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NC State Football

Relishing in NC State’s Beat Down of UNC

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6 months ago

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NC State checked off every possible box tonight in their 39-20 beat down of UNC tonight. The 19-point margin of victory, is the largest over the Tar Heels since 2014, when the Wolfpack beat their rivals 35-7 in Chapel Hill in Doeren’s 2nd year on the job.

The UNC defense was advertised to be terrible, and terrible they were. NC State dropped 504 yards of Total Offense on the Heels, which is the 2nd most yards they have allowed all season. The 504 yards of offense is the most by the Wolfpack this season, and the most since they accumulated 538 yards of offense against Charleston Southern in Week 2 of last season. If you’re wondering when was the last time NC State had 500+ yards of Total Offense against an ACC opponent, that would be when they had 518 yards against Louisville in 2018.

NC State needed their stars to shine tonight, which meant Quarterback Brennan Armstrong and Wide Receiver Kevin Concepcion needed to show up on offense, and Linebacker Payton Wilson needed to shut things down on defense.

Check. Check. Check.

Armstrong, who due to a rib injury, didn’t throw all week long, played like the warrior he is. It was clear early on that he wasn’t able to run with the level of ferocity that we are used to seeing, sliding on runs in order to protect himself. If it hurt him to throw the ball, you wouldn’t have known it. Armstrong was 22 of 31 for 334 yards and 3 touchdowns (0 interceptions), with a Passing Efficiency Rating of 193.4, which is his highest rating ever against an ACC opponent, and the third best overall.

Concepcion led NC State in receiving with 7 receptions for 132 yards and 2 touchdowns, and he also led the Wolfpack in rushing, with 11 carries for 55 yards. He was dinged up all night long, going into the injury tent on two separate occasions, but nothing could seemingly keep him off the field. I agree with Brennan Armstrong, who in a postgame interview said “I’ve never seen a True Freshman like him before.”

NC State absolutely dominated the time of possession battle, possessing the ball for an insane 40:00, compared to UNC’s 19:54.

The Wolfpack offense also took care of the football, failing to commit a turnover.

On the other hand, the Wolfpack defense forced the Tar Heels to commit 3 turnovers, with two of those being interceptions by Drake Maye.

When you win the time of possession battle by double and boast a +3 turnover margin, you are dominating your opponent.

Speaking of domination, Linebacker Payton Wilson might have forced the hand of the voters for the Nagurski, Butkus and Bednarik Awards. There is no better defensive player in college football. Wilson finished the night with 15 tackles, 1 sack, 2 tackles for loss, 1 forced fumble and 1 interception. Absolutely absurd.

The Wolfpack defense held UNC to 384 yards of total offense, which is their 2nd lowest offensive production of the season.

Tar Heel Running Back Omarion Hampton was the nations leading rusher heading into this week, but NC State rendered him useless, rushing 9 times for 28 yards. Of course, that’s a season low for Hampton.

Drake Maye’s Passing Efficiency Rating was 120.9, which is his 2nd lowest of the season. Maye more than likely is leaving UNC having never beat NC State, which brings a huge grin to my face, after he ran his mouth last year. Two of his three worst performances in 2 seasons came at the hands of the Wolfpack defense. Priceless.

Wide Receiver Tez Walker has seemed unstoppable this season after being cleared to play, that is, until he faced Cornerback Aydan White. Walker was targeted 11 times, and finished with only 2 receptions for 29 yards.

NC State finished the regular season with a 9-3 record, a 6-2 ACC record, and a 3rd place finish in the conference. Payton Wilson should be Defensive Player of the Year and ACC Player of the Year. Kevin Concepcion should be the ACC Rookie of the Year. Dave Doeren should be heavily considered as the ACC Coach of the Year.

There’s nothing better than ending the regular season with a good old fashion beat down of UNC.

 

 

 

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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.

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wolfpack74
wolfpack74
5 months ago

Use this game as a spring board for recruiting better players overall. We have decent stars but need to raise the bar to the next level. I have nothing to complain about the last five games. The best stretch I can remember. Get well and win the bowl game and beat Tennessee next year. I happen to live in Knoxville now.

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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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3 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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4 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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4 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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