With yet another comeback victory in the books, the NC State football team looks to keep the momentum rolling as it heads to South Florida for the first road test of the season.
The South Florida Bulls (1-1) will welcome the Wolfpack (2-0) to Tampa Saturday afternoon, with the Pack looking to build off last week’s second-half dominance against Old Dominion.
Redshirt junior quarterback Jacoby Brissett’s performance was improved, as he connected on 21 of his 29 throws for 253 yards and two touchdowns. Running backs Shadrach Thornton and Matt Dayes really found their place in the Pack offense, combining for 27 carries, 165 yards and five scores.
The transition Brissett made between the first and second games pleased Wolfpack fans. His composure and demeanor seemed to be where he wanted, and it showed.
“He’s what he’s coached,” NC State Head Coach Dave Doeren said in the weekly ACC coaches press conference. “He’s reading pre-snap coverage distributing the football. If he can manage the game and be accurate like he’s been, he’ll have a good season.”
The one problem from last weekend that could persist against the Bulls is the missed tackles on the defensive side of the ball for the Wolfpack.
“Defensively, we didn’t tackle well,” Doeren said. “Mostly in the first half, is about as bad as I’ve seen us tackle. We’re definitely going to work on that this week.”
South Florida, however, doesn’t seem invincible as its one win this season was a 36-31 victory over Western Carolina, and its one loss was a 24-17 defeat at the hands of the Maryland Terrapins.
The quarterback play for the Bulls isn’t overwhelming, with junior Steven Bench throwing for 162 yards on 14 of 36 passes with one interception. The rushing attack follows the same pattern, as freshman Marlon Mack gained 73 yards on 22 carries. One player to watch for is senior wide out Andre Davis for South Florida.
“I’m not sure what his status if for this week,” said Coach Doeren. “He didn’t play last week, but he was their team MVP a year ago. He’s a really good receiver.”
The Bulls defense had a great game in the turnover margin, forcing six Terrapin turnovers, four fumbles and two interceptions, returning one fumble for a touchdown.
“Defensively, they have forced nine turnovers in two weeks which might be the best in the country,” Doeren said. “They’re very long and play good defense. We’re going to have a great challenge this week.”
If the Pack wants a shot at a bowl game this year, it needs to win a game or two on the road. Last season, the Wolfpack went 0-4 on the road and lost by a combined 82 points.
“I think we were beating ourselves on the road and at home last year,” Doeren said. “With all of the changes that we made to our lineup, the issues we had at quarterback. We turned the ball over a lot. We had a lot of young guys playing.”
Coach Doeren’s placed a lot of emphasis on control, telling the team not to worry about the little things they can’t control and prepping them for the big road test.
“That’s the goal this week,” Doeren said. “To get them ready. With our team being so young, I think we need to focus on individual players and having our leaders step up.”
The Wolfpack’s next road game doesn’t come until a trip to Death Valley and a showdown with ACC rival Clemson on Oct. 4. For now, all the Pack can do is batten down the hatches as the brunt of the schedule draws near.
