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NC State head coach Dave Doeren gave his take on his team’s matchup with ninth-ranked Clemson at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh, N.C. You can watch Doeren’s Clemson week press conference below: Clemson Variety & Frame is …
NC State head coach Dave Doeren gave his take on his team’s matchup with ninth-ranked Clemson at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh, N.C.
You can watch Doeren’s Clemson week press conference below:
Clemson Variety & Frame is doing their part to help bring you some classic new barware and help one of the local businesses that helps make Clemson special.
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Bad news for the NC State football team. The Wolfpack suffered a couple of big blows on Monday when it was announced that two starters – redshirt sophomore linebacker Payton Wilson and Florida State transfer safety Cyrus Fagan – will both undergo …
Bad news for the NC State football team.
The Wolfpack suffered a couple of big blows on Monday when it was announced that two starters — redshirt sophomore linebacker Payton Wilson and Florida State transfer safety Cyrus Fagan — will both undergo surgery and miss the rest of the season.
Wilson is a 2021 team captain and was the ACC’s leading tackler in 2020, while Fagan had nine tackles and an interception over NC State’s first two games.
Both players were injured in the Wolfpack’s 24-10 loss to Mississippi State on Saturday night.
Tough news for our team. LB Payton Wilson and SAF Cyrus Fagan will both undergo surgery and miss the remainder of the season. pic.twitter.com/jRZj4K3sm0
— NC State Football (@PackFootball) September 13, 2021
Clemson Variety & Frame is doing their part to help bring you some classic new barware and help one of the local businesses that helps make Clemson special.
Order your Nick’s barware and do your part to help. #SaveNicks
What do you think about these predictions?
Week one could have gone better.
I went 9-3 across the board, incorrectly picking Clemson vs Georgia, LSU vs UCLA, and Vanderbilt vs ETSU. Thanks, ETSU.
This week, it’s time to step it up. Especially with conference play officially kicking off with Kentucky taking on Missouri. Outside of the one SEC game, there are a few intriguing non-conference matchups. I’m so thankful the schedule makers extended the fun non-con games into week two (and as Auburn fans know, into week three with Penn State coming up).
Here are my predictions for the Week 1 slate.
College Football News Preview 2021: Previewing, predicting, and looking ahead to the NC State season with what you need to know.
College Football News Preview 2021: Previewing, predicting, and looking ahead to the NC State season with what you need to know.
– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak
– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Keys To The Season
– What Will Happen, Win Total Prediction
– NC State Wolfpack Schedule Analysis
– NC State Wolfpack Previews
2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015
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2020 Record: 8-4 overall, 7-3 in ACC
Head Coach: Dave Doeren, 9th year, 55-46 (78-50 overall)
2020 CFN Final Ranking: 37
2020 CFN Preview Ranking: 44
2019 CFN Final Ranking: 112
– The offense bounced back nicely from a rough and rebuilding 2019. It stalled late in the year, and it only averaged 385 yards and 30 points per game overall, but there’s a whole lot of pop and firepower returning to what should be one of the best attacks yet in the Dave Doeren era.
– The quarterback situation will supposedly be locked down in fall camp, but it’ll be Devin Leary’s gig. Bailey Hockman – last year’s leading passer – is off to Middle Tennessee, and Ben Finley is a good option, but Leary is back from the broken leg he suffered early last year after throwing eight touchdown passes with two picks in four games.
The three top targets are all back. 6-3, 220-pound Emeka Emezie is a matchup problem – he caught 47 passes for 738 yards yards and five scores – and Thayer Thomas led the team with six touchdown passes in the slot. Throw in 6-4, 215-pound Devin Carter, and there’s size, experience, and options. The only slight hiccup is at tight end with Cary Angeline done, and the 6-5, 245-pound Dylan Parham is more of a big blocker.
– There will be some shuffling on a line that gets back four starters, but has to be stronger in pass protection and more dominant for the ground game. It’s not a big line, but 325-pound sophomore Ikem Ekwonu brings the size at left tackle. The shuffling will go on at guard, but there’s depth and a few options to play with. Center is set with veteran Grant Gibson a true quarterback up front.
There’s a nice 1-2 rushing punch with ten-touchdown leading rusher Zonovan Knight and Ricky Person two good-sized backs who can move. Third leading rusher Jordan Houston is back, too, adding some potential flash.
– What You Need To Know: Defense
– Top Players | Keys To The Season
– What Will Happen, Win Total Prediction
– NC State Wolfpack Schedule Analysis
How has Notre Dame fared all-time against each member of the ACC? We’ve updated the numbers.
Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, if you consider yourself a Notre Dame football fan in even the smallest amount you’ve likely heard that the 2020 football season saw Notre Dame play an ACC schedule.
That got me wondering what kind of success Notre Dame has had against ACC foes. Some have had long histories of playing the Irish while others only really came into the picture since Notre Dame’s “friends with benefits” deal went down just over a half-decade ago.
So how has Notre Dame fared against everyone in the ACC and who won the most recent match-ups?
The New Orleans Saints are expected to meet with North Carolina State draft prospect Alim McNeill, a first-round option at defensive tackle.
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Five of the New Orleans Saints’ last six top picks in the NFL draft have been spent on trench players along the offensive or defensive line, and it’s very possible that trend continues in 2021. So keep an eye on North Carolina State defensive tackle Alim McNeill, a legitimate prospect the team could target with the 28th overall pick in this year’s draft.
The Draft Network’s Justin Melo reported that McNeill has a busy schedule: he’s already spoken with the Green Bay Packers, New York Jets, Seattle Seahawks, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Indianapolis Colts, and he has a meeting coming up with the Saints as well.
Listed at 6-foot-2 and 320 pounds, McNeill is someone the Saints may have an inside track on given defensive line coach Ryan Nielsen’s history with the Wolfpack (where he coached the same position group before making the jump to the NFL). But Nielsen left N.C. State before McNeill ever arrived on campus, so it makes sense for New Orleans to give him a call.
He’s certainly earned it. McNeill has been credited with 17.5 tackles for loss in 32 college games, anchoring the defensive line as a disruptive presence in the middle. He’s also a tremendous athlete for someone his size, which was most obviously on display on his 18-yard interception return for a touchdown. But you also get an idea for it on his high school resume, where McNeill played linebacker and running back while earning all-conference recognition as a right fielder on the baseball team — batting .335 as a senior.
If the Saints lose Sheldon Rankins in free agency (as is likely) and choose to release Malcom Brown as a salary cap casualty (which is possible), they’ll look suddenly-thin at defensive tackle with only David Onyemata and Shy Tuttle bringing much NFL experience. Adding someone like McNeill early as a Vita Vea-style run stopper with room to grow as a pass rusher makes sense.
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Breaking down and analyzing the 2021 NC State Wolfpack football schedule with the best and worst case scenarios.
Breaking down and analyzing the 2021 NC State Wolfpack football schedule with the best and worst case scenarios.
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Full schedule analysis with best and worst scenarios below
Games vs. The Coastal: at Miami, North Carolina
Missed Teams From The Coastal: Duke, Georgia Tech, Pitt, Virginia, Virginia Tech
NC State Wolfpack Football Schedule Analysis: Four of the first five games are at home, but that comes at a cost. One of the games is against Clemson, the road game in the mix is at Mississippi State, and then comes the problem with four of the following five games on the road.
The Pack get the groove back late with Syracuse and North Carolina at home, and that run of road games isn’t all that bad. They should be strong enough to at least with two of them, if not three, and they need to take care of Louisville at home in the eyes of the road game storm.
NC State Wolfpack Football Schedule Best Case Scenario: 9-3. Assume a loss at home to Clemson, let’s throw in a loss at Miami, and factor in one other defeat against – most likely – North Carolina. Every other game is winnable including the dates at Florida State and Wake Forest. It might take a win against Miami or UNC to get to nine, but it’s possible.
NC State Wolfpack Football Schedule Worst Case Scenario: 5-7. Even if NC State falls off the map, it should be strong enough to get by USF, Furman and Louisiana Tech. However, every other game on the slate will require effort, and there’s certainly a chance that things aren’t working right and it losses at least six of the ACC games and the date against Mississippi State.
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New Orleans Saints defensive line coach Ryan Nielsen is finalizing a deal with the LSU Tigers to be their new coordinator, per NFL Network.
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NFL Network’s Jane Slater reports that New Orleans Saints defensive line coach Ryan Nielsen is finalizing a deal with the LSU Tigers to become their next defensive coordinator, with Nielsen meeting with Saints head coach Sean Payton on Monday to break the news. ESPN’s Mike Triplett confirmed the report.
If hired, Nielsen would be reuniting with LSU’s Ed Orgeron, who coached him at USC during his playing days before adding Nielsen to his Ole Miss staff in one of his first coaching jobs. Before he made the jump to the NFL in 2017, Nielsen was an accomplished defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator for the N.C. State Wolfpack, so it makes sense for him to take a promotion at the college level. He sent multiple prospects into the NFL draft.
He’ll be missed. The Saints have reached sacks totals of 45, 51, 49, and 42 over the last four years with him coaching up their defensive line. His departure would also be felt in the development of inexperienced Saints linemen like Marcus Davenport, Shy Tuttle, and Malcolm Roach. It’s just one more change for the Saints this offseason.
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New Orleans Saints defensive line coach Ryan Nielsen is reportedly the top target for the LSU Tigers defensive coordinator search.
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An offseason of big changes is brewing for the New Orleans Saints. It’s not enough for Drew Brees to inch closer towards retirement; personnel vice president Terry Fontenot is expected to accept the Atlanta Falcons general manager position, while the Detroit Lions plan to hire tight ends coach Dan Campbell as their head coach. And now Saints defensive line coach Ryan Nielsen has been connected to the LSU Tigers.
Glenn Guilbeau of the Lafayette Daily Advertiser reported that Nielsen is LSU’s preference to join Ed Orgeron’s staff as defensive coordinator, though the Tigers have been diligent in interviewing other candidates until he is available (he can’t sign anything until the Saints’ season is over). LSU swung and missed on Cincinnati Bearcats coordinator Marcus Freeman, who took the same post with Notre Dame instead, and they’ve also met with Mississippi State’s Zach Arnett.
Nielsen makes sense as a target to replace the fired Bo Pelini. He’s done great work in New Orleans in developing talent, ranging from draft picks like David Onyemata to undrafted signees including Shy Tuttle and Malcolm Roach.
But before he made the jump to the NFL, Nielsen was a prolific assistant at North Carolina State, where he wore two hats as defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator. He was twice nominated for the Broyles Award (given to the nation’s best assistant coach) and in 2018 saw four of his former Wolfpack linemen (Bradley Chubb, B.J. Hill, Justin Jones, and Kentavius Street) drafted into the NFL.
On top of that, there’s some history here. Orgeron coached Nielsen when he played for the USC Trojans, and one of Nielsen’s first coaching jobs was on Orgeron’s staff with Ole Miss. They clearly know each other well. So he’d be a welcome addition in Baton Rouge.
And he’d be a big loss to the Saints in an offseason full of them. The defense won’t flounder just because one assistant took on a more prominent role somewhere else, but you have to think the Saints would like to keep Nielsen in the fold. It’s just one more subplot to keep track of in the weeks ahead.
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Kentucky wins the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl over NC State 23-21. Five thoughts and analysis of the game, and what it all means.
Kentucky wins the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl over NC State 23-21. Five thoughts and analysis of the game, and what it all means.
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Final Score: Kentucky 23, NC State 21
CFN Prediction: NC State 27, Kentucky 23
Line: Kentucky -3, o/u:50.5
It always seemed to get lost on New Year’s Day, and it’s always been a bit of a land of misfit teams, but the last two Gator Bowls have been decided by a grand total of three points.
Now, the games aren’t always pretty – more on that in a moment – but they’ve finished strong, including last year’s wild Tennessee finish over Indiana.
NC State got ripped up by Texas A&M in the 2018 version, but that’s three of the last four and six of the last nine decided by a touchdown or less. Now the ACC has to start winning these.
Congratulations @UKFootball! #TaxSlayerGatorBowl pic.twitter.com/o3iGK7XfPl
— TaxSlayer Gator Bowl (@taxslayerbowl) January 2, 2021
It’s been a disastrous bowl season in every way for the ACC with Miami’s D’Eriq King suffering a torn ACL, Clemson and Notre Dame getting trucked, and Wake Forest getting picked off again and again by Wisconsin.
This was one the conference could’ve had, but with the NC State loss, that makes it three loss in the last three appearances since Georgia Tech beat Kentucky in 2016.
