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NC State Football

NC State Needs to be able To Pass Against Clemson

Published

12 months ago

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When you look at where the Clemson defense is most vulnerable, it has been their inability to stop their opponents passing attack.

Surprisingly, the Tigers rank 48th nationally in Total Defense heading into Week 5, giving up an average of 347.2 yards per game. With a Rush Defense that ranks 8th nationally (78.5 yards per game), Clemson’s Pass Defense, which ranks 104th (267.8 yards per game), is what pushes the Tiger Defense up near 50th in Total Defense.

Opponents Passing Efficiency against Clemson has been 139.64, which ranks 92nd nationally.

Logically, looking at the data above, the game plan for Saturday night would be to unleash Devin Leary. The question is, how much will either team be able to effectively throw the ball with Hurricane Ian moving through the southeast region of the United States this weekend.

If the game is played in a downpour, it will likely come down to who can run the ball better, and both teams will be facing a defense that ranks in the Top-10 nationally in Rush Defense. As stated before, Clemson ranks 8th, and NC State ranks 10th, giving up 81.8 yards per game.

Thankfully for the Wolfpack, Junior Running Back Jordan Houston, who missed last weeks game against UCONN, will be back, as will Redshirt Freshman Demie Sumo-Karngbaye, who sat out the second half against the Huskies.

Last year, in the Wolfpack’s 27-21 2OT victory over the Tigers in Carter-Finley, Leary was 32/44 (72.7%) for 238 yards and 4 touchdowns, with 0 interceptions. That was against a Clemson Defense that finished 2021 ranked 34th in Pass Defense (208.8), 8th in Total Defense (306.3) and 2nd in Scoring Defense (14.8).

Leary hasn’t been as efficient through 4 games in 2022 as he was in 2021, but he’s a gamer. He’s not scared of Clemson. Hopefully weather will permit the Wolfpack quarterback to expose the weakness of the Tiger defense.

 

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Matthew is Co-Owner of Pack Insider. He writes for all sports, with a focus on football and recruiting, and is in charge of business strategy. He is an NC State alum who majored in business. Matthew is also the lead pastor of The Point Church in Cary, NC.

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Rev
Rev
11 months ago

Passing: Not so great in a downpour. The predicted weather is NOT our friend

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NC State Football

NC State’s Kevin Concepcion Earns Week 4 ACC Rookie of the Week Honors

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11 hours ago

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September 25, 2023

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NC State True Freshman Kevin Concepcion earned Week 4 ACC Rookie of the Week honors for his performance against UVA.

ROOKIE – Kevin Concepcion, NC State, WR, Charlotte, N.C.
Concepcion totaled 116 receiving yards on six catches in NC State’s 24-21 road victory over Virginia in the two teams’ ACC opener. The true freshman wideout averaged 19.3 yards per catch and scored two touchdowns, including a 48-yard catch and run. The first true freshman receiver to start the first four games of the season for the Wolfpack since 2014 (Bo Hines), Concepcion has accounted for 27 percent of the Wolfpack’s receptions this season. (TheACC)

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NC State Football

NC State is a 3-Point Underdog vs. Louisville

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13 hours ago

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September 25, 2023

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NC State is currently a 3-point underdog heading into their Friday night matchup against Louisville, and the Total is sitting at 55.

  • Louisville is 2-2 Against the Spread
    • NC State is 0-4 Against the Spread
  • The Total has gone Over in 3 of Louisville’s 4 games.
    • The Total has gone Under in 3 of NC State’s 4 games.
  • The Total has gone Under in 4 of the last 5 games between these two teams.
  • The Cardinals have won 6 of the last 10 straight Up against the Wolfpack.
    • In those 10 matchups, NC State has beat the Spread 5 times.
  • Louisville is 6-1 Straight Up in their last 7 games against ACC opponents.
    • NC State is 2-8 Against the Spread against ACC opponents in their last 10 games.
  • NC State has been the underdog against Louisville in 3 of the last 5 games.

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NC State Football

NC State’s Highest & Lowest Graded Defensive Players vs. UVA

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3 days ago

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September 23, 2023

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Here’s a look at which NC State Defensive players graded out the best and worst according to ProFootballFocus against UVA last night.

Top 5

LB Payton Wilson – 83.4
DE Davin Vann – 74.7
S Bishop Fitzgerald – 73.7
DE Savion Jackson – 73.5
LB Caden Fordham – 63.1

Bottom 5

DE Noah Potter – 45.7
CB Shyheim Battle – 48.0
LB Jaylon Scott – 55.2
DE Red Hibbler – 56.3
S Cecil Powell – 56.7

Notes

  • Payton Wilson has now graded out at 80+ for 2 straight games, which he has never done in his career.
    • He has been in the Top 5 in 3 of the first 4 games.
    • He had the highest run defense grade: 90.4.
    • He also had the highest grade in pass rush: 72.8.
  • Davin Vann has been in the Top 5 in all 4 games in 2023.
  • Bishop Fitzgerald has been in the Top 5 in 2 of the first 4 games.
    • He had the highest grade in pass coverage: 77.5.
  • Caden Fordham has been in the Top 5 in 2 of the first 4 games.
  • Noah Potter has been in the Bottom 5 in 3 of the first 4 games.
    • It’s his 2nd time posting the worst grade.
  • Shyheim Battle has been in the Bottom 5 in 2 of the first 4 games.
    • He did have the highest tackling grade: 81.1.
  • Jaylon Scott has been in the Bottom 5 in 2 of the first 4 games.
  • Red Hibbler has been in the Bottom 5 in 2 of the first 4 games.
  • Safety Sean Brown had the lowest grader in coverage: 41.9.
  • Noah Potter, Davin Vann and CJ Clark had the worst tackling grades: 18.4, 23.1, 26.3.

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NC State Football

NC State’s Highest & Lowest Graded Offensive Players vs. UVA

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3 days ago

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September 23, 2023

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Here’s a look at which NC State Offensive players graded out the best and worst according to ProFootballFocus against UVA last night.

Top 5

IWR Kevin Concepcion – 80.9 – career high
QB Brennan Armstrong – 72.3
C Lyndon Cooper – 66.0
LT Anthony Belton – 64.6
WR Bradley Rozner – 63.9

Bottom 5

IWR Juice Vereen – 41.7 – career low
WR Keyon Lesane – 53.1
WR Julian Gray – 54.2 – 2nd lowest of career
TE Trent Pennix – 54.5
RB Michael Allen – 56.0

Notes

  • Concepcion caught 6 passes for 116 yards and 2 touchdowns, and was targeted a team high 10 times.
  • Brennan Armstrong has graded out in the Top-5 in 3 of the first 4 games.
    • He posted a rushing grade of 77.5, which was tops on the team, and his best since Week 9 of the 2021 season.
  • Juice Vereen has been the lowest graded player on the team two weeks in a row.
  • Anthony Belton has been in the Top-5 in 3 of the first 4 games.
  • Julian Gray has been in the Bottom 5 in 2 of the firsts 4 games.
  • Anthony Belton had the highest pass block grade: 83.7.
  • RB Michael Allen has to improve at pass protection. His pass protection grade was 31.6.
  • Give Julian Gray credit…he had the highest run blocking grade on the team in 22 snaps: 74.3

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