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The Wolfpacker Podcast: NC State vs. East Carolina preview

MattCarterby: Matt Carter09/01/22TheWolfpacker
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NC State football coach Dave Doeren. (Photo by Ken Martin/The Wolfpacker)

This Saturday will mark Week 1 for NC State football in a season that begins with some of the highest expectations in program history. The journey starts with a road game for the first time since the 2008. The opponent is an in-state rival in East Carolina, coming off a 7-5 season.

With host Justin H. Williams, The Wolfpacker’s Matt Carter dive into the NC State-East Carolina matchup from multiple angles.

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Among the many topics discussed:

• The road factor. The crowd at East Carolina’s Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium is likely be large and raucous for the opener against NC State. This is just the Pack’s fifth-ever trip to Greenville, and NC State is only 1-3 in the prior four contests.

The current roster for the Wolfpack also has not had a ton of experience with a hostile crowd, with many of the road games over the past 2 seasons played in front of largely empty stadiums or venues not known for being a disruptive environment.

How will that factor into Saturday’s game?

• A full breakdown of the East Carolina squad on paper, dissecting the strengths and weaknesses of the Pirates on both sides of the ball. That includes explaining how ECU, in 2021, tended to ride on the successes of the run game, and where NC State might have advantages in the matchup.

• The duo discuss what about this game may make NC State football fans nervous despite how the contest may set up on paper. The last two times the squads have met, NC State has won by a combined score of 92-9, including a 34-6 victory in the 2019 season opener that was played at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh.

Has that much changed since then, or are any nerves from Wolfpack nation better explained by other reasons?

• What are the keys for NC State football in this game? They sound fairly basic, but in this particular game the basics may count.

• A look at the line and over/under from Las Vegas. Both Justin and Matt offer their insights and thoughts on where they would put their money if betting, with Justin providing an update on how the bets have gone thus far from the bettors.

• And much more!

Each week, The Wolfpacker will preview the upcoming opponents game for a podcast that will be released on Thursday, and then will have the postgame reflections episode Sundays following the contest. The exception will be for the Virginia Tech game that is played on Thursday, Oct. 27.

All episode are available wherever you find your favorite podcasts, and video recordings are also uploaded onto The Wolfpacker’s YouTube channel.

Videos of NC State head coach Dave Doeren’s media availabilities will also be uploaded onto the YouTube page.

The Wolfpacker Podcast: NC State Football Vs. East Carolina Preview

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