#18 NC State Hope to Extend Winning Streak to 5 Games Versus Miami This Saturday

RALEIGH NC – The #18 NC State Wolfpack have reservations booked with their ACC rival, the Miami Hurricanes (2-4), this Saturday night. It marks the second constitutive road game for the Pack as they look to extend their winning streak to 5 games.

It will also be the second consecutive game in which this 12th ranked defense in the nation will be going up against an opponent’s backup QB. With D’Eriq King suffering a season-ending injury, it will be Tyler Van Dyke that will get the nod at signal-caller for the Hurricanes. Van Dyke will not have an easy task by any means going up against this defense led by Isiah Moore. In his handful of starts, Van Dyke has 737 passing yards, 5 touchdowns, 3 interceptions, and a QBR of 55.2. 

The Pack enters the contest as 3-point favorites, and that might be being too kind, this team is simply playing their best stretch of football, and it is hard to believe that it will be that close of a game. Did we not learn from last week? The Pack were an identical 3-point favorite versus Boston College and went on to dominate them by 26. This team is so well-coached to the point that they might put together an even more impressive performance on the road than they did a week ago.

The two reasons this spread is so close are that it is an ACC game, and they are always hard to predict, and the Hurricanes, even with King on the shelf, can score points in bunches. They have compiled 182 points the last four weeks, averaging 45.5 points per game. However, they are an underwhelming 1-3 in that span, which indicates this defense has struggled mightily this season. They have allowed an alarming 30 points per game, which bodes well for a red hot Pack offense. 

We say it every week, but it will continue to be noted until proven otherwise, but QB Devin Leary has been phenomenal. He is 12th in touchdown passes (15), 14th in interceptions (2), and 34th in yards (1,534). It seems that there is always a different position player to step up and make big plays, as it was TE Thayer Thomas last week who put up over 100 receiving yards and a touchdown.

The kickoff for this week 8 battle is penciled in for Saturday, October 23rd in Miami, Florida, at 7:30 pm.