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Notre Dame and NC State play though Hurricane Matthew

By Tyler Brooke

Oct 8, 2016; Raleigh, NC, USA; North Carolina State student Reed Richmond stands in the parking lot before the game between the North Carolina State Wolfpack and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Carter-Finley Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 8, 2016; Raleigh, NC, USA; North Carolina State student Reed Richmond stands in the parking lot before the game between the North Carolina State Wolfpack and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Carter-Finley Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports /
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In the wake of Hurricane Matthew, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and NC State Wolfpack still had a game to play.

After the recent events in the region, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and NC State weren’t sure if they were going to play this week due to Hurricane Matthew. The game still took place, but the weather was a serious factor throughout the entire game.

Hurricane Matthew was only a Category 1 hurricane as it rolled through South Carolina early Saturday morning. However, the hurricane started to roll through Raleigh, North Carolina as the Fighting Irish and Wolfpack played at Carter-Finley Stadium.

Rain was pouring and the wind was howling to start Saturday’s game. Players struggled to hold onto the ball, others struggled to gain footing. Even throwing or kicking the ball was a nearly impossible task. Just look at the field conditions for the game early in the first quarter, with the field already starting to flood.

UPDATE: The game was put under a 30-minute delay after halftime due to a lightning strike. Play is expected to resume at 2:30 pm ET.

https://twitter.com/DoyleD1/status/784788431683616768

The game felt more like it was being played on a slip ‘n slide rather than a football field.

Things didn’t get much better in the second half.

Here’s a look from the press box before kickoff.

Not surprisingly, both teams’ offenses struggled to get going early in the game. Heck, even the NC State kicker couldn’t convert on what would have been a chip shot in normal field conditions.

This wasn’t the only game that was impacted by Hurricane Matthew this weekend. The game between LSU and Florida was postponed indefinitely due to the hurricane, while the game between Florida State and Miami will be played in the wake of the hurricane Saturday night.

With such a tragic natural disaster occurring along the coast, no one is arguing with games being cancelled. Frankly, we’re surprised that Notre Dame and NC State still wanted to play, but we respect their love for the game.

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