Two 4-5 teams trying to get one step closer to bowl eligibility will meet in Raleigh on Saturday. The Syracuse Orange (4-5, 2-5) visit the NC State Wolfpack (4-5, 2-4) and kickoff is at Noon on ACC Network.
NC State is close to finalizing the deal to make Philip Rivers their next Head Coach, so will the Orange be able to spoil the party in Raleigh? Here’s what we’re watching for in this one:
Kevin: Runnin’ in Raleigh
NC State gave up 238 yards rushing to Duke last week and with Syracuse’s passing game
having trouble against Clemson, look for a heavy dose of Ahmad Miller and Tylik Hill in this one. The Wolfpack are expected to be missing two of their top three tacklers so even with some injuries on the offensive line, I think the Orange need to try and control the pace and force NC State to commit to stopping the run. Hopefully this can open up some plays to Hatcher and Russell on the outside and force the defense to adjust.
Dom: Offensive execution
Bottom-line: the defense did its job against an albeit not great Clemson offense, but it put Syracuse in position to win and the offense just couldn’t capitalize. Even a slightly better performance from Steve Angeli makes the difference. He’s not the only one to blame (although the two turnovers were killer): Syracuse had just 3.5 yards per rush against Clemson, and as Kevin noted, the run game should be in line for a bounce back against the shaky Wolfpack defense. That alone should be enough, but the Orange can’t get in their own way again.
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What are you watching for in this one?
