The NC State football team will host Miami (FL) this Saturday in its final home game of the season celebrating Senior Day for 14 Wolfpack players.
NC State (5-5, 2-4 ACC) will look to build some momentum as it finishes the regular season, after beating Syracuse 35-20 last Saturday. The Pack notched its first road victory of the season and its first win since beating Notre Dame Oct. 8. Similarly, the Hurricanes (6-4, 3-3 ACC) are hoping to end their season on a high note, after climbing all the way up to No. 10 in the AP poll, only to lose four straight games in October, three of which were decided by a single score.
Both squads have endured quite a lot of heartbreak this year and are looking to make the best out of a disappointing year. However, for the Pack this is arguably a must-win game, as it still needs one more win to reach bowl eligibility.
With its final two games featuring strong opponents, either way, State will need to pull off an upset to earn the all-important sixth win. But beating home Miami at home is a bit more plausible than upsetting in-state rival UNC-Chapel Hill, which beat Miami last month, in Kenan Memorial Stadium.
That being said, the Pack has shown that it’s capable of challenging some of the best teams in college football this year. So, it’s definitely within the realm of possibility for NC State to win both of its final regular season games, become bowl eligible and finish the season with a winning record. But in order for this to happen, State first has to find a way to beat Miami.
Additionally, this game is important to head coach Dave Doeren because he wants to send his seniors with one last victory in Carter-Finley Stadium.
“I remember my last game in college, almost every snap of it, and I want to send these kids out the right way,” Doeren said in a press conference held by NC State Athletics Monday. “It’s a great challenge to do that against a very good Miami football team.”
The Canes have an explosive offense that is led by their highly touted junior quarterback, Brad Kaaya. Kaaya is averaging nearly 260 passing yards per game and has thrown for 19 touchdowns this season. Despite their offense being fairly average statistically, the Canes have a lot of weapons and the ability to make big plays and score quickly. This should be a tough test for a Wolfpack secondary that has struggled at times.
More importantly though, the offense has also played smart and been careful with the football as a unit, allowing only 10 turnovers all season. This, combined with a talented, stingy defense, has resulted in a turnover margin that ranks among the best in the nation.
“They’re playing some young players on defense, but they’re really playing well,” Doeren said. “[They’re ranked] second in the conference in scoring defense, they’re multiple, they bring a lot of pressure, they do a lot with the guys they have and coach [Manny] Diaz, we know is a very good defensive coach.”
Doeren also specifically mentioned the exceptional play of senior defensive back Corn Elder, and his ability to make plays in the backfield as corner. Elder and freshman linebacker Shaquille Quarterman both led the team in tackles, as they each currently have 61.
Miami’s defense will be yet another challenging opportunity for the Wolfpack’s starting signal caller, redshirt sophomore Ryan Finley. Finley has thrown for more than 300 yards for three straight games now, and he threw for a career best of 340 yards against Syracuse last week.
Part of Finley’s success, and something that will have a large impact on the Wolfpack’s success moving forward, is the play of State’s wide receiving corps. It was uncertain at the beginning of the season how this position group would fare this year without Jumichael Ramos. But it’s now clear there is plenty of talent. If players like sophomore Nyheim Hines and freshman Kelvin Harmon continue to play well then the ceiling for this offense is high.
Another key factor that’s vital to NC State’s success is the play of senior tailback Matt Dayes. Dayes tallied over 100 rushing yards for the seventh time this year in last week’s contest versus Syracuse. He is now a mere 61 yards shy of 1,000 rushing yards for the season. If he can manage to do so, he’ll be the first Wolfpack player to rush for 1,000 yards or more since 2002.
It would be definitely be a special moment for Dayes to attain this noteworthy accomplishment on Senior Day in front of the home crowd at Carter-Finley. Doing so could also help NC State win the game, which would make the moment even sweeter.
If the Pack can carry the momentum from their success against Syracuse, a game in which the offense set a season high in yardage and scored the most touchdowns against a conference opponent this year, Senior Day may just have a happy ending after all.
