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NC State Football

NC State 33 Syracuse 25: What Went Well

Published

7 years ago

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This afternoon NC State defeated Syracuse 33-25 in their ACC opener, and in this piece I will dissect what the Wolfpack did well:

Offense

  • Nyheim Hines picked up his 1st career 100-yard rushing game of his career, carrying the ball 19 times for 115 yards and a touchdown.
  • Syracuse entered the game ranked 22nd in the nation in rush defense, holding opponents to 101 yards rushing per contest. NC State attacked their strength with reckless abandon, racking up 256 yards on the ground, at 5.4 yards per clip.
  • NC State won the time of possession battle in a major way. The Wolfpack was in the possession of the ball for 36:29 compared to the Orangemen’s 23:31. That’s the difference between a win and a loss.
  • Once again, NC State won the turnover battle, finishing with a +1 turnover margin. Senior Cornerback Jonathan Alston picked up his 2nd interception of the season, and the Wolfpack finished their 4th straight game without turning the ball over. That’s the difference between a win and a loss.
  • NC State had 29 first downs, compared to Syracuse’s 20. This explains the Wolfpack’s ability to hold onto the ball.
  • The Wolfpack continues to systematically and quietly put up big offensive numbers, posting 464 yards of total offense on the Orangemen.
  • Jakobi Meyers had 7 receptions, which was a career high, for 57 yards. All but one of those catches came in the firsts half.
  • Jaylen Samuels showed his versatility by picking up more yards on the ground compared to the air this week. He had 9 carries for 74 yards and a touchdown (8.2 yards per carry). He also had 5 receptions for 37 yards.
  • Stephen Louis led the Wolfpack receiving yards, with 64 yards on 4 catches and a touchdown.
  • Ryan Finley shocked me by how much his legs played into the Wolfpack’s victory. He had 5 rushes for 37 yards (7.4 yards per carry), running the option well on numerous occasions, and diving for crucial first downs.

Defense

  • Bradley Chubb followed up monster performance against Florida St. with a monster performance against Syracuse. The Preseason All-American defensive end had 8 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 2 sacks and 2 Quarterback Hurries.
  • Jerod Fernandez had a game high and a career high of 14 tackles.
  • Jarius Morehead had a career high of 7 tackles last week against FSU, and recorded a new career high of 8 against Syracuse.
  • Justin Jones had his best game of the season, with 7 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, 1 sack and 2 Quarterback Hurries.
  • NC State held Syracuse to only 7 points in the 1st half.

 

 

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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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