NC State Keys to Victory vs Louisville
RALEIGH NC – The NC State Wolfpack (5-2) will host the Louisville Cardinals (3-4) this Saturday night at Carter-Finley Stadium for their 2021 homecoming. The Pack will look to bounce back in fashion as they attempt to extend their undefeated home record to 5-0. They have been a much more formidable team at home, which has been the story of the season. If they want to keep their ACC hopes alive, then they will have to win the rest of the way, and tallying a victory against a conference rival would be a step in the right direction.
3 Keys to Victory & Score Prediction
Backups need to make an impact: The injury bug for the Pack, specifically on their defense, has put them in a challenging situation. Following the season-ending injury to star LB Isaiah Moore, who has been a force all year long and was the team’s second leader in tackles, it will now present opportunities to the depth players on this roster to step up and make an impact. It is simple, the younger players who will have to play more critical roles have to perform if this defense wants to continue their success. They still allow just 16 points a game, but it won’t be easy to keep up that same production with them missing multiple key players. The offense has relatively stayed healthy, but if the Pack want to come out on top, they will have to put together a plan to stop this Cardinals offense that averages 31 points a game led by QB Malik Cunningham.
Win the turnover battle: This goes hand and hand with the defense stepping up and making game-changing plays. Also, the offense will need to keep up their impressive turnover-free football to take away the pressure. We say it every week, but they have yet to throw an interception since week 2. If the Pack can keep their offense on the field as much as possible and put up points like they are capable of doing then it will change the entire outcome of the game. This is where the home crowd comes into play, being energetic and loud as it could result in the Cardinals making mental mistakes on both sides of the ball.
Ability to make mid-game adjustments: Mid-game adjustments separate the average coaches from the stellar coaches. So far, Dave Doeren has proved to be stellar by keeping his team competitive despite the adversity, and even with the injuries, they still have been incredibly successful. This year, slow starts have been a common theme, but the ability to adjust in-game and at halftime has allowed them to record multiple victories. Unfortunately, this was something they could not do a week ago. After leading 17-14, they were eventually outscored 17-13 to Miami in the second half, which resulted in a loss. Their offense was extremely flat, and the defense struggled in pass coverage, and it seemed like they could not get off the field to allow the offense to put up points. On Saturday they need to start fast and also be able to adjust on the fly to stop the Cardinals from putting up a large number in the scoring column.
Game prediction: NC State needs this game more, and the stakes are high following a loss. The Pack will bounce back and defeat the Cardinals 30-24 to record their 4th win over Louisville in school history despite missing multiple starters.