The NC State Wolfpack (2-1) returns home to face off against the Ball State Cardinals (1-2) after a disappointing loss in West Virginia. Both sides of the ball struggled in the loss against the Mountaineers, but the defense having trouble against a mediocre offense was unsettling in particular. This week, the Pack has a chance to take advantage of a losing team and re-establish its defense as dominant.
Wolfpack secondary vs. Cardinals passing game
Against West Virginia, the Pack was without senior cornerback Nick McCloud and allowed Mountaineers quarterback Austin Kendall to pass for 272 yards and three touchdowns. Starting Cardinals quarterback Drew Plitt has 1,040 passing yards this season on nearly 71% completion, with 11 passing touchdowns and just three interceptions.
The Wolfpack secondary was torn apart by the Mountaineers receivers and is facing off with a receiving corps that has 1,045 yards under its name and 11 touchdowns. The Cardinals have yet to play a team as competitive as NC State, but the talent on the receiving corps is undeniable. Each of the Cardinals’ top five receivers have at least 130 receiving yards under their belt, one touchdown at least and an average above 15.2 yards per catch, save for one receiver, who averages 10.1 yards per catch.
The top two Cardinals receivers, Riley Miller and Antwan Davis, have combined for 458 of those 1,045 yards and five of 11 receiving touchdowns. Senior Kishawn Miller will start for the injured McCloud at the left corner position and will look to build on his impressive performance versus the Mountaineers, where he recorded five total tackles and a pass deflection. Joining Miller against the imposing Cardinals receivers is junior Chris Ingram, who also posted five tackles in last week’s loss.
Wolfpack defensive line vs. Cardinals offensive line
The Wolfpack defensive line had the roughest game of any defensive positional group against the Mountaineers, and this game provides the best opportunity to establish confidence moving forward. Seven of the Wolfpack’s eight sacks have come from the defensive line this season, and the Cardinals have allowed nine sacks all season. For reference, the NC State offensive line has allowed just three sacks on redshirt sophomore Matt McKay through three games.
The Pack defensive line was without graduate James Smith-Williams and redshirt freshman Joseph Boletepeli in the previous game, but head coach Dave Doeren is anticipating both players to play this weekend, which will help immensely in sustaining quarterback pressure, something the Pack failed to do against West Virginia.
Wolfpack linebackers vs. Cardinals running backs
While the air raid offense of the Cardinals is an impressive part of their offense, the ground attack is less impressive. The Cardinals have just 420 yards on 111 carries and three touchdowns all year on the ground, with the team’s leading rusher being Caleb Huntley, who has accounted for 231 of those yards and two of those touchdowns. For reference, NC State leading rusher Zonovan Knight has more yards and touchdowns on ten less attempts.
This is not to say the rushing game of the Cardinals should be overlooked, though, as the NC State defense allowed a struggling Mountaineers run game pick them apart. In order to prevent this, the Wolfpack linebackers will need to step up. In particular, redshirt sophomore Isaiah Moore has a perfect opportunity to bounce back in this game. After recording one sack and six total tackles in his first two games, Moore failed to record any stats in the loss to West Virginia. A strong game from Moore would help the defense in the long run, as more trust can be established in a linebacker group that needs to be more consistent.
The game will kick off at 7 p.m. on Saturday at Carter-Finley Stadium and can be viewed on ESPNU. The Pack will not return to Carter-Finley after the game until October 10, against Syracuse.
