Connect with us

NC State Football

Game Preview: NC State vs. FSU

Published

on

NC State Wolfpack (3-3) vs. Florida State (6-0)

Game Time: 3:30pm
Location: Tallahassee, FL
TV: ABC

The storyline: An up and down (and winless in the ACC) NC State team looks for their first conference win of the season against the nation’s #2 team, Florida State.

Why NC State will beat Florida State: After a fast start to the season, NC State has come back down to earth and while they’ve shown heart and fight, they simply lack big-time playmakers at the skill positions and are still seeking on-field leadership. The good news for the Pack is that hey are welcoming back their starting quarterback Brandon Mitchell. Mitchell played the first series of the season before being pulled with a broken foot and having to sit out up until today. He will look to take the leadership role back and instill a little confidence in a team that is in dire need of it. Here is what he had to say about today’s game against FSU.

“It fits what we’ve been preaching as a team – facing adversity,” he said. “We’re going in as a 28-point underdog, they have 300 former players coming back.  But we just want to go in there and ruin their plans.”

Aside from the infusion of Mitchell, State will also be facing a less than 100% FSU team. According to ESPN, RB James Wilder Jr. (FSU’s 3rd leading rusher) will sit with concussion symptoms.

The truth is, if NC State is going to pull off the massive upset, it’s not going to be because of a FSU injury, it’s going to be because the team finally comes together, steps up and makes big plays. The Wolfpack was an early whistle and a strange referee call away from taking down a top 10 ranked Clemson team, so you know they have it in them. However,  FSU isn’t Clemson. The Noles ripped the Tigers 51-14 on Oct 19th and are currently playing with all kinds of momentum.

The good news? None of this has ever stopped the Wolfpack before. Any State fan knows that if there is one team that the Pack likes to knock off their pedestal, it’s FSU. Just last year they took down the (then #3) Noles 17-16 in Raleigh.

 

Why Florida State will walk right over the Wolfpack: You didn’t think we were going to give you just one side of the coin, did you? Well, this is PackInsider.com, so you may have thought that, however we just want to be real and fair here. Florida State is no joke. This is a team that very well could be the best team in college football right now. They have it all. A stout defense, a great Heisman candidate QB and big time playmakers. Now, take all of that and then add the fact that they’ll be playing at home and things just don’t look all that great for NC State.

First and foremost, State is going to need to stop freshman QB Jameis Winston. Here is a kid who has just risen to the occasion, walked right in and become a viable Heisman candidate. He can beat you with his arm, with his legs, basically he can do it all. State is going to need to keep pressure on him all day if they want a shot here.

They’re going to really need big plays from their defense and their special teams if they want to beat FSU, because man for man, few teams in the nation can stack up.

Click to comment
Subscribe
Notify of
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

NC State Football

Duke 29 NC State 19: BOX SCORE

Published

on

NC State fell to 5-5 this afternoon, losing 19-29 on Senior Day against Duke. Below is the Box Score.

Continue Reading

NC State Football

Previewing NC State’s Opponent: Duke

Published

on

NC State (5-4) will host Duke (6-2) this afternoon. Before they take the field, here’s a preview of the Blue Devils.

After starting the season 5-0, Duke has lost 3 of the last 4 games.

Sophomore Quarterback Maalik Murphy has thrown for 2,121 yards, completing 58.9% of his passes. He has thrown 20 touchdowns and 8 interceptions, with a Passing Efficiency Rating of 130.0. Murphy transferred to Duke from Texas this offseason.

Senior Running Back Star Thomas has rushed for 706 yards and 5 touchdowns, averaging 4.3 yards per carry. Sophomore Running Back Peyton Jones has rushed for 298 yards and 3 touchdowns.

Senior Wide Receiver Jordan Moore has 556 receiving yards and 5 touchdown receptions. Senior Wide Receiver Eli Pancol has 482 receiving yards and 6 touchdown receptions.

Top-5 Highest Grade Offensive Players

  1. Tackle Brian Parker II – 77.3
  2. RB Star Thomas – 75.1
  3. WR Jordan Moore – 74.6
  4. QB Maalik Murphy – 72.9
  5. WR Eli Pancol – 71.5

Senior Linebacker Ozzie Nicholas leads the team with 62 tackles.

Senior Linebacker Alex Howard leads Duke with 11 tackles for loss and 5 sacks. He also has 60 tackles.

Junior Cornerback Chandler Rivers leads the Blue Devils with 3 interceptions and 8 pass breakups.

Top-5 Highest Graded Defensive Players

  1. CB Chandler Rivers – 87.1
  2. S Terry Moore – 85.8
  3. DT Aaron Hall – 76.8
  4. DE Vincent Anthony Jr. – 74.8
  5. LB Ozzie Nicholas – 73.4

As a team, Duke ranks 15th in the ACC in total offense (343.7) and  13th in scoring (26.6). They rank 5th in total defense (349.1) and 5th in scoring defense (22.4).

 

Continue Reading

NC State Football

Here’s a Look at Your 20 Seniors that Will be Celebrated at NC State’s Senior Day

Published

on

Today’s game against Duke is NC State’s final home game of the 2024 season, which means it’s Senior Day for the Wolfpack. Here’s a look at the Seniors that will be honored today.

Anthony Belton, OT (starter)
Devon Betty, LB (starter)
Corey Coley, CB
Zeke Correll, C (starter)
Bishop Fitzgerald, SAF (starter)
Walt Gerard, LB
Dylan Gray, DL
Dawson Jaramillo, OL
Demarcus Jones, RB
DK Kaufman, SAF (starter)
KJ Martin, SAF
Grayson McCall, QB (was a starter before injury)
Timothy McKay, OL (starter)
Reid Mitchell, TE
Noah Potter, DE
Ethan Rhodes, QB
Collin Smith, K (starter)
Davin Vann, DE (starter)
Jordan Waters, RB (starter)
Aydan White, CB (starter)

11 of the 20 Seniors being honored today are starters.

Continue Reading

NC State Football

NC State vs. Duke: A Historical Perspective

Published

on

NC State and Duke will play one another in a football game for the 85th time today. The Blue Devils hold the edge in the overall series, with a 42-37-5 record against the Wolfpack in the series.

The series between NC State and Duke dates all the way back to 1924, with today’s game marking the 100 year anniversary of the series. From 1924-1943, the two teams played each other annually, and after not playing one another in 1944, the Wolfpack and the Blue Devils played each other every year from 1945-2003. After the ACC went through expansion, the cross town rivals have only played one another 5 times in the past 20 years.

There’s no reason that these two teams shouldn’t play one another every single year, which thankfully they will now for the foreseeable future.

In October of 2023, the ACC revealed their future scheduling model for 2024-2030, and NC State will play UNC, Duke and Wake Forest every year over that period of time. This is the way things should be. The 4 teams that make up the Tobacco Road rivalry should play each other every year.

Despite the fact that Duke holds the overall edge in the series, NC State holds a 15-4 edge since 1990, and 6-3 since the turn of the century. The Wolfpack has played the Blue Devils 3 times under Dave Doeren, carrying a 1-2 record into today’s game.

Continue Reading