NC State football predictions: Game 11 vs. Louisville

Coming off of a heartbreaking loss to Boston College, NC State stands 7-3 with a tough task ahead as the program hopes to bounce back. Louisville welcomes the Wolfpack for its senior day matchup, coming off of a loss to Clemson.

The game kicks off at 3:30 p.m., and it will be broadcast on the RSN’s regional affiliates. 

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Here are The Wolfpacker staff predictions for this weekend:

Matt Carter’s prediction

This matchup, frankly, does not look good on paper.

An inexperienced quarterback with a potentially short-handed offensive line, depending on the status of super senior center Grant Gibson, going on the road for the first time in a month against one of the most disruptive defenses in the ACC.

An offense that struggles to score touchdowns in the red zone against one of the best defenses at preventing touchdowns in the red zone.

A team that does not fare well when committing multiple turnovers playing a defense that forces turnovers as well as anyone in the country.

A defense that struggles against the QB run game going up against perhaps the best running quarterback in the country.

Not to mention NC State is a team that is 1-2 on the road and fortunate (or lucky) to get that one victory.

If Louisville quarterback Malik Cunningham plays, this is a really tough matchup for the Pack. If he doesn’t, the game becomes more winnable in the sense that the NC State defense could keep this a low-scoring contest.

Prediction: Louisville 20, NC State 13

Previous Predictions: 

Week 1: The Wolfpack 38, East Carolina 10 (actual: the Wolfpack 21, East Carolina 20)

Week 2: The Wolfpack 52, Charleston Southern 6 (actual: the Wolfpack 55, Charleston Southern 3)

Week 3: The Wolfpack 35, Texas Tech 20 (actual: the Wolfpack 27, Texas Tech 14)

Week 4: The Wolfpack 52, UConn 6 (actual: the Wolfpack 41, UConn 10)

Week 5: Clemson 28, the Wolfpack 24 (actual: Clemson 30, the Wolfpack 20)

Week 6: The Wolfpack 31, Florida State 20 (actual: the Wolfpack 19, Florida State 17)

Week 7: The Wolfpack 20, Syracuse 17 (actual: Syracuse 24, the Wolfpack 9)

Week 8: The Wolfpack 24, Virginia Tech 6 (actual: the Wolfpack 22, Virginia Tech 21)

Week 9: The Wolfpack 31, Wake Forest 30 (actual: the Wolfpack 30, Wake Forest 21)

Week 10: The Wolfpack 34, Boston College 10 (actual: Boston College 21, the Wolfpack 20)

Ethan McDowell’s Prediction

Like Matt said above, this is a really difficult matchup for NC State. The Wolfpack has struggled all season against dual-threat quarterbacks and, if healthy, Cunningham is going to pose some problems for the defense.

With that said, regardless of who is under center, I am confident in defensive coordinator Tony Gibson and the Pack defense’s ability to slow down an opponent enough to keep the Pack in the game. Louisville’s defense scares me way more. The Cardinals are second in the ACC in interceptions with 14, 2 behind the Wolfpack, and rank second in the conference in sacks.

Going up against this imposing defense that forced 8 total turnovers against Wake Forest and 3 against Clemson is cause for concern, especially considering the variety of injury concerns on offense for the Wolfpack. For me, this game feels like it could end up similar to the matchup with Syracuse, and the Pack will likely need to lean on its defense to remain competitive.

Offensively, Jordan Houston and Michael Allen will be crucial to controlling the tempo of the game and making sure the defense does not have to spend too much time on the field. With all of the injury question marks on both offenses, I expect this to be a low-scoring affair where the Wolfpack falls just a few plays short of a win.

Prediction: Louisville 20, the Wolfpack 17

Previous Predictions: 

Week 1: NC State 34, East Carolina 17 (actual: NC State 21, East Carolina 20)

Week 2: NC State 48, Charleston Southern 7 (actual: NC State 55, Charleston Southern 3)

Week 3: NC State 30, Texas Tech 17 (actual: NC State 27, Texas Tech 14)

Week 4: NC State 45, UConn 7 (actual: NC State 41, UConn 10)

Week 5: Clemson 30, NC State 21 (actual: Clemson 30, the Wolfpack 20)

Week 6: NC State 27, Florida State 17 (actual: the Wolfpack 19, Florida State 17)

Week 7: NC State 24, Syracuse 14 (actual: Syracuse 24, the Wolfpack 9)

Week 8: NC State 21, Virginia Tech 10 (actual: the Wolfpack 22, Virginia Tech 21)

Week 9: Wake Forest 34, NC State 20 (actual: the Wolfpack 30, Wake Forest 21)

Week 10: NC State 33, Boston College 13 (actual: Boston College 21, NC State 20)