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NC State will face off against Louisville this Saturday in their first ACC game of the season.  Here is a preview of the Cardinals key skill position players and what the Wolfpack will have to do to stop them.

Quarterback

  • Freshman Lamar Jackson – 6’3″/196 lbs ( 42/70, 495 yd, 2 TD, 4 Int, 314 yd rushing)
  • Sophomore Reggie Bonnafon 
  • RS Sophomore Kyle Bolin 

All three have seen significant time under center, but after their previous game against Samford, Louisville coach Bobby Petrino looks to have settled on true freshman Lamar Jackson as his guy.  Jackson is a dynamic play-maker, equally likely to burn you with his legs as he is his arm.  Physically he will be the most athletically gifted QB NC State has faced this season. While Jackson will take virtually all the snaps, Petrino has hinted that Bonnafon may be too talented to keep off the field, and he may be used in an H-Back role against State. 

Keys to containment

NC State historically has had a tough time with mobile quarterbacks, and few have the mobility of Lamar Jackson.  To be successful the Pack will need to bring pressure early and often, yet maintain gap responsibility and not give Jackson open lanes to take off.  Jackson has a tendency to try to do too much, or to try and cut back too many times while running.  Do not be surprised to see NC State use a similar approach to the one they employed against UNC QB Marquise Williams, where they hit him hard every chance they could.  Remember, hard hits often lead to big mistakes by Freshman QBs. 

Running Back

  • RS Junior Brandon Radcliff – 5’9″/214 lbs (52 rushes, 200 yd, 3 TD)
  • Sophomore Jeremy Smith – 6’2″/225 (41 rush yd, 13 rec, 214 yds)

Radcliffe has been the only running back to receive a substantial amount of carries for the Cards.  He is a smallish back, who was the teams leading rusher last year.  He is yet to have a breakout game, and had a terrible performance against a good Clemson defense.  Jeremy Smith is seldom used as a runner, but gets a load of work as a receiver.  He has good size and is a plus athlete.  He was banged up last week, but it appears he will be fine for the game.

Keys to containment

Simply put, to contain Radcliff NC State needs to have the same type of penetration that their Defensive Line has been giving them recently.  Running back has been the position the Pack has seen the most talent at, and they have absolutely shut opposing running backs down this season.  On the flip side, Linebackers and Nickelbacks must account for Smith is the passing game.

Wide Receiver/Tight End

  • RS Freshman Mickey Crum – 6’4″/257 (13 rec, 161 yd) 
  • Freshman Traveon Samuel – 5’7″/175 (13 rec, 135 yd)
  • Sophomore Ja’Quay Savage 6’3″/214 (12rec, 135yd)
  • Freshman Devante Peete – 6’6″/203 (7 rec, 127yds)

This is an extremely young, but talented group.  Crum’s numbers are deceiving as he has one game that is greatly skewing his stats (over 100 yds vs Houston).  He has seen relatively low usage in Louisville’s other games.   Samuel is similar to Nyheim Hines in that he is a high school running back who has moved to the slot at the next level.  Savage has good size and uses it on the perimeter.  Peete is a true big-play guy.  He is a massive receiver with good speed for his size.  The majority of his catches come downfield.

Keys to containment

The cornerbacks are going to have to play fast and physical.  Peete and Savage will make a play on the ball when it is thrown to them.  Tocho, Burris, and Stevens will have to do a better job of making a play on the ball when the opportunity presents itself.  When one of the shiftier receivers makes a catch underneath in space, the Linebackers, Safeties and Nickleback will have to be sure tacklers and limit yards after the catch.  This could be a game where Dravious Wright is called on to make a lot of plays.

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NC State Football

Does the Addition of the UVA Series Equal the Elimination of NC State’s Series with App St.?

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2 days ago

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May 17, 2024

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Earlier this week it was announced that NC State and Virginia would play one another in a home-and-home series, with the Wolfpack hosting in 2025, and the Cavaliers hosting in 2026.

Prior to the announcement, NC State already had their non-conference slate booked for both of those seasons.

As a result of the addition of the Virginia series, a previously scheduled non-conference game from each season would need to be dropped. While it hasn’t been officially announced by the school, Joe Giglio and David Glenn seem to think that the series with Appalachian State is going to be dropped.

It would make the most sense, considering the Mountaineers were the only opponent the Wolfpack was scheduled to play in both 2025 and 2026. It would also make sense, considering the fact that ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips isn’t a fan of ACC teams playing Group of 5 schools on the road.

I will tell you this much. The Mountaineer faithful certainly believe NC State is dropping the series with App State, and it just takes a little scrolling on X (formerly Twitter) to get a read on their feelings on the situation.

This situation brings to mind the bill that has been proposed in the North Carolina House of Representatives that would force NC State and UNC to play App St., ECU and UNC Charlotte in Football, Men’s Basketball and Women’s Basketball.

If the addition of UVA means the elimination of App St. on NC State’s schedule, what are your thoughts? Share in the comments.

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NC State Football

CBS Sports Ranks Dave Doeren as 1 of the Top-20 Coaches in College Football

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3 days ago

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May 16, 2024

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CBS Sports released their Top-25 Power 4 Coaches in College Football, and NC State’s Dave Doeren came in at #16. Heading into last season, he went into the season ranked #25.

16) Dave Doeren: The NC State coach finally gets some overdue credit. He’s always hovered around the bottom of our top 25 or just outside it, and now he finds himself firmly entrenched in it thanks to all the changes at the top. Coaches who take mid-tier programs and overachieve never get enough credit, in my estimation, and the consistency Doeren has established at NC State — where he spent most of his time in a division with Clemson and Florida State — is one of the most impressive things any coach in the country has done. I’m glad to see Doeren getting closer to the top 15. 2023 rank: 25 (+9) (CBS Sports)

Numerous CBS Sports’ analysts voted in the poll, and Tom Fornelli actually ranked Doeren #8.

ACC Coaches that made the Top-25

3. Dabo Swinney (Clemson)

8. Mike Norvell (FSU)

16. Dave Doeren (NC State)

19. Jeff Brohm (Louisville)

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NC State Football

NC State vs. Tennessee Kickoff Time & TV Network Revealed

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4 days ago

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May 15, 2024

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Kickoff time and TV Channel details have been revealed for NC State and Tennessee’s game in the Duke Mayo Classic in Week 2 of next season.

The game will be a primetime game on Saturday 7th, at 7:30pm on ABC.

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This game has the makings to be a Top-25 matchup.

Here’s a look at some of the Way-Too-Early Preseason rankings for the Wolfpack and the Volunteers:

Action Network: NC State #24/Tennessee #17

ON3: NC State #22/Tennessee #15

247: NC State #21/Tennessee #11

ESPN: NC State #17/Tennessee #15

DraftKings released their way-too-early odds for the game, and Tennessee is currently a 5.5-point favorite.

Here’s the deal, as NC State fans, if we want to be a big time Football program, NC State fans need to gobble up tickets to this game. Let’s do our part and make sure that Bank of America Stadium is painted RED. Buy Tickets HERE.

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NC State Football

NC State and UVA Agree to Home-and-Home Non-Conference Games

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4 days ago

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May 15, 2024

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NC State announced this morning that the Wolfpack and UVA will play in a home-and-home non-conference series, with the game in 2025 being in Raleigh, and the game in 2026 being in Charlottesville.

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To reiterate, despite the fact that both teams are in the ACC, these games are considered non-conference games, and won’t count toward conference records. This is similar to what UNC and Wake Forest did a few years back.

Here’s what’s interesting about the addition of these games in 2025 and 2026. Prior to the announcement, NC State already had 4 non-conference games scheduled for both years.

It would be my assumption that one of the previously scheduled non-conference games for each season will not take place now.

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