NC State football opponent scouting report: Wake Forest

The No. 22-ranked NC State football team, according to the first edition of the College Football Playoff poll, is back in action Saturday evening for the second of three straight home games. No. 21 Wake Forest is the opponent. Both teams are 6-2 overall and 2-2 in the ACC.

Kickoff is at 8 p.m., and the game can be seen nationally on ACC Network.

Here is a full scouting report on Wake Forest:

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Five Wake Forest Players To Watch

Fifth-year redshirt junior defensive end Rondell Bothroyd (No. 40)

Bothroyd will be a game-time decision, Wake Forest head coach Dave Clawson said Tuesday, and his availability will be significant for the game against NC State.

Bothroyd broke out last season with 16.5 tackles for loss and 8 sacks. He got to NC State quarterback Devin Leary once in the Deacons’ win over the Pack a year ago. Expected to be an All-ACC candidate this season, Bothroyd has not disappointed. He had 5 sacks in the first seven games, but he sprained his ankle in the loss at Louisville Saturday.

Third-year sophomore running back Justice Ellison (No. 6)

Ellison is part of a nice 1-2 punch for Wake Forest at running back, joining former Michigan transfer Christian Turner.

Ellison broke out last year when he rushed for 541 yards and 7 scores while averaging 5.1 yards per rush. Thus far this season, he has carried 98 times for 454 yards and 4 touchdowns.

Turner, a fifth-year redshirt junior, has added 353 yards on 85 carries and a team-best 5 TDs.

Fifth-year redshirt junior quarterback Sam Hartman (No. 10)

Hartman’s career numbers are eye-popping: 11,292 passing yards and 94 scoring tosses with just 35 picks. His next TD throw ties NC State legend Philip Rivers for second most in ACC history.

This is Hartman’s fourth year as a full-time starter for the Demon Deacons, and he was second-team All-ACC while also a finalist for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award in 2021.

In two games against NC State, Hartman has completed 43 of 83 passes for 526 yards and 4 touchdowns with 3 picks. He is 1-1 in those contests.

Fifth-year redshirt junior receiver A.T. Perry (No. 9)

Perry is the headliner in a banner group of receivers for Wake Forest.

The 6-foot-5, 205-pounder was first-team All-ACC in 2021 during a breakout season in which he caught 71 passes for 1,293 yards and a school-record 15 touchdowns. Perry was a semifinalist for the Biletnikoff Award, which is given annually to college football’s top receiver.

Perry led Wake with 5 catches for 73 yards and a score during the Deacons’ win over NC State last year. He elected to return in 2022, and thus far has 35 receptions for 552 yards and 5 scores.

Super senior linebacker Ryan Smenda Jr. (No. 5)

Smenda has been a reliable performer for the Wake Forest defense for the past four seasons. He is 3 tackles away from 300 for his career, a tally that includes 23 for loss. Smenda is currently tied for fourth in all-time career tackles at Wake and needs 35 more to match Aaron Curry’s school record.

Smenda leads Wake Forest with 59 tackles in 2022, 12 more than any other defender despite missing one game.

What To Watch For From Wake Forest Against NC State Football

1. The lethal slow mesh offense: Wake Forest has a bevy of talented skill players on offense and combines that with a unique, hard-to-replicate offense. The slow mesh requires a defense to be unusually disciplined and shrinks the margin for error for a busted defensive assignment.

NC State will have to slow down an offense that is 13th in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) in scoring at 38.9 points per game and particularly dangerous with the passing game, averaging 297.5 yards in the air (17th in FBS).

Wake Forest has thrown for at least 300 yards in five of its eight games, and its season-low passing mark is 234 yards.

2. An improved defense: Despite reaching the ACC title game last season, Clawson decided to make a change at defensive coordinator after the Deacons finished 91st in yards allowed per game (413.4) in 2021. Particularly damaging for Wake a season ago was the inability to stop the run, giving up 195.6 per contest, which was 111th in the FBS.

New coordinator Brad Lambert has helped Wake Forest make considerable jumps in both categories, although overall WFU is probably still slightly below average. The Deacons are 69th out of 131 FBS teams in yards allowed (378.9) and rushing yards (145.4). Only one team, however, Louisville, has rushed for more yards in regulation than their respective season average against Wake Forest.

NC State is 100th in FBS in rushing yards per game at 125.1.

3. A questionable offensive line: Wake Forest is tied for 108th in sacks allowed per game at 3.0. NC State is not known for getting to the quarterback, but against Virginia Tech (92nd in sacks allowed per game) and Texas Tech (tied for 123rd), the Pack had 4 sacks in each contest.

Although Wake Forest has a solid running back duo, the Deacons are 83rd in rushing yards per game at 136.6 and tied for 109th at 3.42 yards per rush.

Three Keys To The Game For NC State Football

1. Control possession and finish drives: NC State is not built to win a shootout with Wake Forest, unless Wolfpack true freshman quarterback MJ Morris proves to be a revelation.

NC State is one of the best teams in the country in controlling time of possession at 32:56.13 per game. That is second most in the ACC and 14th nationally. Keeping Wake Forest’s offense off the field would be a plus Saturday, but only if NC State can finish drives with touchdowns.

The Pack went eight quarters without a touchdown until breaking out with three in a row vs. Virginia Tech before milking the final 5:35 off the clock in the final possession.

2. Win the line of scrimmage on defense: Wake Forest is one of the toughest offenses to defend in the country, much less the ACC. The only chink they have shown at times this year is being beat physically up front.

If NC State cannot contain the running game and allows Hartman time to pick apart the defense, keeping the Deacons from lighting up the scoreboard will be extremely challenging.

Hartman also proved last year he could scramble around for yards, although this season he has not been nearly as effective as a rusher, failing to rush for more than 10 yards in any of the four ACC games.

3. Prevent the big plays: Only North Carolina in the ACC has completed more passes for 30-plus yards this year than Wake Forest. Hartman and the deep group of receivers can hit big throws all over the field.

Last week, NC State allowed 3 touchdown drives in the third quarter to Virginia Tech. The first was set up by a 36-yard pass. The second was an 85-yard bomb for a score, and the last TD was preceded by a 50-yard throw.

Three Numbers Of Note For NC State Football Vs. Wake Forest

22 — Consecutive weeks ranked for Wake Forest in the Associated Press poll

24-3 — Wake Forest’s record over the past three seasons when leading at the end of the first quarter, the fifth-best mark in the country

0-3 — Wake Forest’s record the past two seasons when held to under 30 points