NC State football scouting report: Syracuse

By Ethan McDowell

NC State (3-3) hosts Syracuse (4-1) this week with hopes of picking up its first win over a Power Four opponent this season. The Wolfpack is coming off a narrow loss to Wake Forest and will look to move forward during this matchup with the Orange — a program showing promise at the start of a new era.

Fran Brown, a former Georgia assistant and an elite recruiter, has won 4 of his first 5 games as a Power Four head coach, injecting life into a program that has finished with a winning record 2 of the past 10 seasons. Syracuse comes into this game with one of the best passing offenses in the ACC and plenty of talent throughout an explosive offense.

The Orange has two ranked wins to its name so far this year with victories over Georgia Tech and UNLV. This will be the program’s second road game of the year. Syracuse’s only loss of the season was a 26-24 setback against Stanford.

5 Syracuse players to watch vs. NC State

1) Senior quarterback Kyle McCord

McCord transfered to Syracuse from Ohio State and immediately started putting up huge numbers. The senior has thrown for at least 339 yards in each of his 5 starts this fall, racking up 17 passing touchdowns and 6 interceptions. He recorded 63 passing attempts against UNLV last week.

He is completing 64.2 percent of his throws but also has thrown at least one pick in 4 games so far this season, recording 11 total turnover-worthy plays according to Pro Football Focus (PFF). McCord has also taken 9 sacks, including 4 against Stanford so far this year. The senior recorded 22 carries so far this year for 6 yards and is primarily a pocket passer.

2) Redshirt junior tight end Oronde Gadsden II

Gadsden recorded 8 receptions for 141 yards and 2 touchdowns against NC State 2 years ago with Robert Anae as his offensive coordinator. The 6-5, 236-pound pass catcher is a versatile athlete who splits time between traditional tight end alignments and snaps in the slot.

After missing most of the 2023 season due to injury, he returned this fall to catch 26 passes for 359 yards and 3 touchdowns through 5 games. Gadsden hauled in 10 passes last week, racking up 142 yards. He sits second on the team in receptions, and his average depth of target is 10.0 yards so far this year.

3) Senior defensive lineman Fadil Diggs

Diggs is a productive edge rusher at 6-5, 261 pounds. He leads Syracuse with 13 total pressures and 4 sacks. The senior won 19.6 of his pass rushing reps over the past 5 games. His 89.9 pass rushing PFF grade ranks fourth among Power Four defenders with at least 75 pass rushing snaps. Diggs is also third on the team with 27 total tackles. He recorded 2 sacks against UNLV last week.

4) Redshirt junior wide receiver Trebor Pena

Pena leads the Orange with 34 catches for 383 yards and 5 touchdowns. At 6-0, 184 pounds, he is a tall, lanky receiver who is also the most targeted pass catcher on the team. The redshirt junior spends 81 percent of his snaps in the slot, and his average depth of target is 9.5 yards. McCord can also trust him to make plays on 50/50 balls. Pena caught 6 of his 7 contested catch opportunities in 2024.

5) Senior cornerback Clarence Lewis

Lewis is the most targeted defensive back on the Orange roster. He leads the team with 5 defended passes and also recorded an interception against Stanford. Opposing teams have thrown at the cornerback 27 times this year for 17 completions and 207 yards. Lewis is giving up 12.2 yards per reception and sits tied for the team lead with 3 touchdowns allowed.

3 keys to the game

1) Slow down the passing attack

Syracuse ranks second in the ACC with 369 passing yards per game. McCord’s strong first half of the year helped the Orange put up 35.8 points per game through 5 matchups. The Orange’s quarterback is the highest-graded deep passer in the country with PFF. On throws of 20 yards or more, the senior has connected on 19 of 32 attempts for 5 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. His accuracy drops from 59.4 percent on deep balls to 44.6 percent on throws between 10 and 19 yards downfield. NC State needs to take away the deep shots.

Starting cornerback Brandon Cisse’s availability for this game remains unknown. If he cannot go, Aydan White will start alongside either Corey Coley or Devon Marshall. None of those three cornerbacks have given up receptions on more than 50 percent of their targets. NC State’s passing defense allows 216.7 yards per game through the air— the sixth-best mark in the ACC.

The Orange’s rushing attack ranks No. 16 in the conference at 109.6 yards per game. This team does not run the ball much and averages 3.6 yards per carry. Syracuse has scored 6 touchdowns on the ground this year, and no rusher has recorded more than 100 yards in a game.

2) Force Syracuse to kick field goals

Syracuse’s kicking game is probably the program’s most significant weakness. The coaching staff has tried multiple place kickers so far this year and has yet to hit a field goal beyond 33 yards. Redshirt freshman Jadyn Oh and junior Brady Denaburg are a combined 0-3 from 40 yards or more and 4 for 8 overall. If NC State can adopt a bend, don’t-break defense Saturday, then it could put the Orange in some difficult spots.

3) Keep things efficient through the air

NC State’s passing offense ranks No. 13 in the ACC at 218.7 yards per game, but it looked like the unit started to unlock something in the quick passing game against Wake Forest. CJ Bailey threw the ball 42 times for 272 yards— both career highs for the freshman. Syracuse’s pass defense ranks directly above the Wolfpack at No. 5 in the conference with 209.2 yards allowed per game through the air.

The Orange give up 26.2 points per game, but only 1 opponent has surpassed the 30-point mark against the ACC program. UNLV scored 41 on Syracuse last week. With the Pack’s running game continuing to struggle, the passing attack will have to remain efficient and productive if it hopes to keep up with the Orange’s explosive offense.

1 NC State player who could change this game

Redshirt freshman nickel Tamarcus Cooley

Gadsden and Pena spend most of their time in the slot. Cooley will likely have quite a lot of responsibility placed on him as a result, especially if Cisse, who sometimes shifts inside to the slot, cannot play Saturday due to an apparent upper body injury. The Wolfpack redshirt freshman started the last 2 games.

He broke up 3 passes against Northern Illinois and then did not allow a target in his direction against Wake Forest, while also recording a career-high 7 tackles and forcing a fumble. Cooley is rapidly emerging as one of NC State’s most productive players, and he will put that to the test against Syracuse’s two leading receivers Saturday night.