Charleston Southern and NC State tipped off their season with a wild moment that had nothing to do with the scoreboard. Midway through the first half, a player on Charleston Southern, wearing number one, sprinted back on defense and suddenly looked like he was battling something worse than a tough matchup. He tried to fight it off but couldn’t hold it. He threw up in his mouth mid-play and accidentally shared it with NC State’s number zero, who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
The moment hit hard. Number one tried to walk it off, even signaling to the bench while clearly struggling. He eventually got subbed out, but not before leaving a little of his lunch on an unsuspecting defender. The NC State player looked rattled. His expression said everything—confused, disgusted, and wondering how his night went so wrong, so fast. The cleanup crew went to work immediately, and the officials treated it like blood was on the floor. Instead, it was just a quick drive-by vomiting that kicked off the season in memorable fashion.
Despite the incident, both players returned for the second half. NC State’s number zero dropped 10 points. Charleston Southern’s number one didn’t score. They didn’t publicly address the puke, but number zero was definitely on the lookout when they crossed paths again. No fight, no drama, just awkward eye contact and game on. A weird way to start the year, but everyone survived.