No. 10 NC State football finished its nonconference schedule with an undefeated record and beat its competition with relative ease, aside from week one against ECU. With a matchup against No. 5 Clemson on the horizon, let’s look at some key numbers from nonconference play.
13 – NC State’s national ranking in total defense
The defense is the main reason why the Pack has an undefeated record going into conference play. Going into the season, the defense had high expectations, and the unit has delivered on those expectations in a major way.
The run defense has been the most impressive part of this elite group, allowing only 3.27 yards per rush and 81.8 rush yards per game. State is able to make teams one dimensional on offense, which allows the defense to predict what the offense will run. It is hard for opposing teams to win games when the defense knows the opposing offense can’t run the ball.
While the front seven has stifled the opponent’s run game, the secondary has been dominant in its own right. Although they haven’t faced any of the elite quarterbacks in the ACC, the defensive backs have been feasting with seven interceptions on the year, which is good enough to be top-10 in the country. One of those interceptions was an 84-yard pick six by sophomore cornerback Aydan White against Texas Tech.
The combination of a run-stifling front seven and a ball-hawking secondary makes this one of the most formidable defenses in the entire country.
222.5 – Devin Leary’s pass yards per game
This number is down from the redshirt junior’s 286.1 pass yards per game during his breakout season last year as the Pack’s starting quarterback. Expectations were sky high going into the season for Leary because of the great season he had last year, but so far, his play has been a bit underwhelming.
This doesn’t all fall on Leary as he has not found a consistent target to throw to this season, and he and his receivers haven’t been on the same page numerous times. So far this season, not one Wolfpack receiver has had more than five catches in a game. This could mean Leary is trying to spread the ball around to all his pass catchers, or he hasn’t found trust in a receiver yet, which explains why his yardage per game has dipped from last season.
Even though the Pack is undefeated, Leary will have to step up his game in order for the Wolfpack to have success in the ACC and achieve its ultimate goal of competing for an ACC championship.
10 – NC State’s rank in the AP Poll
For the first time since 2002, the Wolfpack has entered the top-10 in the AP poll. Some may think the Pack is ranked too high because of the near loss to ECU and inconsistent play on offense. At the end of the day, the Wolfpack has an undefeated record, and that’s what has positioned it to be in the top 10.
Many teams that were ahead of NC State in the rankings have lost, allowing the Pack to go from No. 18 after week one to No. 10 after nonconference play. Some Wolfpack fans may not be satisfied with the team because of some of the inconsistency the team has shown, but it did what it was supposed to do and went 4-0 in nonconference play. Most of the teams behind State in the rankings can’t say the same thing about their nonconference schedule.
It is now up to the Wolfpack to prove it belongs in the top 10 by showing some of the same dominance against ACC teams as it did against nonconference opponents. By the time the clock hits zero in Clemson, South Carolina Saturday night, everyone will know if the Pack’s ranking is justified or not.
