CHAPEL HILL It wouldn’t be a rivalry game without a few hard hits, right? NC State and North Carolina decided to take that mantra a step further on Friday afternoon, with players from both teams meeting at midfield for a bench-clearing brawl.With NC State leading UNC, 21-7, and less than seven minutes remaining in the first half, the Tar Heels were attempting to recover a fumble when something happened near midfield to cause both teams to charge onto the field.rpmsports18: Rivalries ESPN College Football: North Carolina State at North Carolina https://t.co/zNonWnZoSO pic.twitter.com/lQhjKKgTRF FanSportsClips (@FanSportsClips) November 25, 2016
The irony? The play was ultimately ruled an incomplete pass and NC State maintained possession.During the tussle, Jalen Dalton threw a punch and was ejected following the play. Both teams were hit with offsetting penalties, but it was Dalton who was sent to the locker room before the first half ended.It wasn’t from a lack of trying on head coach Larry Fedora’s part, who was attempting to hold the 6-foot-6, 280-pound lineman out of the scrum.Larry Fedora ain't weak pic.twitter.com/E5yZKqNTdI FootballScoop Staff (@FootballScoop) November 25, 2016
“I didn’t see what caused the whole thing,” Fedora said after the game. “I don’t really know what happened. But we’ve got to have more composure than that. Whatever happened can’t happen. We’ve got to be smarter than that.”NC State was forced to punt following the overturned play, but UNC was unable to rally following the change in possession. The Wolfpack kept a 21-7 lead heading into halftime after a Connor Haskins missed field goal to close out the second quarter.
