NC State’s trip to Vanderbilt brings together a handful of issues that could swing the game fast, starting with the conditions. Saturday in Nashville is shaping up to be brutal, with a heat advisory in place through the evening.
AccuWeather is calling for a high of 97 degrees, partly sunny skies and record-tying temperatures. The RealFeel is expected to climb to 104 degrees, and there’s even a chance of a thunderstorm in the afternoon.
That weather isn’t just a backdrop. Vanderbilt has already dealt with a game interrupted by the elements this season, when its home opener against Austin Peay was ended with 2:16 left because of lightning.
On the sideline, both head coaches come in with very different resumes, even if each has built something notable at his current stop. Clark Lea won SEC Coach of the Year after leading Vanderbilt to its first 10-win season last year, a major accomplishment for a coach who has only had two winning seasons with the program. He is 28-36 at Vanderbilt.
Dave Doeren, meanwhile, brings more overall experience into this matchup. He is 96-71 and owns the most wins in school history, but the bigger benchmark has stayed out of reach: he has not won 10 games and has not collected the coaching honors that came with Lea’s breakout season. Against SEC opponents, Doeren is 1-6, including five straight losses.
The quarterback situation is another major piece of the puzzle. Lea said earlier this week that highly rated freshman Jared Curtis will start against NC State.
That puts the Wolfpack in a familiar kind of test after Virginia’s scrambling quarterback gave them trouble in Week 0. This time, they’re preparing for a different kind of challenge.
“You can see he’s got a big arm,” NC State Head Coach Dave Doeren said. “He’s a tough kid, runs hard. They’re committed to running the football.”
Curtis gave Vanderbilt a big lift off the bench last week in its 21-point comeback win over Delaware. He finished 14-of-22 for 210 yards and a touchdown, and he also ran for two scores.
The numbers are encouraging, but NC State’s task is clear: make the freshman uncomfortable. If the Wolfpack can keep Curtis in the pocket and force him into bad throws, they put themselves in a strong position.
He handled the first two FCS defenses on Vanderbilt’s schedule, but this is a different level of challenge. If State can make him look like a true freshman against an ACC defense, that would go a long way toward shaping Saturday’s outcome.
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The template lets players shape a custom wideout around Holts well-known traits, with his speed, acceleration and route running built into the model. It is another reminder of how far Holts legacy reaches from Raleigh, where his college career still carries real weight and his Hall of Fame induction only added to the rsum. [Read more 🡒]