NC State game predictions: Game 9 vs. Wake Forest

Around the same time last year, NC State traveled to Winston Salem to face Wake Forest only to have Atlantic Division dreams dashed in a 45-42 shootout loss. This year, the Demon Deacons are welcomed to Raleigh by a sold-out crowd at Carter-Finley Stadium with a 15-game home winning streak intact.

Wake Forest is coming off a disappointing loss that included 8 turnovers against Louisville, while the Wolfpack came back from down 18 points in the second half to defeat Virginia Tech. Both teams are 6-2 and 2-2 in the ACC.

The game kicks off at 8 p.m., and it will be broadcast on the ACC Network. 

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Here are The Wolfpacker staff predictions for this weekend:

Ethan McDowell’s prediction

One week ago, I had very little confidence that the Pack could compete with Wake Forest’s offense. The Demon Deacons were just too hot, and the Wolfpack had not scored a touchdown in almost eight quarters of football. Based on a few events from Week 9, my confidence has increased quite a bit.

First, Wake Forest faltered against Louisville. The inexplicable 35-0 third quarter that led to the 48-21 loss was disastrous, and quarterback Sam Hartman was unusually turnover-prone. Louisville exposed some weaknesses in an extremely well-coached and talented team. If anyone can see those vulnerabilities and craft a perfect game plan around them, it is defensive coordinator Tony Gibson.

I doubt the Demon Deacons will struggle Saturday as much as last week, but the Wolfpack defense is built for games like this. The Wolfpack will need huge games from Shyheim Battle and Aydan White if they hope to pull off the win. Virginia Tech wide receiver Kaleb Smith torched NC State’s defensive backs for some huge plays last Thursday, and Wake Forest’s receivers are extremely talented. The Pack can not afford to give up many big plays to this passing offense.

Regardless of how well the Wolfpack’s defense plays, the offense will likely have to score around 30 points to win this game. Until we saw MJ Morris carve up the Hokies’ defense in the second half for 3 touchdowns through the air, I was not confident the Pack could do that. While it is unreasonable to expect Morris to be almost perfect like he was against the Hokies, he will certainly inject life into this offense.

An underrated storyline for this week, if the Wolfpack attempts to chew clock on long, sustained drives, is the potential return of running back Demie Sumo-Karngbaye. Pairing the electric sophomore with Jordan Houston could be crucial to the Pack’s offensive success. Plus, NC State has not lost at home in a long time, and until the team proves me wrong, I am not going to pick against the Wolfpack at Carter-Finley Stadium.

Prediction: NC State 31, Wake Forest 30

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: NC State 24, Virginia Tech 6 (actual: the Wolfpack 22, Virginia Tech 21)

Matt Carter’s prediction

This is a weird game for me to pick.

The brain, which depending on who you ask may or may not be worth much, tells me this is a tough matchup for NC State. While freshman quarterback MJ Morris led some exciting drives at the end of the Virginia Tech contest, and the Hokies are comparable defensively to Wake Forest, it still might be too early to get excited about what we saw and expect that consistently.

And truthfully, Wake Forest is good in shootouts, anyway. Your odds are much better off trying to hold the Deacons under 30 points, which hasn’t happened much lately unless there is some bizarre rash of turnovers like Louisville enjoyed last Saturday.

The gut says there might be something to what we saw at the end of the Virginia Tech game. It is unrealistic to expect NC State to suddenly become an explosive, prolific offense. But that a competent unit could begin to emerge, which is really what the Pack needed this year, is fathomable. 

Throw in the fact that Wake Forest has tended to be a little less effective on the road and NC State is good at home, and there is a path to victory that can be seen.

I’m going with my brains with the pick and that Wake Forest scores a late touchdown to make the score look larger than the game really played out, but if I’m wrong I can say my gut was right.

Prediction: Wake Forest 34, NC State 20

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, NC State 20)

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

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

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