NC State football scouting report: VMI

NC State football hits the field Saturday looking to get back to its winning ways against VMI Saturday. Both programs come into the game 1-1 after losing last week.

The Wolfpack dropped its matchup with Notre Dame, and Bucknell, a team that lost by 35 to JMU earlier this year, picked up a 21-13 win against the Keydets. Head coach Danny Rocco is in his first season leading the program.

Here is a full scouting report on VMI.

5 VMI players to watch

Redshirt junior running back Rashad Raymond

Raymond rushed for 105 yards over his first two games of the season, averaging 4.4 yards per carry. He splits carries with Hunter Rice but generated a little more success than his backfield counterpart so far. The redshirt-junior is also a factor in the passing game, catching 7 passes for 34 yards this year.

Sophomore defensive lineman Geoffrey Speight

Speight is perhaps the most disruptive player on the VMI defense. The 6-1, 275 pound lineman has 8 tackles, 1.5 sacks and a forced fumble through 2 games. He was an All-SoCon selection as a freshman after racking up 28 tackles (5.5 for loss) during the 2022 season.

Redshirt junior quarterback Collin Ironside

Ironside, a first-year full-time starter, is off to an efficient start. The signal-caller is completing 64.91 percent of his passes and averaging 229.5 yards per game. He threw 3 touchdowns and 1 interception during his season’s first couple of contest, averaging 8.05 yards per passing attempt.

Senior tight end Aidan Twombly

NC State struggled to cover tight ends last week, and VMI’s Aidan Twombly is the team’s second-leading receiver. At 6-4, 225 pounds, the senior hauled in 7 passes for 149 yards and a touchdown over 2 games. On a pretty limited Keydets offense, he might be the program’s best chance to generate offense against the Pack.

Redshirt sophomore kicker Caden Beck

Beck has missed all 3 of his field goal attempts to start the season and converted 1 of 2 extra points. One attempt was from 50 yards out, another from 32 and a third from 42. This is his first season at VMI after previously appearing in 1 game for Samford.

3 keys to the game

Start fast: This game should not be close, and NC State can keep any doubt out of the matchup with a strong start. Going up against a subpar FCS offense, the Pack should maintain a constant presence in VMI’s backfield. If the Wolfpack puts together a few early scores, the program will be able to use this matchup as an opportunity to play inexperienced players and continue sharpening fundamentals.

Capitalize on field position: Against Notre Dame, the Pack defense forced the Irish into a couple of early three-and-outs, but NC State’s offense fizzled after taking over with the ball in good field position. Earlier this week, head Dave Doeren said he likes kicking off to start a game because he is confident the defense can force an early stop. The Wolfpack should keep VMI back in its own half for most of Saturday’s matchup and, if Jalen Coit continues to make plays at punt returner, the team could work with some short fields Saturday.

Grow the Pack’s confidence: The loss to Notre Dame was a disappointing result, and some issues, such as drops, botched run defense assignments and missed tackles were magnified against a top-10 team. Earlier this week, safety Bishop Fitzgerald emphasized that the defense knows it is talented. The unit just needs to continue improving its communication and executions, and the contest with VMI is a perfect opportunity to take a step forward there.

3 important numbers for NC State vs. VMI

1946: The last year NC State faced VMI— a 49-7 victory for the Keydets in Roanoke, Virginia.

3— Davin Vann’s sack total through 2 games, which leads the ACC.

24— Payton Wilson’s conference-leading tackle total