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NC State Football

NC State’s KEYS to Victory over Syracuse

Published

7 years ago

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NC State quarterback Ryan Finley could be in for a big day against Syracuse today. The front 7 is the strength of the Orangemen’s defense, but the secondary is young and vulnerable. In the first 4 games, Syracuse has given up 6 touchdowns of 24-yards or more. Last season Kelvin Harmon had 104 yards receiving, and 3 other receivers had over 60 yards receiving. Ryan Finley had 340 yards passing last year at Syracuse, and I expect him and his crew to have another big game today.

Syracuse has been one of the best teams in the nation at stuffing the run thus far in 2017. They rank 22nd nationally in Rush Defense, allowing a meager 101 yards per game (3 yards per carry). The Orangemen haven’t allowed a single run over 20 yards in 2017. If the Wolfpack can establish the run game like they did last year (Matt Dayes had 108 yards and 3 TD’s), it could be an explosive day for the NC State offense.

Quarterback Eric Dungey could be a serious problem for NC State’s defense. Dungey has been injured quite a bit over the past two years, and the Wolfpack has yet to face him, but he is a quietly one of the better Quarterbacks in the ACC. He is completing 64% of his passes in 2017, and has thrown 6 touchdowns. What makes Dungey so dangerous is his versatility. He can beat you with his legs as well. He leads Syracuse in rushing with 233 yards (4.5 yards per carry) and 5 rushing touchdowns. In 21 career games, he has 16 rushing touchdowns. The NC State pass rush will have to play contain and not overcommit, or Dungey will make them pay. With that being said, Syracuse’s Offensive Line isn’t a strength, and their coach when asked what they could do to stop Bradley Chubb, responded with “I don’t know.” If NC State lives in the backfield, Dungey could be running all day…for his life.

The NC State secondary has been a point of concern in 2017. Senior Jonathan Alston has been targeted by the opposing quarterback on a weekly basis. Today Senior Mike Stevens will return, but how much he will play is unknown. Syracuse has two wide receivers will present NC State’s secondary with a serious challenge. Ishmael Smith is putting up gaudy numbers averaging 128 receiving yards per game and leads the nation in receptions per game (11.25). Syracuse’s running back is non existent, and Syracuse isn’t trying to fool anyone. They are going to pick you a part through dink-and-dunk passes all the way down the field. Smith and Ervin Phillips are big receivers that can go up and get the ball. The front 4 need to put pressure on Dungey like they did Florida St.’s James Blackman last week, and Dungey won’t have time to get the ball to Smith and Phillips.

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Matthew is Publisher and Co-Owner of Pack Insider. He is also the Lead Pastor of The Point Church in Cary, NC.

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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2 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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3 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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3 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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