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Bowl Season '08: Russell Wilson Down, Rutgers Wins (Simple Explanation Version)

Dec 29, 2008 – 8:39 PM
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Will Brinson

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FanHouse gathers around the TV to bring you insights from Bowl Season '08.

Russell Wilson got hurt. With all due respect to Rutgers players, coaches, fans and awesome Pulitzer Prize winning alumni, that's about all you need to re: the PapaJohns.com Bowl. Of course, it's also all you need to know about North Carolina State's season -- when Wilson was healthy and in the game, the Wolfpack were one of the most exciting teams in the NCAA, and when he wasn't, well, they were the type of team that could give up a first half lead to a suddenly struggling Rutgers team.

Again though: Rutgers = not bad. They came in having won six straight games, but, caveats aside, you couldn't tell by the time the clock struck zeroes on the first half. The Wolfpacka dominated, Mike Teel struggled mightily, and it looked like a runaway win for State. Then Wilson got hurt.

It happened right before the end of the first half and it was a strained left knee and he was most certainly capable of coming back, but, again, no offense to the pizza tossing Papa, but this wasn't the time and the place to bring the future of a school's football program back onto the field.

And as such, the fate of the PJ.com Bowl fell to Daniel Evans, Raleigh's native son. As was the case for the end of Chuck Amato's tenure in Raleigh, he couldn't come through, and Teel magically morphed into the guy who tossed seven taters against Louisville. State withered, Rutgers rallied, and a pair of seasons got microcosmed really quickly.
Filed under: Sports

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