No. 12 NC State football is set to battle UConn on Saturday, Sept. 24, and for a third straight week, will play at Carter-Finley Stadium. Due to NC State’s Parents and Families Weekend, the matchup against the Huskies sold out over a week in advance.
In their previous season, the Huskies posted a meager 1-11 record. With the new hiring of head coach Jim Mora, UConn hopes Mora’s experience with the Atlanta Falcons, Seattle Seahawks and UCLA Bruins will boost the team into a much-needed new era of football success.
Historically, the Huskies and Wolfpack have only played each other twice — in 2003 and 2012 — where the Pack won both meetings by a combined score of 41-31. Through four games this season, NC State has outscored its opponents by an impressive margin of 103-37. When looking at UConn’s 62-141 point margin, the Pack will look to increase this gap and add another loss to the Huskies’ 1-3 record.
So far this year, UConn has lost to Syracuse, Utah State and Michigan. Across these games, those three teams won by two scores or more. Michigan, in particular, danced away with a cool 59-0 victory and held the Huskies to only 110 yards of offense. The Huskies’ lone win came against Central Connecticut State University, a team that has not yet won a game in the 2022 season. Last year, UConn’s only victory came in a close six-point victory over Yale, a game in which the Huskies broke their 11-game losing streak, but punted 12 times and converted on 3rd down only 22% of the time.
In their only win of the 2022 season, UConn’s rushing attack and time management were their bread and butter. Against the CCSU Blue Devils, the Huskies’ offense utilized their run game to enable their pass game. In the second half alone, UConn wore down the Blue Devil defense, scoring on four of their five second-half drives. Three of those drives used more than five minutes of valuable game time.
Although UConn returns their leading rusher, sophomore Nathan Carter, and leading receiver, sophomore Keelan Marion, they have experienced some setbacks. Marion and starting quarterback Ta’Quan Roberson, a transfer from Penn State, both suffered injuries in the Huskies’ opening game versus Utah State. Their answer: true freshman QB Zion Turner and sophomore receiver Aaron Turner, who led the team in receptions in the previous season.
On defense, the UConn Huskies returned with a bit more experience, including all four starters in their secondary. On top of the arrival of Kentucky transfer Marquez Bembry, their two leading tacklers, linebackers Jackson Mitchell and Ian Swenson, are back into the starting lineup. A major gap has been UConn’s defensive line as the Huskies have allowed 687 rushing yards and let Michigan back Blake Corum record five touchdowns on the ground.
Since UConn ranked the worst among FBS teams in yards per attempt in 2021, the team hopes Turner can be their passing savior for future seasons. Due to this statistic, the Huskies have been dependent on Carter, and he has delivered. In the team’s opening loss to the Utah State Aggies, he was the bright spot on the Husky offense, powering forward for a career-high 190 yards on 20 carries. Carter enters Saturday’s game with a solid 6.23 yards per rush, a stat that ranks 33rd in the nation, even after a beatdown by the Michigan Wolverines.
If the Wolfpack defense wants to make UConn’s lives difficult, they must contain Carter. NC State’s Preseason First-Team All-ACC linebackers, redshirt junior Payton Wilson and junior Drake Thomas should have no problem stuffing the run as they pave the way for a Wolfpack defense that has improved from 127 rushing yards per game in 2021 to just 85 yards per game in 2022, good enough for 17th best in the nation.
On the other side of the ball, the emergence of sophomore running back Demie Sumo-Karngbaye should help the Pack have a field day on the ground, exploiting its opponent’s new defensive line. Including Sumo-Karngbaye, NC State boasts four running backs that average more than four yards per carry, and all four will likely see the field in this matchup.
This weekend, redshirt junior quarterback Devin Leary looks to mirror his performance against Charleston Southern, a game in which he tied an NC State record with six total touchdowns on his birthday. Sophomore defensive back Aydan White is also coming off a breakout game, earning National Defensive Player of the Week honors. Against Texas Tech, White made a career-high five total tackles, nabbed his first collegiate sack and grabbed two interceptions, returning one 84 yards for a score.
Channeling these electric achievements, the Pack will utilize its UConn matchup as extra preparation for its ACC rival, Clemson, which it will face off against in the following week. Until then, UConn is the next obstacle in front of the undefeated Wolfpack.
Kickoff against the Huskies is set for 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 24 at Carter-Finley Stadium.
