The North Carolina State Wolf Pack travel to Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium on Saturday, October 22nd, to take on the Louisville Cardinals. The game is scheduled to start at High Noon and will be broadcast on the ABC Network. The Cardinals are -19 point favorites and the game’s total is set at 65.
The Wolf Pack and the Cardinals met last year in North Carolina. Louisville’s quarterback Lamar Jackson, found plenty of room to run against the North Carolina State defense. As a result, Jackson accumulated 121 yards on the ground and led his team to a 20-13 victory in a heavy down-pour.
North Carolina State (4-2):
Last week, the Wolf Pack received a huge loss from the Clemson Tigers in Death Valley. Unfortunately for North Carolina State, their kicker Kyle Bambard missed a 33-yard field goal attempt at the end of the game. In fact, Bambard only went 1-4 in the game. In overtime, Ryan Finley’s throw in the end zone was intercepted and the Tigers were victorious.
Although Ryan Finley gave up a crucial interception against the Cardinals last week, his numbers on the season have been good. The Boise State transfer has collected 1,267 yards on almost 110 completions. Finley has found the end zone through the air nine different times this year, and his interception against Clemson was only his second of the season.
The Wolf Pack’s running back Matt Dayes has been the go-to guy for the North Carolina State running game. The reliable back, has carried the rock 120 times this season for 669 yards and four touchdowns. North Carolina State will need him to be at his best this weekend, hoping to keep the explosive Lamar Jackson off of the field.
Wide receivers Stephen Lewis and Jaylen Samuels have been the favorite targets for Ryan Finley. To date, the two have caught 45 passes for well over 600 yards and have added another five scores to the Wolf Pack’s arsenal.
The North Carolina State defense has been solid throughout their 2016 campaign. Even though they gave up a rushing touchdown to Deshaun Watson last week, they still rank 18th in total points against (18.7). Stopping the run has been the focus of the North Carolina State defense this year. Consequently, they are holding schools to only 96.8 yards a contest which is good for sixth place in the nation.
#7 Louisville (5-1):
Louisville’s Bobby Petrino started last week’s contest as the nations number one offense, averaging 58 points a game. Even when not at their best, quarterback Lamar Jackson still accumulated 325 yards of total offense and two trips to the promised land. Tail back Jeremy Smith had an 80 yard scoring run to help Louisville win their 500th victory.
Lamar Jackson has been the most electrifying player in college football over the first half of the 2016 college football season. So far, the Heisman hopeful has amassed over 1,800 yards through the air on 114 completions. Fifteen of those tosses have went for scores and only four have found their way into the opposing teams hands.
The running game for the Louisville Cardinal’s has been impressive. The combination of Lamar Jackson and Brandon Radcliff have put teams on notice. Together, they have accounted for 1,366 yards on almost 180 carries and an impressive 18 trips to the back of the end zone.
Three Louisville receivers share the balls being thrown their way by Lamar Jackson. As a unit, they have tallied 70 catches for over 1,100 yards and seven touchdowns. Standout James Quick, leads the team with 480 of those yards and four of the touchdown receptions.
The Cardinal’s defense is flying under the radar for all the attention that has been heaped upon the offense. To their credit, they have plugged right along as one of the top squads in the country.
This year, they rank 11th in the nation in total yards allowed, giving way to under 310 a ball game. They also do pretty well holding other quarterbacks in check. Louisville’s defense yields 176 yards a game through the air, which is good for 17th in the nation.
Trends and Notes:
The Wolf Pack are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games overall.
The Cardinals are 5-2-1 ATS in their last 8 games overall.
The Over is 6-2-1 in the Wolf Pack last 9 games overall.
The Over is 6-1 in the Cardinals last 7 conference games.
Game Prediction:
The North Carolina State Wolf pack need to shake off last week’s disappointing defeat. At the same time, they need to get ready for the Lamar Jackson show on Saturday. If there is one thing they can take away from Death Valley is they out-played the Tigers, who beat Louisville just a few weeks back.
Louisville looked uninterested at times last week against the Duke Blue Devils. They better not come back to Papa John’s Cardinal stadium with that attitude or they will find themselves getting handed their second loss of the season.
Both schools have productive defenses that don’t get the credit that they have earned so far in 2016. Louisville definitely sports the higher-octane offense, but the Wolf Pack can move the ball and do it efficiently.
The over/under is set at 65, and the round-table discussion here at Get more sports says that could go either way. It all depends on the seriousness in which Louisville takes this contest. Either way, we feel that North Carolina State can do enough to keep this game with-in three touchdowns. Take the Wolf Pack to cover the +19, and if they both find their offensive prowess, more power to em’.
