The NC State defense has allowed 99 points in its last two games, against Wake Forest and Clemson, and has allowed 219 points in its five losses this season, with only 84 points scored in those games. In what seems like a must-win for the Pack, which needs to win two of its next three games to qualify for a bowl game, the defense must step up to expectations against a Cardinals’ offense that has outperformed the Pack’s this season.
In four ACC losses, the Wolfpack has been outscored 175-57, while the Cardinals have been outscored just 178-137 against those same opponents. That is an 80-point difference between both offenses; Louisville put up 62 points in a win against a Wake Forest team that limited NC State to just 10 points, and beat Boston College 41-39, a team that nearly doubled up the Pack 45-24, showing Louisville’s offensive prowess.
The game against Louisville will also provide a reunion with Dwayne Ledford, the former offensive line coach of the Wolfpack, who is now the offensive coordinator and line coach at Louisville. Let’s take a look at how the NC State defense matches up with the Louisville offense, and if there are any areas the Wolfpack can take advantage of.
Defensive Line
The Wolfpack D-line will be matched up against the Cardinals offensive line, a group that has allowed 27 sacks through nine games. Meanwhile, the NC State defensive line has 13 sacks through its nine games, despite having faced elite ACC offenses in Wake Forest and Clemson, who have only allowed a combined 14 sacks.
While sacks are not the sole determinant of defensive production, the Pack has to feel good about its chances here with graduate defensive end James Smith-Williams and graduate defensive tackle Larrell Murchison helming the line. The duo has a combined eight sacks and 54 tackles, as well as a pass broken up and 11 tackles for loss.
Murchison, Smith-Williams and company could have somewhat of an advantage against the Cardinal offensive line, having practiced against Ledford’s schemes in the three years that he was the O-line coach in Raleigh.
Linebackers
Redshirt sophomore Isaiah Moore, junior Louis Acceus, redshirt freshman Payton Wilson, redshirt junior Brock Miller and freshman Drake Thomas were all either injured right before the game against Clemson or during it. These are the five linebackers highest on the depth chart for the Pack. In his weekly presser, head coach Dave Doeren stated optimism for the corps, save for Acceus who has already been ruled out for the game.
Regardless, the linebacker corps needs to step up in the game and lock down the rushing attack of the Cardinals. The ground game of Louisville is led by a duo of backs, Javian Hawkins and Hassan Hall, as well as quarterback Micale Cunningham. Hawkins is the most prolific rusher of the group, with 1,045 rushing yards on 180 attempts along with six touchdowns.
Meanwhile, Hall has put up a respectable 435 yards and four touchdowns as the Cardinals’ clear No. 2 option, while Cunningham has cemented himself as a dual-threat quarterback with five rushing touchdowns and 421 yards on the ground.
The linebackers will need to improve in this area after letting up 798 yards on the ground in the last three games. However, the group did only allow 123 yards against Wake Forest, which has less prolific rushers than the likes of Clemson’s Travis Etienne and Boston College’s A.J. Dillon.
Secondary
Like the linebackers, the Wolfpack secondary has been ravaged with injuries in the last few weeks. While senior cornerback Nick McCloud returned to action against the Tigers, he was noticeably and understandably rusty. The next three corners on the depth chart, junior Chris Ingram, sophomore Teshaun Smith and redshirt freshman Taiyon Palmer, are all out for the season, while redshirt junior strong safety Isaiah Stallings was out for the game against Clemson. Starting sophomore corner De’Von Graves also went down with an injury in the game, but is expected to play this weekend.
Redshirt senior Jarius Morehead was also hurt in the game against Clemson, but seems to be fine as he is still listed as the starter against Louisville alongside Graves.
The secondary will have its hands full with Cunningham, as well as a strong trio of Cardinals receivers, Chatarius Atwell, Seth Dawkins and Dre Fitzpatrick. This season, Cunningham has thrown for 1,224 yards with ten touchdowns and only three interceptions despite not beginning the season as the starter. Cunningham’s efficiency is impressive given that he is just a redshirt freshman for the Cardinals.
Atwell, Dawkins and Fitzpatrick have a combined 1,615 receiving yards on the year, with 15 touchdowns, and each’s longest pass caught being at least 74 yards. Atwell accounts for 809 receiving yards and eight touchdowns alone, and each receiver has at least 17 yards per catch.
The deep-ball happy Cardinals will prove to be troublesome for an injury-riddled secondary, a group that has allowed 1,009 passing yards in ACC losses, as well as nine touchdowns in the air.
The game against the Cardinals kicks off at 7:30 p.m., NC State’s second consecutive home night game at Carter-Finley Stadium. For fans that cannot make it to the game, it will be streamed live on the ACC Network and radio listeners can tune in on Wolfpack Sports Network.
