The NC State football team returns to Carter-Finley Stadium Saturday when it takes on Wake Forest. The Wolfpack (2-1, 0-0 ACC) will be put to the test as it looks for its first conference victory of the season against the Demon Deacons (4-0, 1-0 ACC), who are off to a surprisingly good start.
So far this season, Wake Forest has proved many doubters wrong by winning its first four games after being picked to finish 12th out of 14 teams in the ACC. Wake’s biggest win this year was arguably when the team went to Durham and defeated Duke, 24-14, during Week Two of the college football season. The win reached a new level of significance just last weekend when the Blue Devils arrived in Notre Dame and upset the Irish, 38-35.
Wake Forest’s defense stood in the spotlight last Saturday in the Demon Deacons’ win over Indiana. The defense broke Hoosier running back Devine Redding’s five-straight 100-yard rushing games streak and accounted for five interceptions against Indiana’s highly touted quarterback Richard Lagow.
NC State head coach Dave Doeren discussed the task of preparing for and facing Wake Forest’s defense in his weekly news conference.
“Defensively, they’ve been good the whole time,” Doeren said on GoPack. “They’re only giving up 16.5 points per game and rushing defense, 88.5 yards a game. [We’re] looking forward to the challenge.”
NC State, who was picked to finish 10th in the ACC, was very close to entering Week Five with an undefeated record as well. Small mistakes plagued the team in the loss to ECU, a game the Pack wishes it could have back. However, the team got back on track with the win over ODU.
NC State’s bye last week has left players and coaches feeling both confident and well rested. Wake Forest, on the other hand, has played four straight games and will not have the level of preparedness that NC State enjoys.
Doeren stressed the importance of a week off when it comes to preparing the team both mentally and physically.
“Coming out of the bye week, it felt like we had a good opportunity to really look at some of the little details that are very, very important,” Doeren said on GoPack. “[We] also had some good time for the guys, recovery wise, which for a few of our key guys was needed.”
NC State sophomore quarterback Ryan Finley has been playing exceptionally for the Pack after being awarded the starting role. Finley has accounted for 714 passing yards and six passing touchdowns; however, arguably his most impressive statistic is the zero interceptions he’s thrown this season. Finley will have to be wary of his throws against Wake Forest, as he has not faced a defense of its caliber yet this season.
A key advantage that NC State holds over Wake Forest is redshirt sophomore quarterback Jalan McClendon. While Finley starts over McClendon, Doeren likes to bring in McClendon for goal-line plays. Last weekend, McClendon scored three touchdowns on three attempts, two rushing and one passing. Not only will Wake Forest need to figure out Finley and his passing game, but it will also need to be aware of McClendon in various situations.
While the Wolfpack holds the advantage over Wake Forest, outscoring the Deacons 77-30 over the past two seasons, don’t expect a win on Saturday to come easy. The Demon Deacons have turned over a new leaf this season and cannot be taken lightly. That being said, the Wolfpack holds the overall skill advantage and enough talent to emerge victorious.
NC State has yet to be tested in ACC waters, and a win over Wake Forest this weekend would give the program a largely helpful boost going into the meat of the conference season in the weeks to follow.
A version of this article appeared in print on Sept. 29, 2016, on page 12 with the headline: Wolfpack welcomes Demon Deacons
