NC State Wolfpack stats, records, schedule, and standings

Wolfpack

NC State Wolfpack

NCAAF – ACC

NC State Wolfpack

2022-2023 TEAM LEADERS

N.C. State Wolfpack Football Team

N.C. State Football Team News

The Wolfpack had a deceptively good season in 2020, going 7-3 in the ACC and 8-4 overall with a close 23-21 loss to Kentucky in the Gator Bowl, but they didn’t have to face Clemson and Notre Dame, while losing to North Carolina, Miami and Virginia Tech. N.C. State brings back eight former starters on offense, nine on defense, but adds Clemson to the schedule while still keeping Miami and North Carolina, the top two contenders from the Coastal division on the schedule.

Head coach Dave Doeren has six winning seasons and the same number of bowl appearances since taking over in Raleigh in 2013. He’ll need to put a better run defense on the field to deal with the top offenses in the conference, most of which the Wolfpack will face in 2021.

N.C. State Wolfpack Standings

The NC State Wolfpack have been making waves this season, with their strong performances on the field. Their stats reveal that they have a talented team, with players who are dedicated to the sport and constantly improving. Currently, they hold a solid position in their conference standings, making them a team to watch in the upcoming games.

N.C. State Wolfpack Betting Trends

2020 Summary

With the exception of their 36th ranked passing offense, N.C. State didn’t distinguish themselves in any statistical category, either in the ACC or on a national basis. They averaged just over thirty points a game, eighth in the ACC and 48th in the FBS, and gave up nearly as many, 29.2 a contest which was just inside the top half of the nation at 62nd.

Yes, they had a good season with a lot of wins under difficult circumstances, but they also benefitted greatly by an extremely favorable schedule and were able to pull out close wins against middle of the pack teams, like 45-42 against Wake Forest, 30-29 over Pittsburgh and 36-29 at Syracuse. Both their total offense and total defense rankings fell outside of the top half of the FBS.

Key Players

Linebacker Payton Wilson missed a couple of games last year and the defense wasn’t the same in his absence but he still led the team in tackles with 108 and tackles for loss with 11.5, while adding 3.5 sacks and a pair of interceptions. He missed the losses to Virginia Tech and Kentucky, where N.C. State was beaten badly on the ground.

Fellow linebacker Isaiah Moore was second behind Wilson in the tackles stats and also picked up three sacks to bolster a very strong group at the positions.

Quarterback Devin Leary was the starter early last year before being lost for the season with a broken leg. In three starts he went 66 of 110 for 890 yards with eight touchdowns and apparently has been declared at 100% for the upcoming season.

Key Additions

Safety Cyrus Fagan transferred in from Florida State and should be able to help a passing defense that was ranked 76th in the FBS in 2020. He’ll be joined in the defensive backfield by another newcomer, cornerback Derrick Pitts who came over to the Wolfpack from Marshall.

If Leary struggles or goes down with another injury, prized recruit Aaron McLaughlin might be pushed into service as a true freshman or he could end up beating out the sophomore in fall camp.

Key Subtractions

With 17 former starters back, N.C. State didn’t lose a great deal of talent. Backup quarterback Bailey Hickman led the Wolfpack following the loss of Leary, and despite the potential of McLaughlin, the team is thin behind the starter.

Nose tackle Alim McNeill leaves a hole in the center of the defense that already wasn’t impressive against the running game. McNeill recorded 4.5 tackles for loss, a sack and an interception in 2020.

Division Outlook

Clemson has dominated the ACC Atlantic and the entire conference for the past six years, with little expected to change in 2021. The league abandoned the division structure in 2020 to accommodate Covid-19 and the inclusion of Notre Dame into the football mix, but Clemson still prevailed, avenging a regular-season loss to the Irish by winning the ACC Championship game 34-10.

N.C. State may pose the biggest threat to Clemson in the division, but the Tigers have one of the easiest schedules in the league, dodging North Carolina, Miami, and Virginia Tech from the Coastal. The other five teams will be fighting it out for runner-up at best, and more likely a third-place finish, with Syracuse the probable cellar dweller.

N.C. State Offense

The Wolfpack returns their top rushers and receivers from a year ago, as well as most of the offensive line, but they’ll still need to show improvement behind Leary if they want to challenge Clemson for supremacy in the ACC Atlantic. The two teams face off on September 25th in the conference opener for N.C. State.

Offensive Coordinator Tim Beck has a choice of either looking for more balance or playing to the unit’s strength, which is the passing game. With numbers Leary put up early last season and all of his weapons back, there’s a good chance he’ll roll the dice and figure his best chance for success is to throw the football early and often until teams figure out a way to stop the aerial attack.

N.C. State Defense

The 3-3-5 scheme that defensive coordinator Tony Gibson employed in 2020 probably won’t change, but he’ll be counting on experience for an improved performance this season. The linebackers, who form one of the best groups at their position in the conference, will anchor the defense and give the Wolfpack a good chance of finding a way to stop the run by top rushing teams in the league.

Bringing in a couple of transfers to the secondary will definitely give them a better chance against the pass and adding depth to the defensive line should boost the entire defensive effort. The game against Clemson is the key to the season and win or lose, it will be a good indicator of how well the Wolfpack can compete in the conference with the toughest schedule in their division.

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