Well, the NC State football team survived its first ACC test, earning a 33-16 win over Wake Forest to move the Wolfpack’s record to 3-1. It was a must-win game for the Wolfpack, as the schedule dramatically ramps up in difficulty starting this week with a home contest against Notre Dame. Just do yourself a favor and don’t look at the next couple weeks after that. It will just make you depressed.
Notre Dame entered the season with lofty expectations but has failed to live up to them, sputtering to a 2-3 start to the season. The Irish dispatched Syracuse this past weekend, in a 50-33 offensive slugfest. The Notre Dame defense has struggled all season, ranking 106th in the NCAA in yards allowed per game, giving up 461 per game. The Irish also rank 100th in the nation in scoring defense, allowing 33.4 points per game this season. NC State’s defense ranks 21st and 37th, respectively, in those categories.
Defensive Line
The Wolfpack defensive line was like a hurricane this past weekend, blowing through the Wake Forest offensive line on numerous occasions to bust plays up. Junior defensive end Bradley Chubb and sophomore Darian Roseboro continue to have a fantastic seasons and the line as a whole has been the bright spot everyone expected it to be.
Senior Isaac Rochell and graduate student Jarron Jones are experienced and mean on the defensive line for Notre Dame, but as a whole this unit has struggled tremendously to get to the quarterback. Notre Dame has just three sacks in five games, a shockingly low number, and none have been from the defensive line. Only Charlotte and East Carolina have less. NC State redshirt sophomore quarterback Ryan Finley should have plenty of time to throw.
Advantage: NC State
Linebackers
Juniors Airius Moore and Jerod Fernandez along with senior Dravious Wright combined for 17 tackles against Wake Forest and they were solid against the run and pass throughout the game. Moore is second on the team with 26 tackles while Fernandez is third with 21 for the season.
Notre Dame linebackers Nyles Morgan, Te’von Coney and James Onwualu have combined for 108 tackles and 9.5 tackles for loss. This unit also has combined for all of the team’s sacks, making it the star group of the Notre Dame defense.
Advantage: Notre Dame
Secondary
Redshirt junior Josh Jones has been the star of the secondary, leading the Wolfpack in tackles with 36. Junior Shawn Boone will miss the first half of the contest, serving the suspension after being ejected for targeting in the second half of the Wake Forest game. Redshirt freshman Jarius Morehead will pick up the slack for Boone, and Morehead has looked more than capable in his time on the field.
The secondary as a whole for NC State has been a problem, with the team struggling in pass coverage for most of the season. The Pack has allowed big days for at least one wide receiver in each game this season and look for that trend to continue against Notre Dame.
Notre Dame is allowing 275 yards per game and has given up nine touchdowns through the air this season. The Irish have allowed the most damage to come from opposing running backs rather than passing units. The unit has only picked off four passes this season and allowed large numbers to both a freshman quarterback in Week 1 against Texas and to ACC quarterbacks in redshirt freshman Daniel Jones of Duke and Syracuse’s sophomore Eric Dungey this season. Finley and the Wolfpack offense should have a big day.
Advantage: NC State
Special Teams
NC State sophomore kicker Kyle Bambard drilled a 48-yard field goal against Wake Forest to go along with a chip shot 20-yarder earlier in the game. He also missed an extra point, but to see him make a long field goal is a great sign for the Wolfpack. Sophomore punter A.J. Cole had another great game, drilling a 72-yard punt.
Notre Dame sophomore kicker Justin Yoon is just 4 of 7 on field goal attempts this season, with a long of only 39 yards. His career long is 52, so he has considerable range.
Notre Dame has a kick return touchdown this season, as sophomore C.J. Sanders is a threat on both kick returns and punts.
Advantage: Notre Dame
Junior defensive end Bradley Chubb celebrates with junior defensive tackle B.J. Hill after a big sack. The Wolfpack ended the Demon Deacons' hot streak with a 33-16 victory on Oct. 1 in Carter-Finley Stadium.
