleigh, NC (rivalry)	L 7–27
October 9	Wake Forest	Carter Stadium Raleigh, NC (rivalry)	W 21–14	25,300
October 16	at Duke	Wallace Wade Stadium Durham, NC	L 13–41	28,174
October 23	East Carolina*	Carter Stadium Raleigh, NC (rivalry)	L 15–31	18,000	^[5]
October 30	Virginia	Carter Stadium Raleigh, NC	L 10–14	21,600
November 5	at Miami (FL)*	Miami Orange Bowl Miami, FL	W 13–7
November 13	at No. 5 Penn State*	Beaver Stadium University Park, PA	L 3–35	50,477
November 20	at Clemson	Memorial Stadium Clemson, SC (rivalry)	W 31–23	28,000
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

^[6]

References

1. "1971 Atlantic Coast Conference Year Summary". sports-reference.com. Retrieved January 25, 2013.
2. "Michaels to Be Aide to Holtz". The Washington Post. December 8, 1971. p. D4.
3. Scott Bosley (September 12, 1971). "Kent Stuns Wolfpack!". The Akron Beacon Journal. pp. B1, B3 – via Newspapers.com.
4. Joe Tiede (September 12, 1971). "Late Kent St. FG Stuns Wolfpack". The News and Observer. Raleigh, North Carolina. pp. Sports 1, 4 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "East Carolina wins easily over Wolfpack, 31–15". Asheville Citizen-Times. October 24, 1971. Retrieved March 3, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "1971 North Carolina State Wolfpack Schedule and Results". Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved May 25, 2018.