Diving Into The History Between NC State and Louisville

RALEIGH NC – This upcoming Saturday will be a particularly special evening at Carter-Finley Stadium as the NC State Wolfpack (5-2) will be hosting the Louisville Cardinals (4-3) for their 2021 homecoming. The Pack is coming off a disappointing 31-30 road defeat versus Miami, and the Cardinals are riding high, going over .500 on the campaign by snagging a 28-14 victory over Boston College.

Saturday will mark the 11th time that these two teams will meet. The series between NC State and Lousiville dates back to 1951 where Lousiville won the first-ever matchup 26-2. The Cardinals went on to win the first three games against NC State, but the Pack snapped that losing streak by routing the Cardinals 31-24 in 2011.

Overall the Pack is just 3-7, but they have won two out of the previous three clashes against the Cardinals. In 2017, they snagged their first and only win over Louisville at Carter-Finley by a score of 39-25.

QB Ryan Finley and company sent Louisville and reigning Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson home packing with a loss. They limited Jackson to just a touchdown pass and an interception with 354 passing yards and added 102 yards on the ground. On the other hand, Finley went for 367 passing yards with a touchdown and no interceptions. Finley led the Pack to another victory over Louisville the following season in 2018, dominating them on the road 52-10.

After taking two straight, the Cardinals responded by beating the Pack in their last matchup in 2019, 34-20. The Pack went just 4-8, becoming one of the more disappointing seasons under coach Dave Doeren. It was Devin Leary’s first year as a starter, and many Pack starters were freshmen, but most of those young players that played that year are now the veteran core of the 2021 Wolfpack.

Leary went 24 for 44 with 243 passing yards, 2 touchdowns, and an interception. Zonovan Knight was the leading rusher for the Pack tallying up 65 yards, and Emeka Emezie was the top wide receiver hauling in 8 receptions for 90 yards and a touchdown.

Louisville, as usual, has been competitive, and this will not be an easy task by any means. The Pack will need some of their backups to pick up some slack with all the injuries they have compiled recently. Additionally, they come into their homecoming game as 7 point favorites against Lousiville. It has been clear that the Pack have been a much better team at home than on the road but will still need to put together a complete performance to grab their fourth victory in school history over the Cardinals.