NC State enters its matchup with Louisville carrying a warning label from last weekend: a big lead is nice, but it doesn’t mean much if it slips away in the second half.
The Wolfpack held off App State 41-31 in Week 4, but the game tightened after halftime. NC State went into the break up 28-10, then watched the Mountaineers outscore it 21-13 over the final two quarters. That stretch left head coach Dave Doeren focused less on the final score and more on the standard his team has to meet going forward.
“They’re a good football team. I knew they’d fight.
I knew they would not give up,” Doeren said on Monday. “I knew that they would be a team that we’d have to play four quarters to beat.”
That theme has shown up more than once for the Wolfpack. Doeren pointed to back-to-back weeks in which NC State saw a multiple-score advantage shrink after halftime, a trend he wants corrected quickly.
“That’s an area as a program we’ve got to improve,” Doeren said. “You build a lead in a football game, you get a fighter on the ropes, you want to keep him on the ropes and finish somebody off.”
Now comes a much steeper test. Louisville brings an offense that Doeren described in blunt terms.
“They have the most explosive plays offensively in the country,” Doeren said. “It’s probably the most talented roster we’ll see this year in Louisville.”
The Cardinals are putting up 41 points and 486.3 yards per game, and quarterback Lincoln Kienholz has been central to that production. The former Ohio State transfer has completed 68.8% of his passes for 1,140 yards, seven touchdowns and one interception. He also leads the ACC with six rushing touchdowns at the position, though his status for Saturday is still up in the air as a game-time decision.
Louisville’s ground game has its own edge, with Keyjuan Brown leading the ACC at 9.3 yards per attempt.
That makes the Cardinals the toughest offensive challenge NC State has seen so far this season. The Wolfpack’s defense will have to answer after nearly losing control of last week’s game, even if the offense ultimately covered for the wobble.
“That’s got to get fixed, and our guys understand that,” Doeren said. “It’s really an eye discipline thing at times. Anytime you give up an explosive pass or run, in most cases, there’s a communication issue that takes place or a technique breakdown.”
Still, Doeren sees one advantage in dealing with those issues now instead of after a loss.
“There’s a lot to improve, but it’s a lot nicer to have those issues coming off a win than a loss,” Doeren said. “So look forward to this week of practice, getting ready for the most explosive offense in college football.”
In Other News...
NC State May Have Found The Backfield Formula It Needed
NC States 41-31 win over Appalachian State offered a clearer picture of what the offense can look like when it finds a rhythm, and it started with the line. The Wolfpack ran 82 offensive plays, and all five starting offensive linemen stayed on the field for every snap, giving the team a steadier base than it has had at other points this season as it moved to 2-2.
That stability helped open the door for a backfield that finally looked like it could share the load. Duke Scott handled the biggest workload and turned it into 148 yards and two touchdowns, while Davion Gause added 13 carries for 49 yards in meaningful work of his own. With Keenan Jackson leading the receivers in snaps and several others making their presence felt in smaller packages, NC State may have found a rotation that lets it keep more options on the field without sacrificing what the run game can do. [Read more 🡒]
Jon Rothsteins Early NC State Read Raises A Big Rotation Debate
A preseason stop from CBS college basketball analyst Jon Rothstein offered an early glimpse at NC State as the Wolfpack work through practice and settle on roles for the coming season. Rothstein spent time watching the group and came away with observations about Kyle Evans, RJ Keene and Darius Adams, while also pointing to the presence of several players who already know what it takes to play in the NCAA Tournament from last years run.
The bigger takeaway is the shape of the rotation, where Rothsteins projected starting five hints at a real conversation about how the pieces fit together. Adams appears set to handle a primary share of the ball-handling duties, which could help define the offense, but it also leaves room for plenty of debate about how NC State wants to balance experience, creation and spacing once the games begin. [Read more 🡒]
NC State's NFL Pipeline Keeps Giving Wolfpack Fans Another Reason To Brag
NC States recent NFL track record keeps giving Wolfpack fans something to point to beyond the college game. Since Dave Doeren took over in 2013, the program has sent 30 players to the league, and 18 of them are still active, a steady reminder that the Wolfpack has become a reliable pipeline for pro talent. Among the names still making their mark are Jacoby Brissett, Jakobi Meyers and Bradley Chubb, three former NC State standouts whose careers have taken different paths but still keep the program visible on Sundays.
Brissett is now the starting quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals, Meyers has settled in as a wide receiver for the Jacksonville Jaguars, and Chubb continues to work as an outside linebacker for the Buffalo Bills. For NC State, it is the kind of spread that speaks to both longevity and versatility, with alumni contributing at premium positions across the league. And with several former Pack players already established on NFL rosters, the conversation around Doerens program only gets louder when those names keep surfacing in headline moments. [Read more 🡒]