NC State football begins its two-game road stretch with a matchup against the Louisville Cardinals in Cardinal Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 19.
This marks the 12th all-time meeting between the Wolfpack (7-3, 3-3) and the Cardinals (6-4, 3-4). The Pack has won three of the past four meetings between the programs, including a 52-10 victory the last time NC State visited Louisville.
This season has been one of ups and downs for the Cardinals. After beginning the season 1-2, they proceeded to win five of their next seven, with victories over Virginia, Pittsburgh and Wake Forest.
The Cardinals are fresh off a 31-16 loss at Clemson. Junior Brock Domann filled in for senior quarterback Malik Cunningham, who was sidelined with a shoulder injury, and threw for a modest 175 yards, one touchdown and one pick. Senior receiver Tyler Hudson had an outstanding performance, recording 11 catches for 163 yards. Their defense, however, allowed 439 total yards, which helped lead Clemson to victory.
For the Wolfpack, this game signifies the chance to right the ship after a disappointing performance against Boston College last week. The status of freshman quarterback MJ Morris is currently up in the air after he sustained an injury in last week’s game.
If he’s unavailable, graduate quarterback Jack Chambers will presumably start. Regardless of who lines up behind center, the offense will look to improve their decision-making and efficiency — two main factors that withheld NC State’s victory last week.
Morris and the receiving corps look to improve on last week’s performance in which they only posted 135 total passing yards. Most of these yards came via graduate receiver Thayer Thomas and redshirt junior tight end Trent Pennix.
The Pack definitely looks to get more people involved this weekend. Graduate wideout Darryl Jones and junior receiver Keyon Lesane were relatively quiet last weekend, posting a combined total of 12 yards. NC State will face a Cardinal defense that currently only allows 207.6 passing yards per game.
Over the course of the season, NC State’s running attack continues to develop. The team had a very strong performance last week after posting 200 yards as a collective unit. The Wolfpack has seen numerous contributions from junior Jordan Houston and freshman Michael Allen. The duo emerged as leaders of the unit during the continued absence of sophomore phenom Demie Sumo-Karngbaye, who returned last week only to suffer a left ankle injury early in the Boston College game. NC State looks to take advantage of the Louisville run defense, which allows a promising 145.2 yards per game.
The offense will need to take note of Cardinal linebacker Momo Sanogo, who’s had a very solid season so far — logging 74 total tackles and 3.5 sacks. The Pack will also need to look out for linebacker YaYa Diaby, who posted an impressive total of 6.5 sacks on the season and 31 tackles. Another area of concern is the Louisville secondary, with five different players reeling in multiple interceptions so far this season.
On the other side of the ball, the Pack defense will meet a team that averages a very impressive 421.2 yards of total offense and 28.8 points per game. Something has to give for a Pack defense currently allowing an average of 321.2 yards of total offense and 18.1 points per game. It will continue to look for contributions from junior Drake Thomas and the rest of the hard-hitting linebacker core.
The Pack’s passing defense is coming off a solid performance last week after coming away with two turnovers. NC State faces the difficult task of covering wide receiver Tyler Hudson, who’s posted a notable 866 receiving yards so far.
The Cardinals also have a pair of shifty receivers the Wolfpack needs to keep an eye out for — Ahmari Huggins-Bruce and Marshon Ford, who have a combined 704 yards and four scores this season. This is a relatively even matchup for an NC State defense allowing 228.9 passing yards per game compared to Louisville’s 224.2 passing yards per game average.
Lastly, the Wolfpack’s rushing defense will face perhaps its biggest test of the season. Stuffing the run is the crown achievement of the defense, since NC State currently leads the ACC in yards allowed with an impressive 92.3 per game. However, the Pack will hope to halt a Cardinal rushing attack which averages 197 yards per game.
The Pack will need to keep an eye out for running backs Tiyon Evans and Jawhar Jordan who have a combined 973 rushing yards and seven scores. The Wolfpack also needs to monitor Cunningham if he’s healthy, considering he’s one of the most versatile quarterbacks in the conference with 561 yards on the ground along with 11 rushing scores.
NC State’s upcoming trip to Louisville will be a solid test for both sides of the ball. The Pack is currently the four-point underdog, looking to flip the script from its devastating loss a week ago and spoiling the Cardinals’ own senior day.
Kickoff against the Cardinals is set for 3:30 p.m. at Cardinal Stadium.
