NC State suffered a 34-point loss to Clemson last Saturday, and the question is “How will the Wolfpack respond after being blown out?”
The News & Observer’s Joe Giglio took to his dear friend, the Yellow Pad, and sketched out how NC State has responded after losses of 24-points or more since the 2008 season.
The good news…NC State hadn’t been blown out by 24-points or more in 24 consecutive games leading up to last weekend.
The bad news…NC State is 4-6 in their last 10 games after losing by 24+ points the prior week. Dave Doeren is 1-3 the week following a blowout.
Members of the Wolfpack’s 2014-2016 recruiting classes remember what it was like to get blown out by Louisville in 2016, and then fall short the following weekend to Boston College.
Comparing this team to the team in 2016 is definitely not apples-to-apples. The Wolfpack was 4-3 after being blown out by Louisvile, and fell to 4-4 the next week against College. This squad is 5-1.
Dave Doeren, and his staff, and his players would all say tonight’s game is the most important game of the year, because it’s the next one. But seriously, this game against Syracuse is the most important game of the season.
How NC State responds tonight on the road will set the tone for what kind of year this is going to end up being for the Wolfpack.