Heading into the 2024 season, Wolfpack Nation was buzzing with hopes of a breakthrough season for NC State football. However, preseason hype does not necessarily equate to in-season success. Through various injuries and personnel difficulties, NC State has suffered the same fate of failing to live up to its preseason expectations.
Currently standing at 4-4, the Pack still has much to play for. Preparing for two consecutive home games before it hits the road to play its final two contests, there is not a team that the Pack can afford to overlook. Let’s take a look at the Pack’s remaining four games and see what NC State needs to do in order to secure a fifth straight bowl appearance.
Versus Stanford
The Pack will return home to take on Stanford. In the first-ever meeting between the two, NC State will get another crack at a new addition to the ACC. Out of the three new teams in the conference, the Cardinal have struggled the most. It began the season 2-1, including a win over an up-and-coming Syracuse team. However, the squad has trended in the opposite direction since then with five straight losses.
If NC State is to come away with a homecoming victory, it will have to take on the task of containing wide receiver Elic Ayomayor. Coming off a strong freshman season, Ayomayor has helped guide the Cardinal offense that has largely struggled this season. Leading the team in receiving yards, the Wolfpack secondary will look to contain him as the unit has found mixed results this season.
Meanwhile, NC State will look to continue building momentum in its passing game behind freshman quarterback CJ Bailey. He and the Pack will look to exploit the Stanford defense that allows 270.9 yards through the air per game.
Versus Duke
The Wolfpack will round out its home slate on senior night as it takes on the Duke Blue Devils. To the surprise of most, the best team in the state of North Carolina resides in Durham. With a plethora of personnel turnover during the offseason, Duke looked to be undergoing a rebuilding year this season. However, under the guidance of first-year head coach Manny Diaz, the Devils boast a squad that has placed them as one of the top teams in the ACC.
Led by transfer quarterback Maalik Murphy, the Blue Devils boast an offense that may not put up huge numbers but is efficient. Murphy is complimented by a pair of receivers in Jordan Moore and Eli Pancol who have combined for nearly 1,000 receiving yards. The offense also includes the talent of running back Star Thomas who has 681 rushing yards and five scores.
On the other side of the ball, Duke has a defense that once again is one of the best in the ACC. Specializing in defending against the pass, the Blue Devils will give the Pack a large test after facing a reeling Stanford defense. Only allowing 166.6 yards through the air per game, the Duke defense contains three players with multiple interceptions this season.
At Georgia Tech
After enjoying its second bye week of the season, NC State will travel to Atlanta to take on the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. Initially appearing to be one of the premier teams in the conference, the Jackets have trended downward with back-to-back double-digit losses. The team has felt the brunt of the injury to star quarterback Haynes King. Missing two straight games, Georgia Tech has not looked like the same without King under center.
Even though it is uncertain whether King will be able to play by the time of this game, the presence of multiple other playmakers on offense should still prove a challenge. Both Malik Rutherford and Eric Singleton Jr. have over 500 receiving yards on the season and have done their part to push the offense regardless of who is behind center.
The Jackets also have a strong defense that may be a problem for NC State as it currently ranks fifth in the ACC in terms of rushing yards allowed per game. The unit contains the likes of linebacker Kyle Efford who has 52 total tackles so far to go with 3.5 tackles for a loss. For an NC State unit that has largely struggled to find any consistency in the ground game, it will have to find some success to not become one-dimensional.
At UNC-Chapel Hill
In its regular-season finale, NC State will make the quick trip to Chapel Hill to take on the North Carolina Tar Heels. One thing that both fanbases can agree on this season is that it has not turned out the way either imagined so far. Currently sitting at 4-4, the Heels have suffered some frustrating losses. Mostly attributed to defensive miscues, Carolina sustained a disastrous four-game losing streak before a blowout win over Virginia.
The Tar Heels have had to navigate new territory this year with the departure of star quarterback Drake Maye. Having to start multiple players from behind center, the team has had to continually look for something that would stick.
Despite this uncertainty, UNC is benefitted by the presence of running back Omarion Hampton who already has north of 1,000 yards on the ground and is one of the best runners in the country. When NC State takes the visit to Kenan Memorial Stadium, it will need to be effective in defending against the run as it has largely taken a step back this season in that regard.
The defense so far has been a mixed bag for Carolina. Starting with allowing 50 points to James Madison, the unit followed it up by allowing 21 unanswered points the following week in a loss to Duke. Two weeks later, it appeared as if UNC had a chance to go into overtime against Georgia Tech. However, a late 68-yard touchdown run helped the Jackets escape with a win. Last week, it appeared the Heels may have turned a page in a 41-14 win over Virginia. It should be interesting to see which defense lines up against NC State.
