After NC State football fielded one of the worst offensive units in the ACC in 2019, Wolfpack fans were left asking themselves one thing after the Pack’s 45-42 shootout win over Wake Forest this past weekend: Who is this team?
The Wolfpack scored a touchdown on its first three possessions and scored more points against Wake Forest than it did in any game all of last season. It was a surprising, yet exciting, performance from a team that had a lot of questions about it going into this season, and it was a great first game for new offensive coordinator Tim Beck.
This week, the offensive unit faces a much tougher task as the Pack hits the road to take on the No. 20 Virginia Tech Hokies. The Hokies had one of the better defenses in the ACC last season, ranking fifth out of 14 teams in points allowed per game and fourth in yards allowed per game.
Wolfpack RBs vs Hokies LBs
The NC State rushing attack was the strong point of the offense against Wake Forest, running for 270 yards as a team. Junior running back Ricky Person Jr. led the way with 99 yards and two touchdowns, while sophomore back Zonovan Knight ran for 97 yards and a touchdown of his own. Person was awarded ACC Running Back of the Week for his efforts.
That unit will face a tall task this week against the Virginia Tech linebackers. The Hokies had one of the best run defenses in the ACC last season, allowing the third-least amount of rushing yards per game during conference play. They are led by Rayshard Ashby, who led the ACC in tackles last season and was named to the preseason All-ACC football team. Another notable linebacker for Virginia Tech is Dax Hollifield, who was named a preseason All-ACC selection by Athlon Sports.
Wolfpack OL vs. Hokies DL
The NC State offensive line performed well against Wake Forest, allowing junior quarterback Bailey Hockman to be sacked just once and clearing the way for the ground game to do damage. That performance did not go unnoticed, as sophomore offensive guard Ikem Ekwonu was awarded ACC Co-Offensive Lineman of the Week.
The O-line will go up against a stout Virginia Tech defensive line this week. The Hokies had the fifth-most sacks by any team in the ACC last season. The lineman to watch out for is DaShawn Crawford, who was an Athlon Sports preseason All-ACC selection.
Wolfpack WRs vs. Hokies Secondary
As Technician football beat writer Jaylan Harrington pointed out in his five takeaways from the Wake Forest game, NC State appears to lack a game-changing wide receiver right now. The two leading pass-catchers against Wake Forest were redshirt senior tight ends Cary Angeline and Dylan Parham, and neither of them had more than 50 yards receiving. To have any chance at beating Virginia Tech, the Wolfpack needs more wide receivers to step up and make things easier for Hockman or whoever gets the start at QB.
On the other side of the ball, the Virginia Tech secondary was dealt a big blow earlier this year when cornerback Caleb Farley opted out of this season. Farley was named First Team All-ACC in 2019. Despite the loss of Farley, however, the Hokies still have a talented secondary. Cornerback Jermaine Walker and defensive back Chamarri Conner were both selected to the Athlon Sports preseason All-ACC teams. Last season, Virginia Tech had the second-most interceptions of any team in the ACC.
That unit will provide a challenge to the NC State passing attack, which was led against Wake Forest by Hockman, who got the surprise start and threw for 191 yards, a touchdown and an interception in the win.
In all, the Wolfpack offense has a tall task this week going up against Virginia Tech. To win, its running game must keep up the good work, whoever starts at quarterback must be ready for a road test and the receiving corps needs more playmakers to step up. If the Pack has any advantage going into Saturday’s game, it’s that it has a game behind them to look at and see where it needs to improve, while the Hokies do not. The Pack will have a lot more to look at after this week’s game.
