Earlier this week, due to injuries to multiple quarterbacks on their roster, the Indianapolis Colts signed retired QB Philip Rivers. After spending 16 years with the Chargers, Rivers spent the 2020 season with the Colts. The now 44-year old would hang it up after that season, and has spent the last 5 years coaching football at St. Michael Catholic High School in Fairhope, Alabama. Oddly enough, Fairhope is also the hometown of Colts back-up quarterback Riley Leonard. After Colts’ starting QB Daniel Jones tore his Achilles, Leonard suffered a PCL sprain in his right knee. This prompted Colts head coach Shane Steichen to call up his old pal, Uncle Phil.
Glory Years
This is college football blog, and as great of an NFL player that Rivers was, we are going to focus on his career as the quarterback for the NC State Wolfpack. Rivers is unquestionably the best player in school history. He holds the records for career passing yards, single season passing yards, career passing touchdowns, and total touchdowns in a single game. He is tied for first in passing touchdowns in a single game, second in passing touchdowns in a single season, and second in total offensive yards in a single game.
Rivers was the 2000 ACC Rookie of the Year and second-team All-ACC selection in 2002. In 2003, he cleaned up at the awards banquet. In that season, he was first-team All-ACC, ACC Offensive Player of the Year, and ACC Player of the Year. He finished his career starting 51 consecutive games, an NCAA record for quarterbacks at the time.
Philip engineered the Wolfpack to four consecutive bowl appearances, winning three of them. In 2002, Rivers led NC State to their only 11-win season in program history. The Pack started 9-0 and were ranked in the top 10 of the AP Poll. They lost three of their final four regular season games, and ended up in the Gator Bowl against Notre Dame. NC State pummeled the Irish 28-6 to cap off an 11-3 season. The following year, the Wolfpack finished 8-5. In the last game of his career, Rivers went out with a bang in a very familiar place.
2003 Tangerine Bowl
In 2001, Rivers’ sophomore year, the Wolfpack played in the inaugural Tangerine Bowl against the Pitt Panthers. NC State was held under 300 yards of total offense and lost 34-19. Two years later, Rivers and Co. were back in the Citrus Bowl Stadium in Orlando, Florida for the final Tangerine Bowl. This game would be known as Champs Sports Bowl starting the following season. Their opponent was a 6-6 Kansas Jayhawks team led by second-year head coach Mark Mangino.
Sorry in advance to any Jayhawks fans reading this story. Kansas got dismantled in this game. KU’s offense finished with 463 yards, including 220 of them on the ground. Jayhawks QB Bill Whittemore finished 20 of 41 for 243 yards and 2 touchdown passes. He also rushed 17 times for 84 yards and a score. In a normal game, this would have likely won Whittemore the game’s most valuable player award.
This was not a typical bowl game. In today’s college football universe, a quarterback projected in the first round would not be playing in a lower-tier bowl. Chances are in the 2010’s and beyond, Rivers would not have even stuck around for his senior year. But one look at the guy would tell you that there is nothing typical about Philip Rivers.
First Half
Mike Tirico, Kirk Herbstreit, and the legendary Lee Corso were in the booth for ESPN on a late-December night in Orlando. Less than a minute into the game the fireworks got started for the Wolfpack. Rivers hit wide receiver Richard Washington for a 45-yard touchdown strike on the game’s opening drive. On the Jayhawks first drive, Whittemore connected with WR Charles Gordon for a 23-yard touchdown. On the Pack’s ensuing possession, Rivers completed two passes to WR Jerricho Cotchery before finding Washington again for a 15-yard score.
After Kansas failed to score on their next possession, the Wolfpack took over at their own 10-yard line. Rivers found Cotchery and WR Tramain Hall to cross midfield. After taking it himself on a QB draw to get inside the Kansas 30-yard line, Rivers hit TE T.J. Williams on a play-action pass for a 27-yard completion. NC State running back T.A. McLendon took the direct snap under center in a very unique formation to put the Wolfpack up 21-7 with 1:23 remaining in the opening period.
The Jayhawks had a long, promising drive end with a 28-yard field goal from kicker Jared Brooks with four minutes remaining in the second quarter. Rivers took State down the field with a third-down completion to WR Brian Clark and a 3-yard touchdown pass to McLendon. The score was 28-10 at halftime in favor of the Wolfpack. Rivers’ stat line at the half: 21 of 28 for 268 yards and 3 TD’s. He also picked up a couple of first downs with his legs.
Second Half
The Jayhawks offense showed some life to start the second half. Whittemore made plays with his arms and his legs on Kansas’ first drive of the third quarter. After moving down into the Wolfpack red zone, Whittemore found RB Clark Green for an 11-yard touchdown on what could be described as an improvised shovel pass. Rivers and the Pack offense took over with just under 11 minutes left in the third quarter.
After a big McLendon run got the drive going, Rivers found his favorite target Cotchery for a first down near midfield. He then connected with Clark for a 40-yard score, his 4th passing TD of the night. On Kansas’ next possession, NC State forced a three-and-out and blocked a Curtis Ansel punt. The Wolfpack were set up inside the Jayhawks red zone and scored quickly to make it 42-17 with six minutes left in the third period. Kansas settled for a field goal on their next drive to cut the lead to 22 points.
Kansas put together one last-ditch effort to make it a ball game. Whittemore found WR Brandon Rideau for a gain of 15 on third-and-long before scampering into the end zone two plays later to make it 42-26 early in the fourth quarter. In less than two minutes, the NC State offense wiped out that Kansas score.
Hall started the Wolfpack drive with two chunk plays, one on the ground and one through the air to get the ball down near the Kansas 20-yard line. Rivers then found Cotchery in the corner of the end zone for his fifth touchdown toss of the day. The Wolfpack were up 49-26 with almost an entire quarter left to play. T.A. McLendon punched it in from 26-yards out at the 10 minute mark to put the final nail in Kansas’ coffin. NC State won the game 56-26, with Rivers and the offense setting all kinds of records.
MVP
Rivers set Tangerine Bowl records with 37 completions, 475 passing yards, 5 touchdown passes and an 82% completion percentage. Rivers’ passing yards in this game currently ranks third all-time in NC State history for passing yards in a single game. Rivers was so good at NC State that the school retired his jersey while he was still playing. To say that he is the best player in school history is the understatement of the year. The Athens, Alabama kid was drafted fourth overall in the 2004 NFL Draft by the New York Giants, but was traded to the San Diego Chargers on draft day for Eli Manning. Rivers retired after 17 years in the NFL, but has since decided to return as an emergency QB for the Indianapolis Colts, where he spent his final full season.
College Football Stories 