NC State @ North Carolina preview
Kenan Memorial Stadium
Last Meeting ( Nov 28, 2009 ) North Carolina 27, North Carolina State 28
There's more to this one than the always-intense North vs. North rivalry. North Carolina State (7-3, 4-2 ACC) can win the Atlantic Division by finishing with victories at North Carolina and Maryland. North Carolina (6-4, 3-3) seems headed for one of the ACC's mid-tier bowl slots, maybe the Franklin American Mortgage Music City. But a win here could bump the Tar Heels up a notch in the bowl hierarchy and nicely cap off a season that began under an NCAA cloud.
Last Saturday, N.C. State beat Wake Forest 38-3 and North Carolina lost to Virginia Tech 26-10 after leading 10-9 at the half.
Touchdowns could be flying in from all directions Saturday. Both teams live by the air and neither has anything close to a shut-down pass defense.
The Wolfpack lead the ACC in passing offense (290.6 yards per game) and are second in both total offense (417.1 yards per game) and scoring offense (33.1 points per game).
N.C. State quarterback Russell Wilson is in the running for ACC player of the year. He leads the league by a wide margin with 281.3 yards per game and ranks seventh nationally in total offense at 312.9.
Wilson's receiving corps includes some of N.C. State's all-time leaders. Jarvis Williams has 118 career receptions and Owen Spencer has 113. Tght end George Bryan has 13 career touchdown catches and holds the school record with a 19.8-yard reception average. Spencer ranks fifth in the ACC this season with 70.7 receiving yards per game.
Linebacker Nate Irving made eight tackles for losses against Wake Forest, giving him 18.5 for the season.
North Carolina coughed up a season-high six turnovers in its loss to Virginia Tech, including two for touchbacks in the Virginia Tech end zone.
T.J. Yates needs 288 yards to surpass Darian Durant's 2001-04 record of 8,755 yards as North Carolina's career passing leader. This season Yates has 2,509 yards, 15 touchdowns and eight interceptions. North Carolina's pass efficiency ranks second to Virginia Tech in the ACC.
Junior Dwight Jones has emerged from relative obscurity and leads North Carolina receivers with 41 catches, 720 yards and four touchdowns. He's fourth in the ACC with 72.0 yards per game. Jones will be counted on even more after season-ending injuries to the team's next two receivers, Johnny White and tight end Zack Pianalto.
North Carolina ranks 10th in the ACC in rushing offense, gaining just 123.5 yards a game, and to make matters worse, leading rusher White is out. Senior Anthony Elzy started in his place last game and gained 82 yards rushing, 102 receiving.
Last year, N.C. State won this matchup 28-27 on Wilson's four touchdown passes.