2019 Football Preseason Preview: N.C. State Wolfpack

Throughout this preseason, Purple & Gold will preview all of Western Carolina's 2019 football opponents.

In the Catamounts' second game of the 2019 season, the Cats travel to Raleigh, NC to meet
ACC foe North Carolina State Wolfpack

Western faces the Wolfpack for the seventh time on the gridiron.






Game #2 - NC State Wolfpack

When: Saturday, September 7th at 12:30 pm
Where: Carter-Finley Stadium, Raleigh, NC
Surface:  Natural Grass / Capacity:  57,600
Radio: Catamount Sports Network
TV/video: Fox Sports South

The Series: In the 7th meeting between the two teams, the Cats own a 0-6 record against the Wolfpack.  All six games were played in Raleigh, NC

Games that will be played by the Wolfpack this season before the WCU contest: 1 game - This is the 2d game of the young season for both WCU and NC State, as the Wolfpack will host the ECU Pirates on August 31.

Last Game vs. NC State (September 4, 2010) - NC State downs Catamounts in Season Opener, 48-7 Raleigh, N.C. -  Redshirt junior QB Zack Jaynes led the Catamounts on a 10-play, 87-yard opening scoring drive to give Western Carolina an early 7-0 advantage, but a North Carolina State aerial assault led by quarterback Russell Wilson overwhelmed the Catamounts, handing WCU a 48-7 setback at Carter-Finley Stadium on Saturday night in front of an announced crowd of 56,417. "It was a disappointing game for us tonight. I thought defensively we played very poorly, missed a lot of assignments. With a veteran group, especially at the safety position, we made way too many mistakes and we just couldn't get off the field," said WCU third-year head coach Dennis Wagner during post-game interviews. "On offense, you know you put together a great drive and we did some good things in the first quarter. But we got a little proud of ourselves and didn't perform as well as we needed to from that point on. "We still have a lot of work to do. There are still 10 games left and we will be a lot better next week, I guarantee you," Wagner concluded.

Last Season's Record (2018 - NC State): 9-4 overall, 6-1 home, 3-2 away, 5-3 ACC  (wins over James Madison, Georgia St., Marshall, Virginia, Boston College, Florida St,, Louisville, UNC)

Head Coach: Dave Doeren - Dave Doeren says that his main goal as a head coach is to make sure that the young men who play for him at NC State are well prepared to chase two dreams: life with football and life without football. As he approaches his seventh season leading the Wolfpack program, the numbers show that he is accomplishing that goal. In 2018, a school-record seven players were drafted by the NFL - the highest total in the ACC and the second-highest total nationally. With six members of last year’s team invited to the 2019 NFL Combine, those numbers should be high again in this year’s draft. And Doeren’s players aren’t just prepared for the NFL. By the time the Wolfpack took the field for the 2018 TaxSlayer Gator Bowl, 15 of the 18 members of last year’s senior class, plus six juniors, had already earned their NC State degrees. During his tenure, 167 members of his team have graduated and NC State’s graduation success rate for football is at an all-time high (74%) and has risen each of the past four years.

Offensive Formation: Spread
-2018 Offense: 33.8 ppg. (31st in FBS)
Defensive Formation: Multiple
-2018 Defense: 24.9 ppg. (45th in FBS)
Starters Returning/Lost: 12  /  12
Offensive starters - Returning/Lost: 4 / 7
Defensive starters - Returning/Lost: 7 / 4
Letter winners lost: 21

The Wolfpack, like the Catamounts, relied on their explosive offenses last season. Quarterback Ryan Finley and receivers Kelvin Harmon & Jakobi Meyers were the big reasons the Wolfpack went 9–4 in 2018. However, in 2019, the Wolfpack will have new co-offensive coordinators, a new quarterback, new primary running back, new starting receivers and three new starters on the offensive line.

Matthew McKay, a sophomore, finished spring with the inside track for the starting QB job. However, he attempted only eight passes last season, but he ran 13 times for 36 yards and a touchdown in five games. Whoever the starting QB turns out to be, he will have plenty of capable receivers, like junior Emeka Emezie who caught 53 passes for 616 yards with five touchdowns last season and sophomore Thayer Thomas in the slot after a strong freshman campaign last year with 34 catches. The Wolfpack will have to fill three positions on the O-line

On defense, State returns eight defensive starters, of which, five are in the secondary. Senior end James Smith-Williams tied for the team lead with six sacks and will be relied on to lead the front four. In 2018, the Wolfpack ranked No. 108 in the country in pass defense. With their new group of pass rushers, the Pack struggled to pressure the quarterback, and the secondary couldn’t hold up in 2018.

After losing 13 players to the NFL Draft over the last two-year period, NC State is in a rebuilding year.


2018 Wolfpack Statistics:
Rushing Offense: 1858 yards
Yards per game: 142.9
Yards per rush: 3.8 yards
Rushing 1st downs: 100
TDs rushing: 27
Passing Offense: 4071 yards or 313 yards per game
Avg. per pass: 12.2 yards
Passing 1st downs: 185
Passing Comp-Att-Int: 334-496-11
TDs Passing: 25
Total Offense: 5929 yards or 456.1 yards per game
Fumbles-Lost: 16-7
3d Down Conversions: 87 - 184  (47%)
4th Down Conversions: 10-17 (59%)
Field goal attempts: 23 - 26
On-side kicks: 0-1
Red Zone Scores: 62 of 71 (87%)
Red Zone Touchdowns: 43 of 71 (61%)
PAT:   51 - 51

Game prediction: Per the Massey Ratings, the Cats have only a 0% probability of winning (13-54) over the Wolfpack.
I'm going to agree that the Wolfpack will outlast the Cats and win, but in a much closer match up. Cats drop one 28-42.    According to Massey, the Cats should be 0-2, but the Cats depart Raleigh with 1-1 record.



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