The Wolfpacker Show: Previewing NC State at California
NC State is riding a two-game losing streak as it prepares to head west to play at California this weekend in Berkeley, Calif. The Pack, in search of its first ACC win of the season, will play a Bears squad that is also looking for its first league victory of the fall.
The Wolfpack lost to Syracuse this past weekend, while the Bears have dropped their last three games by a combined 8 points in the past few weeks. Here’s a preview of NC State’s first game against Cal in program history.
In this episode, the hosts discussed:
– NC State will play its first game in the state of California since it lost 7-0 at UCLA in 1960. The Pack was scheduled to play in the Holiday Bowl against the Bruins in 2022, but it was canceled due to a COVID-19 outbreak within UCLA’s program. NC State will leave Thursday to go to Berkeley and Ethan and Noah talked about the long trip to California and how it might affect the Wolfpack.
– Ethan and Noah touched on whether or not this game is a bad matchup with the Cal defense for NC State’s offense. The Pack has struggled to keep the ball within the offense, leading the ACC in turnovers, while the Bears pace the FBS with 13 interceptions this season.
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– NC State’s defense, meanwhile, will have a precarious situation at nickel this weekend with redshirt freshman Tamarcus Cooley out for the first half due to a targeting penalty last week. Ethan and Noah broke down the scenarios that the Wolfpack can use to deploy against the Bears for the first 30 minutes of the game in the secondary.
– Cal’s offense is not as prolific as Syracuse’s last weekend, but Ethan and Noah also looked at how the Bears use their tight end in the passing game, similarly to how the Orange used Oronde Gadsden II.
– Then, Ethan and Noah shared their weekly predictions for the game. Who will lead the team in rushing, receiving, and tackles (could it be redshirt freshman linebacker Kamal Bonner?) this weekend? What will the final score be? Stay tuned to the end to find out.
The Wolfpacker Show is available in audio and video on TheWolfpacker.com’s YouTube channel.
