After what will be over a week off, the No. 20 NC State football team travels to Pittsburgh to face the Pittsburgh Panthers for another ACC contest on Saturday.
The Wolfpack (5-1, 3-0 ACC) moved up in the national polls over the weekend after a 14-point victory over ACC opponent Louisville, who was ranked No. 17 for the matchup. The Pack has started its season 3-0 in the ACC, which is its best start since 2002. The Panthers (2-4, 0-2 ACC) are looking for their first ACC win of the season and their third home win.
After a successful 2016 season that included a win over Penn State and the eventual national champions in Clemson, the Panthers are not off to the start the team hoped for. Their first game of the season was a 28-21 overtime win against Youngstown State and their second win was a 42-10 shellacking of Rice. The Panthers need a big win after their fourth loss last week to Syracuse, 24-27. The Pack is not the first ranked opponent the Panthers have faced this season however, as Pitt fell to then-No. 9 Oklahoma State and then-No. 4 Penn State.
The Pack’s defensive line continues to be a threat for any opposing quarterback and Pitt will be no different. Pitt’s last contest consisted of playing three quarterbacks. Redshirt senior Max Browne, the starter for Pitt, was injured in the third quarter, which led to sophomore Ben DiNucci taking over for the Panthers.
Due to DiNucci’s helmet coming off during play and the rule enforced by the NCAA, the Panthers were forced to burn a redshirt for Kenny Pickett. In his press conference on Monday, Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi said that DiNucci will be the starter against the Wolfpack. DiNucci has played in five games this season including a start against Georgia Tech, tallying 442 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions thus far.
Junior safety Jordan Whitehead has been a force on both sides of the ball for Pitt, seeing reps on offense this year. As a safety, he had nine tackles in the Panthers’ loss to the Orange, and rushed seven times for 73 yards, a touchdown and a two-point conversion.
Along with Whitehead, the Pitt defense is young and only has two seniors. Cornerback Avonte Maddox and defensive end Allen Edwards are going to be leading the Pitt defense that has been responsible for five interceptions and four forced fumbles this season.
With multiple aspects of the Pack smeared with ACC and national honors in the past week, including redshirt junior quarterback Ryan Finley, the offensive line, senior all-purpose back Jaylen Samuels and senior defensive end Bradley Chubb, the Pack has more to prove this week.
The Pack offense will strive to prove its list of accomplishments. Finley has yet to throw an interception this season and has tallied 1,770 yards so far. Samuels is coming off a 100-receiving-yard performance against Louisville, and junior running back Nyheim Hines is finding his stride, ranking second in the ACC with 513 rushing yards.
The Pack looks to continue its win streak and remain undefeated in the ACC as it takes on Pittsburgh at Heinz Field on Saturday. Kickoff is set for noon.
