Saturday, November 3
Raleigh, N.C.
3:30 p.m.
NC State
vs
Florida State - Homecoming | Red Out
Wolfpack Returns Home to Face Florida State for Homecoming
11/2/2018 8:02:00 AM | Football
Game Day Central | Game Notes | Thursday Football Notebook
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A pair of rugged road trips that resulted in back-to-back defeats to Clemson and Syracuse have left the NC State football team (5-2, 2-2 ACC) longing for the more comfortable surroundings of Carter-Finley Stadium.
On Saturday, the Wolfpack will play on home turf for the first time since October 6 when it hosts Florida State (4-4, 2-4) at 3:30 p.m. The game will be televised by ABC.
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"Home game are a more comfortable routine," said Pack center Garrett Bradbury. "As much as you can stay in the same routine, the better it's going to be."
The most recent road trips were hardly comfortable. Following both games, NC State returned home in the wee small hours of the morning, pondering adjustments that needed to be made after running up against two of the nation's best offenses. Between them, Clemson and Syracuse rang up 92 combined points and an average of 440 yards passing in the two games.
The ACC's current offensive cycle has made life difficult for most defenses in the league. A total of nine teams, including NC State, are averaging better than 30 points per contest. Last weekend, seven of the league's offenses scored 40 points or more.
"The game is more wide open and people are playing more snaps, so you're going to have more scoring opportunities because of the tempo," Wolfpack head coach Dave Doeren said. "The last two teams we played averaged 80 snaps on offense. Traditionally, you're playing against 60 or 70 plays, but that's changed. You're talking about 15 or so more scoring opportunities that offenses are getting.
"If you can get back to where we were at the beginning of the year where we weren't giving up explosive plays and getting takeaways, that's how you limit scoring. That's where we need to get back to on defense."
In the losses at Clemson and Syracuse, NC State had just one takeaway and finished minus-3 in turnover margin.
In its transition to first-year head coach Willie Taggart, Florida State has often looked like a team trying to get acclimated to a new staff, a different system and a fresh culture. In the aftermath of last week's 59-10 home loss to Clemson, Taggart, without naming names publicly, called out some players for failing to compete at level that he expects.
"We've got to make sure we stick together and play for one another," Taggart said. "It's an important game for us and a big time game for us."
And while a culture change is in progress at FSU, the program still recruits in elite circles, leaving the Seminoles with the type of speed and athleticism for which the program is known.
Defensive end Brian Burns is one of the most disruptive players at his position in the country, ranking first in the ACC and fifth nationally with an average of 1.13 sacks per game. Now a junior, Burns owns 23 sacks and 35.5 tackles for loss in his career.
"The guy is one of the best in the country at pass rush," Doeren said. "He's beaten a lot of good players this year, so it's an area of emphasis. Pass protection is something we take a lot of pride in when it comes to protecting Ryan (Finley). Last week, we didn't do as well as we have as far as getting him hit. We need to keep Ryan up, get the ball out on time and know where Burns is. He's a really good player."
Although Wolfpack quarterback Ryan Finley was sacked only once at Syracuse, he did see more pass rushers in his face than usual, including on a play that led to a late fourth quarter interception that snuffed out a potential NC State rally.
The Wolfpack leads all Power five teams in fewest sacks allowed per game (0.57).
Florida State's quarterback situation appears to be in flux, with starter Deondre Francois listed as day-to-day after taking numerous shots last week against the Tigers. If Francois can't go, sophomore James Blackman will get the call. Blackman made his first career start against the Pack last season, throwing for 278 yards in a 27-21 loss.
With a 4-0 home record this season, NC State will be trying to keep hopes alive for an unbeaten mark at Carter-Finley, something that hasn't been done since 1986.
"That's one of our team goals," said Doeren. "Being unbeaten at home means a lot to us. It's something that a lot of the programs I've been with have been able to do. It's something that we'd like to accomplish here year in and year out."
It was 20-years ago that NC State posted one of the program's greatest all-time triumphs by taking down the second ranked Noles coached by the legendary Bobby Bowden. All the comforts of home were in play on that memorable Saturday afternoon. The 2018 Wolfpack hopes for more of the same this weekend.
The Wolfpack Sports Network begins pregame coverage Saturday with the Lowe's Foods Countdown to Kickoff at 1:30 p.m. Shorty after 2:30 p.m., veteran color analyst Johnny Evans will take questions about Wolfpack football on 'Ask the Analyst.' Send Johnny a question on Twitter@pack radio or by clicking HERE.
NC State's weekly TV show, 'One with Wolfpack Football,' will air on Sunday night. For a list of times and stations, clicking HERE.
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| NC State (5-2, 2-2) vs. Florida State (4-4, 2-4) | |
| Date | Saturday, Nov. 3 |
| Time | 3:30 p.m. |
| Location | Raleigh, N.C. |
| Stadium | Carter-Finley Stadium (57,600) |
| TV | ABC |
| Streaming | WatchESPN |
| Radio in NC | Wolfpack Sports Network |
| National Radio | Tunein, Sirius 103, XM 193 |
| Live Stats | GoPack.com |
| Social Media | @PackFootball, PackFootball |
A pair of rugged road trips that resulted in back-to-back defeats to Clemson and Syracuse have left the NC State football team (5-2, 2-2 ACC) longing for the more comfortable surroundings of Carter-Finley Stadium.
On Saturday, the Wolfpack will play on home turf for the first time since October 6 when it hosts Florida State (4-4, 2-4) at 3:30 p.m. The game will be televised by ABC.
Â
"Home game are a more comfortable routine," said Pack center Garrett Bradbury. "As much as you can stay in the same routine, the better it's going to be."
The most recent road trips were hardly comfortable. Following both games, NC State returned home in the wee small hours of the morning, pondering adjustments that needed to be made after running up against two of the nation's best offenses. Between them, Clemson and Syracuse rang up 92 combined points and an average of 440 yards passing in the two games.
The ACC's current offensive cycle has made life difficult for most defenses in the league. A total of nine teams, including NC State, are averaging better than 30 points per contest. Last weekend, seven of the league's offenses scored 40 points or more.
"The game is more wide open and people are playing more snaps, so you're going to have more scoring opportunities because of the tempo," Wolfpack head coach Dave Doeren said. "The last two teams we played averaged 80 snaps on offense. Traditionally, you're playing against 60 or 70 plays, but that's changed. You're talking about 15 or so more scoring opportunities that offenses are getting.
"If you can get back to where we were at the beginning of the year where we weren't giving up explosive plays and getting takeaways, that's how you limit scoring. That's where we need to get back to on defense."
In the losses at Clemson and Syracuse, NC State had just one takeaway and finished minus-3 in turnover margin.
In its transition to first-year head coach Willie Taggart, Florida State has often looked like a team trying to get acclimated to a new staff, a different system and a fresh culture. In the aftermath of last week's 59-10 home loss to Clemson, Taggart, without naming names publicly, called out some players for failing to compete at level that he expects.
"We've got to make sure we stick together and play for one another," Taggart said. "It's an important game for us and a big time game for us."
And while a culture change is in progress at FSU, the program still recruits in elite circles, leaving the Seminoles with the type of speed and athleticism for which the program is known.
Defensive end Brian Burns is one of the most disruptive players at his position in the country, ranking first in the ACC and fifth nationally with an average of 1.13 sacks per game. Now a junior, Burns owns 23 sacks and 35.5 tackles for loss in his career.
"The guy is one of the best in the country at pass rush," Doeren said. "He's beaten a lot of good players this year, so it's an area of emphasis. Pass protection is something we take a lot of pride in when it comes to protecting Ryan (Finley). Last week, we didn't do as well as we have as far as getting him hit. We need to keep Ryan up, get the ball out on time and know where Burns is. He's a really good player."
Although Wolfpack quarterback Ryan Finley was sacked only once at Syracuse, he did see more pass rushers in his face than usual, including on a play that led to a late fourth quarter interception that snuffed out a potential NC State rally.
The Wolfpack leads all Power five teams in fewest sacks allowed per game (0.57).
Florida State's quarterback situation appears to be in flux, with starter Deondre Francois listed as day-to-day after taking numerous shots last week against the Tigers. If Francois can't go, sophomore James Blackman will get the call. Blackman made his first career start against the Pack last season, throwing for 278 yards in a 27-21 loss.
With a 4-0 home record this season, NC State will be trying to keep hopes alive for an unbeaten mark at Carter-Finley, something that hasn't been done since 1986.
"That's one of our team goals," said Doeren. "Being unbeaten at home means a lot to us. It's something that a lot of the programs I've been with have been able to do. It's something that we'd like to accomplish here year in and year out."
It was 20-years ago that NC State posted one of the program's greatest all-time triumphs by taking down the second ranked Noles coached by the legendary Bobby Bowden. All the comforts of home were in play on that memorable Saturday afternoon. The 2018 Wolfpack hopes for more of the same this weekend.
The Wolfpack Sports Network begins pregame coverage Saturday with the Lowe's Foods Countdown to Kickoff at 1:30 p.m. Shorty after 2:30 p.m., veteran color analyst Johnny Evans will take questions about Wolfpack football on 'Ask the Analyst.' Send Johnny a question on Twitter@pack radio or by clicking HERE.
NC State's weekly TV show, 'One with Wolfpack Football,' will air on Sunday night. For a list of times and stations, clicking HERE.
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