North Carolina State gets its first home chance to clean up the mess from opening night, and Richmond comes to Raleigh carrying some momentum of its own.
The Wolfpack are 0-1 after a 34-8 loss Aug. 29 at Virginia, a game that left them with plenty to think about. They had the ball for less than 22 minutes, and coach Dave Doeren made it clear that getting back to NC State’s own style is the priority against the Spiders on Friday night.
“To me, these games are more about us, and I'm not saying that because of who we're playing,” Doeren said. “I'm saying that because of how we just played. We need to go play our style of football and get CJ in a rhythm, let him make plays.”
That starts with giving three-year starting quarterback CJ Bailey more chances. NC State has also leaned on No. 2 quarterback Will Wilson in short-yardage situations, and he has already been a factor in the run game. Wilson scored the Wolfpack’s only touchdown against Virginia, and he has 11 career touchdowns on 49 rushing attempts.
Richmond arrives at 2-0 after beating Bucknell and Howard, and the Spiders have opened a season with two straight wins for the first time in five years. They’ve also shown a little punch on offense, with freshman receiver Bryce Allen emerging quickly. Through two games, Allen has seven catches for 143 yards and three touchdowns.
Tight end Sean Clarke has been another reliable piece. He had 80 receiving yards and a touchdown on seven catches in Richmond’s 28-21 win at Howard last week.
"I'm just happy to be part of a winning team," Clarke said. "We're 2-0 and that's the most important thing."
This is the first meeting between the teams since 2013, when NC State won 23-21 on a last-minute field goal. Richmond has already pulled off one notable upset in the ACC, beating Virginia in 2016, and the Spiders would love another one a decade later.
The Wolfpack are also dealing with an injury hit on defense after losing starting linebacker AJ Richardson to a season-ending biceps injury. Doeren said the staff is still working through the options to replace him.
"We have options and it may take some time to see who becomes that guy," Doeren said. "I'm surely not going to tell you who it is now, but there's several players that are getting that opportunity in practice right now."
NC State has been dependable in home openers under Doeren, going 12-1. The Wolfpack are also 32-2 in non-ACC games with Doeren in charge.
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