NC State heads into Saturday with a real chance to make noise in the ACC race, but Wake Forest is standing in the way, and this is not the kind of opponent that hands out easy wins.
The Wolfpack have finally put together some momentum, winning back-to-back games for the first time this season. That turnaround has included a huge moment from Harvey Dyson, whose stripped fumble in the fourth quarter may have sealed the Louisville win.
Afterward, Dave Doeren didn’t hide how much he thought of the play. “I thought Harvey Dyson’s pursuit forced fumble was one of the best plays I’ve seen as a coach in my career,” Doeren said.
“[Dyson] played like a guy who just won’t let the team lose.”
Wake Forest, though, is rolling in its own right. The Demon Deacons are 4-1 and have been getting sharper every week.
Their latest statement was a 57-3 demolition of Stanford, with quarterback Gio Lopez accounting for five total touchdowns, including three on the ground. Doeren made it clear he sees the challenge.
“They’re playing well. They're playing with confidence.
And I look forward to the opportunity to battle with them,” he said.
There’s plenty of history in this matchup, and NC State has had the better of it recently. The Wolfpack beat Wake Forest 34-24 last season and are 2-1 in the last three meetings, though they did lose the most recent one at home.
Doeren pointed to how tight these games usually are. “We've had a lot of tight games with Wake in my tenure here,” he said. “13 of the 14 were one-possession games, and this might be the best Wake team we've played.”
The setting should only add to it. Saturday’s game at Carter-Finley Stadium figures to be emotional, and NC State is undefeated at home right now. That matters, especially in a matchup that could leave the winner in a prime spot in the ACC race with easier schedules ahead for both teams.
Still, the Wolfpack are dealing with real injury issues. Eleven key players have already been ruled out, including Duke Scott at running back and Spike Sowells Jr., who is out for the rest of the season. Four more players are listed as questionable.
Even with that damage, the predictions around the game all point to a tight finish. One projection has NC State grinding out a 28-24 win.
Another sees the Wolfpack and Demon Deacons trading blows until the final field goal, with NC State’s Kanoah Vinesett extending his perfect kicking run and NC State winning 26-24. A third takes a similar view, noting how far NC State has come since its rough opening losses and pointing to Wake Forest’s nearly 85 penalty yards per game as something that could swing things in the Wolfpack’s favor, with NC State winning 29-27.
However it plays out, this looks like a game that will be decided late, and probably by whichever team handles the pressure better when the margin gets thin.
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The timing only makes the adjustment more difficult, since the line has already been dealing with disruptions up front and now has to keep piecing things together without one of its key interior anchors. Teague Andersen, Daniel Cruz and the rest of the group are expected to be shuffled again, and the Wolfpack may be staring at a week where four of the original five starters are potentially unavailable against Wake Forest. [Read more 🡒]