The Wolfpacker Show: NC State vs. Wake Forest preview
NC State football is on a two-game winning streak and hopes to extend that run against Wake Forest this weekend. The Pack is 0-1 against in-state opponents and will attempt to right that course on the road Saturday at 2 p.m..
After recording an emergency pod last week to break down TheWolfpacker.com‘s report that sophomore quarterback MJ Morris plans to redshirt the rest of the season, Ethan McDowell and Noah Fleischman sat down to record another episode of The Wolfpacker Show Thursday morning.
They shared their latest thoughts on the quarterback change and also previewed the showdown with Wake Forest.
NC State comes into this matchup 6-3 on the year after defeating Clemson and Miami in consecutive weeks. The Demon Deacons lost a 24-21 bout with Duke on the road last Thursday, so the in-state rival had a couple of extra days to prepare for the Wolfpack. Wake Forest is 4-5 this season, including a 1-5 mark in ACC play.
NOTE: We recorded this episode before NC State head coach Dave Doeren confirmed previous reports that graduate quarterback Brennan Armstrong will start Saturday, and Morris chose to redshirt the final 4 games of the season. Here is a quote from his Thursday afternoon press conference.
“Our team has embraced [Armstrong] in this role, and we’re rallying around him,” Doeren said. “Super excited to see what he does with this opportunity in his finish. He’s handled this, as Aydan [White] said yesterday, like a grown-ass man. It couldn’t have been said any better.”
In this episode, Noah and Ethan discuss:
*** Their thoughts on the quarterback developments over the past week after spending a couple of days processing the news.
*** Then, they dove into a Wake Forest preview. After discussing NC State football’s very limited success in Winston-Salem, they broke down both sides of the ball. The Demon Deacons are struggling through the air more than in previous years, but they still have the talent at receiver, led by Jahmal Banks, to generate some explosive plays. Defensively, star pass rusher Jasheen Davis is the No. 1 player to watch.
*** Noah and Ethan also detailed how NC State’s defense could help control this contest by pressuring Wake Forest quarterback Mitch Griffis.
*** After a quick break, the hosts made a few predictions for the ACC matchup, picking the spread, the over/under. Ethan and Noah also shared their final score projections, agreeing on the outcome.
*** To wrap up the episode, they predicted who will lead NC State in rushing, receiving and tackling before each making one more bold prediction.
All of those topics and more are discussed on Thursday’s show, which is available in audio and video on TheWolfpacker.com’s YouTube channel.
