1972 NC State Wolfpack football team

The 1972 NC State Wolfpack football team represented North Carolina State University during the 1972 NCAA University Division football season. The Wolfpack were led by first-year head coach Lou Holtz and played their home games at Carter Stadium in Raleigh, North Carolina. They competed as members of the Atlantic Coast Conference, finishing in second. NC State was invited to the 1972 Peach Bowl in Atlanta, where they defeated West Virginia.

1972 NC State Wolfpack football
Peach Bowl champion
Peach Bowl, W 49–13 vs. West Virginia
Conference	Atlantic Coast Conference
Ranking
AP	No. 17
Record	8–3–1 (4–1–1 ACC)
Head coach	Lou Holtz (1st season)
Offensive coordinator	Brian Burke (1st season)
Home stadium	Carter Stadium
Seasons ← 1971 1973 →

1972 Atlantic Coast Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 12 North Carolina $	6	–	0	–	0			11	–	1	–	0
No. 17 NC State	4	–	1	–	1			8	–	3	–	1
Maryland	3	–	2	–	1			5	–	5	–	1
Duke	3	–	3	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
Clemson	2	–	4	–	0			4	–	7	–	0
Virginia	1	–	5	–	0			4	–	7	–	0
Wake Forest	1	–	5	–	0			2	–	9	–	0
$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll^[1]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 9	Maryland	Carter Stadium Raleigh, NC	T 24–24	31,000	^[2]
September 16	Syracuse*	Carter Stadium Raleigh, NC	W 43–20	27,100	^[3]
September 23	at North Carolina	Kenan Memorial Stadium Chapel Hill, NC (rivalry)	L 33–34	47,000	^[4]
September 30	at Georgia*	Sanford Stadium Athens, GA	L 22–28	56,613	^[5]
October 7	Duke	Carter Stadium Raleigh, NC (rivalry)	W 17–0	38,200	^[6]
October 14	at Wake Forest	Groves Stadium Winston-Salem, NC (rivalry)	W 42–13	25,000	^[7]
October 21	East Carolina*	Carter Stadium Raleigh, NC (rivalry)	W 38–16	39,300	^[8]
October 28	South Carolina*	Carter Stadium Raleigh, NC	W 42–24	32,200	^[9]
November 4	at Virginia	Scott Stadium Charlottesville, VA	W 35–14	17,500	^[10]
November 11	at No. 10 Penn State*	Beaver Stadium University Park, PA	L 22–37	54,274	^[11]^[12]
November 18	Clemson	Carter Stadium Raleigh, NC (rivalry)	W 42–17	31,000	^[13]
December 29	vs. No. 18 West Virginia*	Atlanta Stadium Atlanta, GA (Peach Bowl)	W 49–13	52,671	^[14]
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

^[15]

References

1. "1972 Atlantic Coast Conference Year Summary". sports-reference.com. Retrieved January 25, 2013.
2. "Terps, Wolfpack tie". Asheville Citizen-Times. September 10, 1972. Retrieved January 24, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "N.C. State tops Syracuse". Democrat and Chronicle. September 17, 1972. Retrieved January 24, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Pack gamble fails, UNC victor, 34 to 33". Richmond Times-Dispatch. September 24, 1972. Retrieved January 24, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Wolfpack explosion falls short, 28–22". Asheville Citizen-Times. October 1, 1972. Retrieved October 22, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Defense arrives for N.C. State win". The Atlanta Journal & Constitution. October 8, 1972. Retrieved January 24, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "N.C. State rips Deacons 42–13". Tallahassee Democrat. October 15, 1972. Retrieved January 24, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Wolfpack bounces E. Carolina, 38–16". The News and Observer. October 22, 1972. Retrieved March 3, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "N.C. State drubs Gamecocks, 42–24". Daily Press. October 29, 1972. Retrieved January 24, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "Fritts runs TD total to 15 as Wolfpack rolls, 35–14". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. November 5, 1972. Retrieved January 24, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
11. "Penn State mauls N.C. State". The Pittsburgh Press. November 12, 1972. Retrieved January 24, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
12. "Penn State Halts Wolfpack". Asheville Citizen-Times. Asheville, North Carolina. Associated Press. November 12, 1972. p. 2B. Retrieved January 26, 2024 – via Newspapers.com  .
13. "Pack machine blasts Clemson 42–17". The Rocky Mount Telegram. November 19, 1972. Retrieved January 24, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
14. "West Virginia joy silenced". The Atlanta Journal. December 30, 1972. Retrieved January 24, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
15. "1972 North Carolina State Wolfpack Schedule and Results". Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved May 25, 2018.