The Huskies heads to Raleigh to take on the Wolfpack in hopes of winning their third straight game against the ACC
Both the Northern Illinois Huskies and the NC State Wolfpack, out of the ACC, are coming off of bad losses and will look to rebound this weekend.
The Huskies (2-1, 0-1 MAC) were ranked 23rd in the nation last week before giving up a 14-3 halftime lead and falling to the Buffalo Bulls, 23-20, in overtime. The Wolfpack (2-2, 0-1 ACC) fell to the 21st-ranked Clemson Tigers 59-35.
This will be just the second time these two schools have met on the gridiron. Their first meeting taking place more than 27 years ago, on September 20th, 1997, with the Wolfpack claiming a 41-14 victory over the Huskies.
NIU has had some recent success against the ACC though, having won their previous two games against the conference – a 22-21 win at Georgia Tech in 2021 and a 27-24 overtime win last year against Boston College. Overall, the Huskies are 4-9 against the ACC but eight of the 13 games have been decided by seven points or less.
With former Huskie head coach Dave Doeren at the helm of NC State, this will be the first time NIU has faced off against a former coach in nearly 28 years, with that last occurring on November 16th, 1996, when the Huskies took on the Jerry Pettibone-led Oregon State Beavers.
Game notes
- Time and date: Saturday, September 28 at 12 p.m. ET
- Network: The CW Network
- Location: Carter-Finley Stadium — Raleigh, NC
- Spread: NC State (-7.5)
- Over/under: 47.5
- All-time series: NC State leads, 1-0
- Last meeting: NC State 41, NIU 14 — September 20, 1997
Getting to Know the Wolfpack
Photo by Isaiah Vazquez/Getty Images
Offensively NC State is averaging 28.3 points and 365.5 yards per game, on a very balanced attack. NCSU has run the ball 135 times and passed it 126 times for an average of 143.3 rushing yards and 222.3 passing yards per game. They do have eight turnovers on the season, four interceptions and four fumbles lost, resulting in a -3 turnover margin, and have struggled to hold on the ball – amassing eight total fumbles on the season but recovering half of those loose balls.
The Wolfpack offense could be without two crucial pieces for this weekend’s game. They will be without starting left tackle Anthony Belton – as he will not be starting after he was ejected from Clemson game for spitting on an opposing player. And they could also be out starting quarterback Grayson McCall, who is listed as day-to-day after suffering an injury a few weeks ago.
McCall, many Huskie fans will remember, was the quarterback at Coastal Carolina during the infamous 2021 Cure Bowl in which CCU edged out NIU, 47-41, after some terrible officiating in the closing moments of the game. In just over two games of work, McCall leads the Wolfpack with 476 passing yards and three touchdowns on a completion percentage of 66.7%. But he has also been sacked four times and has thrown two picks.
If it’s not McCall, it will be CJ Bailey under center. In relief, Bailey has connected on 64.4% of his passes for 360 yards and a touchdown but has also tossed two picks and been sacked twice as well. Both quarterbacks can keep plays alive with their legs, as McCall has carried the ball 18 times to Bailey’s 13 rushes, with the former running for 44 yards and the latter going for 21 and a TD.
The two biggest targets in the air are wide out Kevin Conception and tight end Justin Joy. Conception leads the team in receptions (27), receiving yards (239) and touchdowns (3) while Joy has 225 yards on his 14 grabs. However, a trio of receivers are narrowing in on triple-digit yardage as well, with Noah Rogers having eight grabs and 100 yards, Dacari Collins hauling in eight passes for 91 yards, and Wesley Grimes netting 88 yards on seven catches.
On the ground they also use a trio of backs. Leading the way is Jordan Waters, who has 191 yards and two touchdowns on 44 carries (4.3 yards per rush). But Kendrick Raphael and Hollywood Smothers have also been getting some solid carries. Raphael has 26 rushes for 182 yards and two TDs while Smothers has 22 attempts for 114 yards and a score.
On defense, NCSU has given up some points but most of them were to a pair of top-20 teams, Tennessee and Clemson, so their average of 37.8 points and 414.6 yards allowed per game is a bit skewed. In their wins, NC State has allowed just 20.5 points per game but in their two losses, they have allowed 55 points per game. Opponents have found a bit more success through the air, averaging 246.8 passing yards per game to just 167.8 rushing yards per game.
Linebackers Caden Fordham and Sean Brown are tied for the lead in total tackles, with 27 each. Fordham has added two pass break up, 1.5 tackles for loss, a QB hurry, and a fumble recovery while Brown leads the team with five QBH, is tied for the team lead with three TFL, and also has a sack.
In the secondary safety DK Kaufman has 24 stops – third on the team – and has added a TFL, a fumble recovery, and an interception. Fellow safety Bishop Fitzgerald and cornerback Aydan White each have an interception, with White breaking up three passes and netting 17 tackles and Fitzgerald having 11 stops, a sack, a PBU, and a quarterback hurry.
Up front, NC State hasn’t been able to get too much pressure. They only have 15 total tackles for loss and just four sacks. But it is defensive end David Vann that leads the way. He has nine tackles but leads the team with 1.5 sacks, is tied for the lead in TFL (3), and has added two pass break ups and forced a fumble.
Getting to Know the Huskies
Mike Dinovo-Imagn Images
Northern Illinois’ offense is averaging an impressive 484.3 yards per game, which is 17th best in the NCAA. But all those yards have not translated in to points, as they’re only scoring 30 points per game, most of which came in their season opener. Over their past two contests, NIU has only scored a total of 36 points (18 points per game). Their 222.3 rushing yards per game is 23rd best in the FBS and best in the MAC and their 262.0 passing yards also ranks first in conference.
NIU is a run first team and has a duo of backs to hurt your. Halfback Antario Brown had an off day last week against the Bulls, as he had a season-low 3.0 yards per carry and had just 73 yards on 24 carries, but he did score his first two rushing touchdowns of the year. On the season he is now averaging 4.6 yards per carry – 241 yards and two TDs on 52 rushes. But has already broken his career high in receiving yards, as he has been great in the passing attack, adding seven catches for 193 yards (which leads the team) and a receiving touchdown (he entered the season with less than 60 total receiving yards in his career). Behind him, Gavin Williams has also been having a successful, albeit more quiet, season. Williams now has 36 carries for 163 yards (4.5 yards per rush).
Quarterback Ethan Hampton also didn’t look as sharp against the Bulls last week. Many off his throws were behind or way too low for his receivers to catch. He also threw his first pick of the season but has yet to be sacked. The Huskies are one of just five teams to not allow a sack this season (Air Force, Army, Georgia Tech, and New Mexico being the others). Hampton has completed 62.2% of his throws for 720 yards and six touchdowns to just one INT.
Behind Brown’s 193 receiving yards, is Grayson Barnes and Trayvon Rudolph. Barnes leads the team with ten receptions and has 138 yards while Rudolph has 114 on his six catches. Cam Thompson has also been solid as of late for Northern. He has six catches for 97 yards and a score.
On defense, NIU has been pretty solid – only allowing 256.0 yards per game (15th best in the FBS) and 17.3 points per game. Opponents have passed for 158 yards and rushed for a mere 98 yards against the Huskies this season. Their foes have also converted on a paltry 22% of their third down attempts (8/36), making NIU the sixth best defense in the NCAA on third down.
And despite all those high rankings…not a single Huskie has 20 tackles yet. Linebackers Christian Furhman and Jaden Dolphin lead the way. Furhman has 19 stops, 2.5 tackles for loss, and an interception while Dolphin has 17 total tackles and 1.5 TFL.
Up front Nevaeh Sanders and Devonte O’Malley have come on strong. O’Malley has ten tackles, leads the team with 3.5 TFL, and has two sacks, a QBH, and has forced and recovered a fumble. Sanders exploded last week, sacking the Buffalo quarterback three times to take the team lead in sacks. On the season he now has four tackles, with 75% of those stops being sacks/TFL, and has added a QBH and forced fumble as well.
In the secondary Nate Valcarcel, Jacob Finley, and Amariyun Knighten have played well. Valcarcel has 13 stops (third on the team) with two PBU and a quarterback hurry. Finley leads all Huskies, with three passes broken up, and has seven tackles and a TFL. Knighten joins Furhman as the only Huskies with an interception. He also has four tackles and a pass break up.
Prediction
After the last two weeks, I am no longer sure what to expect from the Huskies. This is a game that they should lose. NC State has a lot of offensive weapons and, if they don’t turn the ball over, they can- and should – be a very scary team.
Their defense might have some weaknesses that NIU can exploit to keep it close but, if the Huskies offense lays an egg running the ball like it did last week, it will make it very difficult to keep up. Hampton has not shown he can be all that consistent or accurate as of late. Can he manage a game? Sure. But, in crunch time, if the rushing attack fails, so does NIU.
With the lack of pressure the Wolfpack has been getting, and the strength of the Huskies O-line and rushing attack, they could keep up for a while. But, I think NC State comes out angry after that blowout to Clemson and, with home field advantage, takes care of the Huskies late.
NIU – 21
NC State – 31