First look NC State-Syracuse football: Top story lines, betting odds
The Wake Forest game has been put to bed and now N.C. State will look to close out the regular season in the friendly confines of Carter-Finley Stadium.
The Wolfpack will welcome Syracuse to Raleigh on Saturday for the first of two final home games. The Orange has struggled in Raleigh, with just one win in seven tries.
N.C. State hasn’t lost a game at home all season, and that’s one goal still in front of Dave Doeren he would like to keep chasing. He’s never had a perfect home record in all his years coaching the Wolfpack. Syracuse will be a tough first test.
Their running game and rugged play on defense can make for a long day for their opponents. N.C. State is banged up coming out of the Wake Forest game, and on Monday, Doeren wasn’t sure who would and who wouldn’t be available for Saturday’s game.
“There are a bunch of guys on that side of the football (defense) that need to heal quickly,” Doeren said during his weekly press conference. “The good thing is we’re not playing a team that tries to get 100 plays in a game. They are more of a ball-control team, which I think is good for us.”
NC State vs Syracuse game, TV info
Who: NC State (7-3, 4-2 ACC) vs. Syracuse (5-5, 2-4 ACC)
Where: Carter-Finley Stadium
When: 4 p.m. Saturday
TV: ACCN
Vegas odds: NC State vs Syracuse point spread
N.C. State is an early 10-point favorite over Syracuse.
Ready for some smashmouth football
Syracuse is the No. 1 rushing team in the ACC, averaging 236 yards per game on the ground. N.C. State has the No. 1 rushing defense in the league, holding opponents to 102.1 yards rushing. It’s going to be a battle of wills and some thumping going down in the trenches Saturday.
“They’ve changed a lot,” N.C. State head coach Dave Doeren said about the Syracuse offensive identity.
Doeren added how Orange head coach Dino Babers is playing to his personnel. At one time, a team that would line up four wides and throw the ball frequently, Syracuse will come into Raleigh now and try to run the ball down the throats of N.C. State.
“They have a big offensive line,” Doeren said. “In their 10 games, they’ve rushed the football for over 200 yards seven times and over 300 yards twice. And that’s against good people. We’ve got a great challenge with their rushing attack.”
Syracuse has plenty to play for
A motivated Syracuse team will arrive in Carter-Finley Stadium on Saturday. The Orange will be playing to become bowl eligible and looking to knock off a top-25 opponent for the first time this year. The only ranked team Syracuse played this season was Wake Forest on October 9. The Demon Deacons, ranked No. 19 at the time, escaped the Carrier Dome with a three-point win in overtime. Before getting blown out by Louisville last week, Syracuse had dropped three ACC games by a combined nine points.
3 Syracuse Orange to watch
Sean Tucker, RB: The freshman running back leads the ACC in rushing with 1,362 yards, averaging 136.2 yards per game. He’s also added 11 touchdowns and is second in the nation in all-purpose yards. Tucker only rushed for 18 yards against N.C. State last year.
Garrett Shrader, QB: In his first season with the Orange, the North Carolina native is second on the team in rushing with 713 yards and a team-high 13 rushing touchdowns. Has rushed for 100 yards or more three times this season, including a season-high 174 against Virginia Tech on Oct. 23. He has only thrown seven touchdown passes this season.
Cody Roscoe, DL: Senior defensive lineman has been disruptive in the trenches. Roscoe has eight sacks, good enough for No. 4 in the ACC and has 12.0 tackles for loss, good enough for third in the league.
3 NC State Wolfpack to watch
Zonovan Knight, RB: While yards on the ground have been hard to come by for the sophomore back, Knight showed last week that he can still have an impact. Knight was a terror on kickoff return, with 194 yards on three returns. His 72-yard return set up a touchdown before the half and he started the third quarter with a 100-yard return for a touchdown.
Devin Leary, QB: Leary has thrown for 300 yards or more in four straight games. He’s thrown four touchdowns in the last three. Syracuse has one of the best passing defenses in the league (193.9 per game). N.C. State will need to #LetLearyCook early and often to have success against the Orange defense. That hasn’t been a problem so far for Leary no matter who N.C. State has faced.
Drake Thomas, LB: There’s no question that Syracuse is going to try to run, run and then run some more. This is the kind of game that makes a throwback player like Thomas salivate. The former Heritage High School linebacker leads N.C. State in tackles with 82 tackles, which is fourth in the ACC. Thomas is a big part of the Packs’ top-ranked rushing defense, not only for his production but his leadership and making sure guys are lined up correctly.
This story was originally published November 16, 2021 at 1:05 PM with the headline "First look NC State-Syracuse football: Top story lines, betting odds."
