It was indeed a glorious evening at Carter-Finley Stadium.

What more could NC State fans ask for in their return to watching their beloved Wolfpack play college football at Carter-Finley Stadium?

The weather was the stupendous, perfect for a nice tailgate before the game and then even better for watching the contest from the stands. It was infinitely better than the early afternoon games in the sweltering heat underneath a blistering sun that Wolfpack fans have been far too accustomed to in recent years.

And the NC State team with high expectations performed on a level well enough to certainly justify the hopes that it can meet them.

There will be a lot to improve upon, more than a 45-0 thumping would perhaps indicate, and it’s fair to say that on the surface, the rebuilding South Florida program would probably only beat Furman on the Pack’s remaining schedule. The Bulls clearly have a long season ahead. With a challenging slate that continues at Florida next week, four wins may be the most optimistic outlook for the Bulls.

But that’s a gloomy reality that faces the fans of South Florida. For Wolfpack nation, Thursday evening offered an outlook that's as pleasant as the weather the over 50,000 NC State fans that made their return to Carter-Finley Stadium enjoyed.

The running back combination of sophomore Zonovan “Bam” Knight and junior Ricky Person Jr. both went over 100 yards on the ground. Redshirt sophomore quarterback Devin Leary looked more good than not throwing the football.

And, perhaps most excitedly, the defense was flying to the football in an impressive display of athleticism. South Florida is not going to score a lot of points this year, but simply put against NC State they were simply overmatched. The Pack looked bigger, stronger and faster than USF.

The true measuring stick though is much more likely to come next Saturday when NC State will find out if that strength and athleticism can match up against an SEC opponent like Mississippi State on the road.

That’ll be the topic of discussion over the next week-plus, but Thursday night was about being back at The Carter, as it is affectionately known. NC State fans showed up, maybe not to capacity, but in strong numbers in their return after a year watching on the couches due to COVID-19.

The players notably fed off the energy.

“It means a lot to them to have the crowd that we did,” head coach Dave Doeren noted.

It was a reminder of what makes college football special. There is pageantry and tradition, like seeing the “Myrtle Beach Backs the Pack” sign on the east stands wall that was back in its familiar spot on Thursday.

The students section was strong, and it had to please Doeren to see them in full force at the start of the second half. The stands were a little slow to fill up to start the game, but that seemed far more likely due to long lines visible even in the press box than a late-arriving crowd.

It proved to be a rewarding night all around.

For the players who have poured blood, sweat and tears into months of offseason conditioning and football practices, they felt the pounding of the tunnel while waiting to run out onto the field to the roars of a crowd. They felt the energy from the long touchdowns and three turnovers forced by the defense.

That was their reward.

For the fans who have exercised patience waiting out a pandemic, their prize was perfect weather to watch a fun game. The performance of their team was far from spotless, and the rout was aided and abetted by South Florida’s ineptness at times, but the bottom line is that the end result was a satisfying display.

When facing an inferior team, you are supposed to make it look easy. NC State accomplished that.

It’s a long season ahead with many ups and downs still to come, but it’s hard to imagine a much better night to get started.

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