Wolfpack Hits the Road for Battle with West Virginia

Game Day Central | Thursday Football Notebook

	NC State (2-0) at West Virginia (1-1)
Date	Saturday, Sept. 14
Time	12 p.m.
Location	Morgantown, W.Va.
Stadium	Milan Puskar Stadium (60,000)
TV	FS1
Streaming	FoxSportsGo
Radio in NC	Wolfpack Sports Network
National Radio	Tunein, Sirius 382, XM 382
Live Stats	GoPack.com
Social Media	Twitter: @PackFootball \| Instagram: PackFootball

RALEIGH, N.C. - After posting a pair of lopsided wins in the comfortable confines of Carter-Finley Stadium, the NC State football team (2-0) is likely to face a stiffer challenge on Saturday when it goes on the road for the first time to tangle with a Power-5 opponent.

The Wolfpack's matchup with West Virginia (1-1) in Morgantown begins at noon. The game will be televised nationally on FS1.

Much anticipation surrounded a scheduled game between these two programs a year ago. The Mountaineers featured QB Will Grier, while NC State had Ryan Finley, two of the nation's premiere college quarterbacks.

Mother Nature, however, had other ideas. With Hurricane Florence bringing damaging winds, flooding rains and an unpredictable storm track to the coast of North Carolina, the game was canceled.

Twelve months later, both Grier and Finley are in the NFL and both programs are adjusting to more youthful rosters. West Virginia has a new head coach in Neal Brown, while the Wolfpack is breaking in four new assistant coaches.

Early on, NC State has done a more effective job of dealing with change. In back-to-back victories to start the campaign, The Wolfpack outscored East Carolina and Western Carolina by a combined score of 75-6. In doing so, the Pack defense did not yield a touchdown. After edging James Madison in their opener (20-13), the Mountaineers were downed 38-7 at Missouri last weekend.

NC State fully expects West Virginia to be a much-improved version of itself on Saturday.

"What I told them is that we're playing a very proud program, a bunch of players that are used to winning a lot of games in a stadium that has a tradition of winning," said Wolfpack head coach Dave Doeren. "We've got to handle our business. Whether they find themselves or not, we've got to play really good football in a hostile environment."

NC State is just one of two teams in the nation that has not allowed a touchdown this season, with Wisconsin being the other. Most impressively, the Wolfpack has stuffed the run, holding its first two opponents to just 1.0 yards per rush (a total of 49). Those stellar statistics are bound to get the attention of West Virginia, which has averaged just 32 yards on the ground through two games, second-worst in the NCAA.

"We've done a lot of good things, but we have a lot of work to do with a bigger game coming up against West Virginia," NC State defensive tackle Alim McNeill said. "We can execute better with some of the blitzes and getting our eyes on coach to get the calls."

Doeren's developing culture of physical football has been on full display in the first two weeks. Not only has the Wolfpack stopped the run, the offense has churned out an average of 250 yards with a bruising ground game.

Just two weeks ago, NC State had first-time starters at quarterback, tailback and at three offensive line positions. On Saturday, the Wolfpack will find out if those same young players can function and communicate in a noisy environment designed to distract them.

"I told them the other day that they'll probably hear some words they have never heard before," Doeren said with a chuckle. "That's what makes it fun for me. There's nothing more rewarding in my opinion than going into someone else's stadium with all of that against you and playing really good football."

As for those new quarterbacks, NC State's Matt McKay has been solid though two games, completing 43-of-65 throws for 508 yards and two scores without an interception. Redshirt junior Kendall Austin of West Virginia is 42-of-67 for 397 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions.

This will mark NC State's first visit to Morgantown since 1979 and its first meeting with a team from the Big 12 since the 2003 Tangerine Bowl against Kansas, which featured a young defensive coach named Dave Doeren. Playing in his final college game, Pack quarterback Philip Rivers shredded the Jayhawks by throwing for 475 yards in a 56-26 NC State victory.

The all-time series between NC State and West Virginia is tied 5-5.

The Wolfpack Sports Network begins pregame coverage on Saturday with the Lowe's Foods Countdown to kickoff at 10 a.m. At 11 a.m., long time network analyst Johnny Evans will take questions from fans on 'Ask the Analyst.' Send Johnny your question via Twitter @packradio or by email HERE.

Wolfpack Hits the Road for Battle with West Virginia

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Ryan Finley

Alim McNeill

Wolfpack Hits the Road for Battle with West Virginia

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Ryan Finley

Alim McNeill

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