NC State gets its first chance to turn the page on Saturday night at Carter-Finley Stadium, and the Pack Power crew thinks the Wolfpack will do it with authority against App State.
The common thread running through the predictions is simple: NC State is expected to respond after last week’s loss at Vanderbilt, and most of the staff sees a comfortable home win before ACC play begins. The game also marks the first meeting between the programs in 20 years, with App State arriving in Raleigh at 3-0 and carrying the kind of upset reputation that always keeps people interested.
Michael Clark sees the Wolfpack’s size up front making the difference early. He expects NC State’s offensive line to create enough push to get the run game rolling, then for CJ Bailey to hit the Pack’s bigger receivers for explosive plays against an undersized App State secondary.
Clark also believes the Mountaineers will make some plays of their own, with Malachi Singleton’s scrambling ability and the ground game preventing a shutout type of night, but not enough to keep the Pack from controlling things. His pick: NC State 38, App State 21.
Terrence McCallen is even higher on the Wolfpack. He called the Vanderbilt finish the kind of loss that either breaks a team or lights a fire, and he’s betting on fire.
McCallen pointed to the home environment, the long gap since the last meeting, and App State’s history as a giant-killer, but said the talent edge belongs to NC State. He expects Bailey, Keenan Jackson, and Will Wilson to all have major nights, with Wilson’s five rushing touchdowns on just 24 carries standing out as a potential weapon again.
McCallen also noted NC State’s 223.3 rushing yards per game and App State allowing 187 on the ground at ECU, then went with NC State 42, App State 17.
Spencer Thomas also sees the Wolfpack handling business. He framed the matchup as an in-state test for a team that had been rolling before the Vanderbilt collapse, and he expects NC State to show that last week is behind it. His prediction: NC State 42, App State 24.
Aron Disher focused on the emotional side of the matchup, saying he wasn’t sure there’s a harder game to move on from than last weekend. He thinks the return to Carter-Finley and a strong performance from Bailey could help repair the quarterback’s connection with Wolfpack Nation.
Disher said the game matters for the rest of the season, especially if NC State wants to keep the fan base engaged, but he doesn’t believe the Wolfpack will slip again. He pointed to App State’s wins over ECU and Charlotte, while still saying the talent gap is too wide for an upset.
His view: a comfortable NC State win under the lights.
Cory Smith also picked NC State to reset the mood. He recalled coming close to a near-perfect call last week before the final-play disaster against Vanderbilt, then said this game offers another chance for a hard reset.
Smith expects Bailey to bounce back with 250-plus passing yards and multiple touchdowns, and he added that Bailey has 18 total touchdowns and zero interceptions in his last seven home games. On the other side, he noted App State’s success with Singleton, Sam Pickett III and tight ends in the passing game, along with Jaquari Lewis helping the Mountaineers sustain drives.
Even so, Smith believes NC State’s defense will get enough stops in key spots to let the offense pull away and get back to .500 before ACC play starts back up.
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Still, there are real issues for the Wolfpack to account for. Malachi Singleton has settled in quickly and already given App State a passing game that can move the ball, while the ground attack has lagged behind and struggled to consistently generate efficient yards. For NC State, the test is built around sorting out which part of that identity shows up and whether the Wolfpack can force the Mountaineers into the kind of one-dimensional game that has not yet looked like a strength. [Read more 🡒]