The NC State football team will be back in action Saturday night in a home contest against the Old Dominion Monarchs (1-1), following a tough road game against East Carolina University last weekend, in which the Pack lost 33-30.
The Pack (1-1, 0-0 ACC) had plenty of chances to win the game, including on the final drive, but unfortunately they didn’t have quite enough to defeat the Pirates. After losing a close game like that, the team and coaching staff will look to improve upon all the little things that could have made just enough difference to earn them the win.
“I know our players and coaches all didn’t enjoy watching the film,” head coach Dave Doeren said to NC State Athletics in a news conference Monday. “We know that we could’ve played and coached better, and there’s a lot of opportunities and we’re going to use them. We watched [the film], we corrected it and we’re going to turn everything we have to ODU.”
Thankfully, this week’s matchup should be a good chance for the Wolfpack to work on last week’s mistakes and notch a solid win going into its bye week. NC State is 2-0 all-time against the Monarchs (1-1, 0-0 C-USA), having defeated them in Carter-Finley Stadium in 2014 and in Norfolk last fall by a combined margin of 84-48.
That being said, the Pack will not be taking its opponent lightly. The NC State coaching staff has a lot of respect for Old Dominion’s program and the weapons that it has.
“Their tailback, I think is a really good football player, and last week he had 100 yards on App, was over 1,000 yards last season,” Doeren said. “He’s a weapon for them.”
Doeren also noted that senior wide receiver, Zach Pascal, recorded nearly 1,000 receiving yards last year and that senior dual-threat quarterback, David Washington, is a Raleigh native, so this game will likely mean a lot to him.
The Monarchs’ offense is currently averaging 395 yards of total offense, 184 on the ground and 211 through the air. Doeren acknowledged their explosive offense, and the Pack defense will need to show up and play to their full potential.
As for the Monarchs’ defense, Doeren said that he’s impressed with ODU’s defensive ends, specifically their pass rushing ability on third down. Given that the Wolfpack was 4 of 11 on third-down conversions against ECU, third down will be critical for the Wolfpack offensively this weekend.
Additionally, ODU’s secondary boasts three returning starters and is another strength defensively. They allowed only 185 passing yards against Appalachian State University last week, while also picking off the quarterback once.
Now that Ryan Finley has likely solidified his role as the Pack’s starting signal caller, he will need to continue to be accurate and smart with the football. Finley completed 20-of-31 throws for 254 yards and a score against East Carolina.
He is currently leading the ACC with a completion percentage of 71.2 percent and is one of just three starting QBs in the ACC who has not thrown an interception this season. Hopefully, his success will continue this weekend.
Also, as the season progresses and offensive coordinator Eliah Drinkwitz gains more trust in Finley and other skill position players, don’t be surprised to see Drinkwitz begin to open up more facets of the offense.
Jaylen Samuels has had a productive year thus far and with his talent, the ceiling is nowhere in sight. Meanwhile, junior wideout Stephen Louis had his coming out party last week, turning in the first 100-yard receiving performance for a Pack player since 2013. Fans should also not forget sophomore receiver and kick returner Nyheim Hines who has been fairly quiet so far this season, but is poised to have a breakout year and is liable to make an impact at any time.
However, one thing that is certain is that NC State will continue to rely on its ground game, led by senior tailback Matt Dayes, to be the key to its offensive success. Dayes’ career average rushing yards-per-attempt of 5.7 yards-per-carry is the best in school history, and he has already recorded two 100-yard games and two rushing touchdowns this season.
The Pack’s offense as a whole has been strong through the first two contests, averaging 509 yards of total offense per game. If they can maintain this level of play and if the team as a whole can work out the minor issues that cost the last week’s game, then the Wolfpack should dispatch the Monarchs fairly easily and improve to 2-1 before conference play begins.
With a tough conference schedule like the Pack’s, it is crucial to win the games that should be winnable; this is arguably a must-win game for NC State if they want to post a .500 record or better this season.
