Rafa Benitez says his heart is telling him to stay at Newcastle United next season, but he will need assurances about the clubs ambitions for promotion. Benitezs three-year contract at Newcastle is thought to include a release clause, and despite failing to avoid relegation into the Championship, the fans at St James Park have taken to the former Liverpool boss.They finished the season with a fine 5-1 win over Tottenham, and Benitez, who will make his decision in the next two weeks, says he is happy with the set-up. Report: Newcastle 5-1 Tottenham Newcastle thrashed Tottenham 5-1 with 10 men to leave Spurs third in the Premier League Asked what his heart is telling him, Benitez told Sky Sports: My heart is obviously telling me yes it is a fantastic opportunity, a fantastic atmosphere, everything is so good that my heart is very clear.But at the same time you have to use the brain, both things have to go together. We talk with Lee Charnley, and then after well see where we are.I said I am quite open and I am quite pleased with everything, the staff, everything, now its just to be sure that we have to do what we have to do to be sure that we can go up if I say here. Georginio Wijnaldum celebrates scoring for Newcastle in the romp They know, we have been talking. I have the same feeling as the fans, they want a strong team next season to be sure we go up again.The way and the ideas will not be difficult to have, to have similar ideas, but we have sit down and make sure of everything.Benitezs name was sung throughout the game, with banners also urging him to stay for a promotion push next season. Mauricio Pochettino apologised to the Tottenham fans and feels his squad needs to improve mentally The former Liverpool, Chelsea and Real Madrid manager says it was an emotional day, and has been impressed with the Newcastles fans devotion to the team even during the harder times.Yes [it was emotional day]. Obviously when you have a lot of people behind you and see the players working as they were working, and everybody singing, it was very, very emotional.I knew before it would be like this, and now we have to wait, start talking, and see what well do in the future.Benitez also put Newcastles fine performance down to them playing without pressure, saying: When you are under pressure you dont play at the level you can play.Today, without fear, we wanted to give the fans something back. We know the fans have been supporting the team in difficult circumstances. Im really pleased for them, because they needed to see a performance like this. 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RALEIGH, N.C. -- One by one, the North Carolina State players took off running after the game ended, heading straight for the puddle at the 25-yard line.After a sloppy day of belly-flops and splashdowns, it was time to turn the field at Carter-Finley Stadium into a slip-and-slide.The Wolfpack beat Notre Dame 10-3 on Saturday in a game played in hurricane conditions and after the start of the second half was delayed because of lightning.This is a game to remember, N.C. State tight end Pharoah McKeever said. Ill probably remember it until the day I die. Raining, playing in a hurricane, not knowing if we were going to play or not. Lightning delay, in the locker room for 30 more minutes. ... And then after the game, doing field slides in the mud. This was just something to remember.A waterlogged field saturated by Hurricane Matthews heavy rains and wind-whipped by its gusts rendered both offenses ineffective, so N.C. State (4-1) beat the Fighting Irish (2-4) with special teams and defense -- with Dexter Wright returning a blocked punt for the go-ahead touchdown with 12:43 remaining.That TD came after McKeever fought through a block from Nic Weishar up the middle to deflect Tyler Newsomes punt. All Wright had to do was scoop up the ball -- not an easy task on a day like this -- and head for the end zone.I didnt even have to see the block, Wright said. I heard it.Notre Dame put together a late drive into the N.C. State red zone, but a shotgun snap on fourth-and-8 squibbed past DeShone Kizer with 1:52 left and the Wolfpack ran out the clock.The teams combined for five turnovers, had a total of 10 fumbles and lost four of them. In a sequence that perfectly captured the day, Notre Dame coughed the ball up with about 10 minutes left in the second quarter on a bad snap -- only to get it right back when N.C. State fumbled on its next snap.Both teams turned the ball over in very difficult conditions, Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly said. Both teams had a hard time moving the football. Both field-goal kickers managed to eke one over the uprights in sloppy conditions. We ggive up a flippin blocked punt for a touchdown, and thats the difference in this one.ddddddddddddTHE TAKEAWAYNotre Dame: The sloppy conditions helped the Fighting Irishs oft-criticized defense post its best numbers of the season. After allowing at least 489 total yards to every Power Five opponent theyve faced, they gave up just 198 yards in this one.But that went both ways. The potent Fighting Irish offense managed just 113 total yards on 64 offensive plays, and had just 41 yards through three quarters. Kizer was sacked five times and was just 9 of 26 for 54 yards -- the worst game of his career, aside from a 0-for-1 day against Texas last year.We dont have any excuses, Kelly said. We were atrocious offensively.N.C. State: The weather also shackled the Wolfpacks potent offense, which hung at least 30 points on every other opponent. QB Ryan Finley -- who completed nearly 73 percent of his passes in four games -- was just 5 of 12 for 27 yards with a rating of 60.6. He entered with a passer rating of 171.43 -- good for 11th nationally.But for N.C. State, the bottom line was this: With games against No. 3 Clemson, No. 7 Louisville, No. 23 Florida State, No. 17 North Carolina and No. 10 Miami still ahead on the schedule, this was a game the Wolfpack had to have.STAT LINEN.C. State was 2 of 14 on third downs -- and was still better than the Fighting Irish, who were 1 of 15.HE SAID ITSummer day in Michigan, I guess, -- N.C. State kicker and Wixom, Michigan, native Kyle Bambard on the conditions.UP NEXTNotre Dame: The Fighting Irish return home next week for their annual rivalry game with No. 15 Stanford.N.C. State: The Wolfpack begin a brutal two-game Atlantic Division run on the road with a visit to Clemson next week, followed by a trip to Louisville.---Follow Joedy McCreary at http://twitter.com/joedyap . His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/joedy-mccreary---AP college football site: http://collegefootball.ap.org ' ' '