NC State football game predictions: Syracuse

By Ethan McDowell

NC State (3-3) football returns to Carter-Finley Saturday for a clash with Syracuse (4-1). The Orange are coming off a thrilling overtime win over UNLV on the road, while the Wolfpack dropped its last contest to Wake Forest after blowing a 10-point fourth-quarter lead.

This will be NC State’s third ACC contest of the year after it dropped its first two league matchups to the Demon Deacons and Clemson. Through 3 matchups against Power Four opponents, the Pack remains winless.

Syracuse’s passing offense is the second best aerial attack in the ACC, and the Orange defense only gave up more than 30 points once so far this year.

Here are TheWolfpacker.com’s final predictions for NC State’s class with its ACC foe — the final matchup in a three-game home stand.

Ethan McDowell’s prediction for NC State vs. Syracuse

Head coach Fran Brown has the Orange rolling in his first year at the helm. Syracuse improved to 4-1 last week and has only won 5 or more games in five of the past 10 seasons. This is a tough job, and Brown is making the most of it so far.

The Orange brought in Ohio State transfer quarterback Kyle McCord and retained a couple of dynamic pass catchers on offense. And now, Syracuse has the second-best passing offense in the league.

McCord, according to Pro Football Focus (PFF), is the best deep ball passer in the country. Tight end Oronde Gadsden II is a mismatch nightmare at 6-foot-5 who has the ability to put up huge numbers on any given night. This Syracuse offense is explosive, consistent and provides a daunting challenge for NC State’s defense.

Coming into this game, the Pack ranks No. 6 in the ACC giving up 216.7 yards per game through the air. McCord has thrown for no fewer than 339 so far this year. NC State’s 33.7 points allowed per game sits dead last in the ACC, but a lot of that is due to a rushing defense that gives up 160.3 yards per game. Syracuse’s rushing offense ranks No. 16 in the conference at 109.6 yards per game. The Orange have not seen a running back surpass 100 yards so far this season.

NC State’s passing defense matchup against Syracuse’s passing offense will be a strength vs. strength battle Saturday night. Coming into this game, the Orange ran between 62 and 104 offensive plays in each of its first 5 games. Syracuse logged 186 plays across its previous 2 matchups. This team can control the ball, and NC State needs to keep it off the field if it hopes to win.

Sophomore cornerback Brandon Cisse appeared to have a cast on his arm last week and did not dress for the Wake Forest game. If he cannot play Saturday, that’s a huge blow to a deep cornerback room. NC State will ask a lot out of that position group against Syracuse.

Offensively, the Pack gave CJ Bailey more chances to make plays last week, and he took advantage of that with career highs in yards, touchdowns and completions. He still made freshman mistakes though, and it’s too much to ask a first-year signal-caller to carry the Pack against an experienced Syracuse passing attack that is really clicking right now.

NC State will need to run the ball against the Orange to take pressure off of Bailey and keep the ball out of McCord’s hands. So far, the Pack has not shown the ability to do that consistently against a Power Four opponent this season.

It will be tough to keep pace with Syracuse in this game, and a lack of depth along the defensive line, paired with Cisse’s potential absence in the secondary and a lack of a rushing attack offensively, gives the Orange an edge.

Prediction: Syracuse 38, NC State 31

Previous predictions:
NC State 45, Western Carolina 10 (Actual: NC State 38, Western Carolina 21)
Tennessee 41, NC State 28 (Actual: Tennessee 51, NC State 10)
NC State 34, Louisiana Tech 3 (Actual: NC State 30, Louisiana Tech 20)
Clemson 38, NC State 24 (Actual: Clemson 59, NC State 35)
NC State 27, Northern Illinois 24 (Actual: NC State 24, Northern Illinois 17)
NC State 30, Wake Forest 20 (Actual: Wake Forest 34, NC State 30)

Noah Fleischman’s prediction

Welcome to another week in the ACC. Luckily for NC State, which is looking to shake off a 34-30 loss to Wake Forest a week ago, it’s at home yet again — this time under the lights against Syracuse. 

But the Orange will arrive in Raleigh with a high sense of confidence. Syracuse knocked off then-No. 25 UNLV 44-41 in overtime last weekend in its first game away from the JMA Dome. The Orange trailed early, but quarterback Kyle McCord led the comeback to knock off the Rebels for a marquee win under first-year coach Fran Brown. 

Syracuse is riding high, while NC State is still picking up the pieces after falling to .500 through six games for the first time since 2013 under coach Dave Doeren. And this weekend’s game will not be an easy task for the Pack. 

McCord has thrown for 1,814 yards with 17 touchdowns and 6 interceptions through Syracuse’s first five games. While the Orange has an elite passing attack with the Ohio State transfer quarterback at the helm, LeQuint Allen is a standout running back with 358 yards and 3 touchdowns, while averaging nearly 5 yards per carry. 

That will test the Pack’s run defense, which has struggled throughout this season with its fits, especially by the defensive backs. Wake Forest exploited that a week ago as Demond Claiborne ran for 136 yards with 3 total touchdowns, so it is likely that Syracuse will try to do the same. 

Syracuse is averaging 35.8 points a game this season, while NC State has the ACC’s worst scoring defense at 33.7 points a game. And the Wolfpack’s offense has only averaged 27.8 points through the first six games. 

Prediction: Syracuse 30, NC State 17

Previous predictions:
NC State 47, Western Carolina 3 (Actual: NC State 38, Western Carolina 21)
NC State 38, Tennessee 37 (Actual: Tennessee 51, NC State 10)
NC State 43, Louisiana Tech 10. (Actual: NC State 30, Louisiana Tech 20)
Clemson 35, NC State 20. (Actual: Clemson 59, NC State 35)
NC State 30, Northern Illinois 17 (Actual: NC State 24, Northern Illinois 17)
NC State 27, Wake Forest 17 (Actual: Wake 34, NC State 30)