Larry Russell hugs the referee in the thrilling 14-13 victory over North Carolina.
Larry Hopkins looks for an opening.
Ed Bradley
‘IT WAS JUST MIRACLE AFTER MIRACLE’ There were plenty of great memories from the remarkable 1970 ACC championship season, but most would agree with quarterback Larry Russell’s assessment on the one that topped them all. “Beating Carolina at home by a point with no time left,” he said. “That’s easy. And then there was beating State.” Yes, those two wins – both coming on last-minute touchdowns on the home turf – were crucial in the quest for that first ACC title. The victory over the highly favored Tar Heels will always be remembered for “the drive,” when Wake got the ball inside its own 10 with three minutes left and trailing 13-7 – before going the distance to score when Larry Hopkins plunged into the end zone from the 3-yard line with just seconds left. Tracy Lounsbury kicked the deciding extra point for the 14-13 victory. With no timeouts left, the Deacons had two plays called – a sprint pass and a run – depending on how the Tar Heels’ defense lined up. When the linebacker shifted out, Hopkins got the ball. “I just kept driving to get across the goal line,” said Hopkins, who had a 50-
yard run earlier in the march, eluding John Swofford, a Tar Heel defensive back and now the ACC commissioner in the process. If he didn’t score, the Deacons undoubtedly wouldn’t have been able to get another play off. “I knew if the linebacker moved out, we had them outnumbered inside,” said assistant coach Oval Jaynes, who was calling the plays. “Cal (Stoll) said, ‘We can’t run the ball without any timeouts left. If we don’t score, you’re fired.’ When I saw the linebacker move outside, I knew Hoppy would walk in, so I told Tracy to get the tee for the extra point.” And when he booted it through the uprights for the win, Russell celebrated – with the referee of all people. “I turned around and picked him up and started throwing him up and down in the air,” Russell said with a laugh. A few weeks later, Russell was again the center of attention with Wake Forest trailing 13-9 as the clock was ticking down at the end of the NC State game. The Deacons had the ball on the Wolfpack 10 and needed a touchdown to win.
“We were on the left hash and ran an option into the sideline,” Russell said. “I think I misread it. I was supposed to hand it off to Hoppy, and I didn’t. Then I’ve got two (NC State) guys looking at me in the face. They came up, and (Ken) Garrett (who was the pitch man) kept going forward. I gave him a kind of a hook pass, and he took it in. Everybody thought it was an illegal lateral, but it was a forward pass.” Jaynes offered his take. “It was a heads up play by Larry and Kenny,” he said. “It was a forward pass, but it was behind the line of scrimmage, and that was a foul at that time but not now. And all the offensive linemen were down the field.” The touchdown stood, giving the Deacons a 16-13 victory over the Wolfpack and a final 5-1 record in the ACC. North Carolina then needed to beat Duke the next week to help Wake Forest clinch the title, and the Tar Heels came through. The Tar Heels and the Blue Devils played one more league game than did the Deacons and both finished 5-2. “It was just miracle after miracle,” Russell said.
JUNE 2020
13
