Former Wolfpack Stars Have Super Bowl Hopes Dashed

Only one State alumnus, 49ers cornerback Donate Johnson, is on the active roster of a team still in the NFL playoff hunt

Jeff Hanisch/USAToday sports

It wasn't a good weekend for former NC State football players in the NFL playoffs.

Both Russell Wilson's Seahawks and Garrett Bradbury's Minnesota Vikings went down to defeat in the Divisional Round, leaving San Francisco 49ers cornerback Donate Johnson as the only Wolfpack alumnus left on the the roster of a team that still has a shot at the Super Bowl.

And Johnson never saw the field Saturday in his team's win against the Vikings after being designated as "inactive" shortly before kickoff. Another former State player on the 49ers, rookie defensive end Kentavius Street, was placed on injured reserve Friday with a knee problem related to the injury he suffered just before being drafted.

Despite having his season end with a 28-23 loss to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, Wilson drew rave reviews for his performance in the game -- especially in the second half.

“I thought Russell was phenomenal tonight,” Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said afterward. “He did everything he could have done, and I just thought his courage and his toughness showed up. His resolve to find ways was all over the field, running and passing, the throws that he made, the runs that he made, the escapes that he pulled off. And just always going to win is what he was doing. It was awesome. It was awesome to watch him be a part of this.”

Seattle trailed 21-3 at halftime, but Wilson -- doing what Wilson often does -- willed his team back into contention almost singlehandely.

He completed 15 of his final 17 passes and a touchdown over the final two periods while also rushing for 48 yards on scrambles. With 64 rushing yards in total, he led the Seahawks in rushing for the second straight playoff game.

Wilson directed touchdown drives of 69, 84 and 79 yards to turn what once appeared to be a blowout into a one-score game in the fourth quarter, finishing accounting for 341 of the Seahawks' 375 total yards in the game.

While Wilson and his team made things interesting right to the end, Bradbury's Vikings didn't fare nearly as well.

The rookie center and Minnesota's offense got off to a promising start by driviung 79 yards for a touchdown on their second possession of the day. But the 49ers' defense dominated the line of scrimmage from that point on.

The Vikings went three-and-out on six of their next seven possessions, gaining only eight total yards and one first down. Quarterback Kurt Cousins was sacked six times, helping to limit Minnesota to just 147 total yards and seven first downs -- the third-fewest by a team in an NFL playoff game.

Though only small consolation, Bradbury did have a personal highlight in the game when he caught a deflected pass and gained two yards. It was his first career reception.

The 49ers and Packers will play for the NFC championship next Sunday while the Kansas City Chiefs and Tennessee Titans will face one another in the AFC title game.