No. 15 Miami Hurricanes vs. NC State Wolfpack: How to watch, what to know, 3 keys
The No. 15 Miami Hurricanes (7-2, 3-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) host the NC State Wolfpack (5-4, 2-3 ACC) on Saturday, with kickoff scheduled for 3:30 p.m. at Hard Rock Stadium.
Here is what you need to know about the matchup.
How can I watch the Miami Hurricanes vs. NC State Wolfpack game?
The game will be televised on the ESPN and available to stream on the ESPN app.
Who is favored in the Miami Hurricanes vs. NC State Wolfpack game?
The Hurricanes are a 14.5-point favorites over NC State, according to Odds Shark as of Friday morning. The over/under is 55 points.
What is the history between the Miami Hurricanes and NC State Wolfpack?
Miami is 11-6-1 all-time against NC State. This includes a 7-4-1 mark in Miami, with the Hurricanes winning four of their past five home games against the Wolfpack.
What were the expectations for the Miami Hurricanes and NC State Wolfpack entering the season?
Miami was voted to finish second to Clemson in the 17-team Atlantic Coast Conference.
NC State was voted to finish 10th in the ACC.
How has the season gone so far for the Miami Hurricanes and NC State Wolfpack?
The Hurricanes swept through their nonconference schedule, with wins over the then-No. 6 Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Bethune-Cookman Wildcats, then-No. 18 USF Bulls and Florida Gators. Miami has since alternated wins and loses in its ACC slate, beating Florida State, losing to Louisville, beating Stanford, losing to SMU and then beating Syracuse.
NC State started the season 3-1 before dropping four of their next five, including defeats to Duke, Notre Dame and Pittsburgh by a combined 60 points. Then the Wolfpack pulled off one of the bigger upsets in the ACC this season with a 48-36 win over previously undefeated Georgia Tech.
What are three keys for the Miami Hurricanes against the NC State Wolfpack?
Win: It’s as simple as that. UM needs to win its final three games in order to have any shot of reaching the 12-team College Football Playoff. Get on the field, handle business and do what’s needed to stay in the postseason conversation.
Limit NC State’s explosiveness on offense: The Wolfpack ranks 21st nationally with an average of 6.69 yards per play and is one of eight teams with at least 10 scrimmage plays of at least 50 yards. Miami’s defense has been good at limiting big plays (just four over 40 yards and only two over 50 yards). That will need to continue on Saturday.
Navigate injuries: Three key starters are already ruled out in running back Mark Fletcher Jr., outside cornerback OJ Frederique Jr. and nickel cornerback Keionte Scott. Defensive tackle David Blay Jr. is listed as questionable. The Hurricanes have been weathering the injury storm the past two weeks. That will likely continue Saturday and through the rest of the season.
Who are three Miami Hurricanes players to watch?
Carson Beck: Regardless of what his actual stats are, the Hurricanes need their veteran quarterback to set the tone. Minimize mistakes, get the offense right early and lead the team as they navigate through a stretch of must-win games.
Jakobe Thomas: The veteran safety is coming off arguably his best all-around game with the Hurricanes (five tackles, one interception, one fumble recovery, one sack). He will be integral in the secondary against NC State.
Keelan Marion: Even if CJ Daniels returns (and he looks poised to be back), Marion’s big-play potential that he has shown the past two weeks needs to continue. The BYU transfer caught a combined eight passes for 193 yards and a touchdown against SMU and Syracuse. The Wolfpack are giving up an average of 292.4 passing yards per game and have allowed 18 passing plays of 30-plus yards. Expose that.
Who are three NC State Wolfpack players to watch?
CJ Bailey: The sophomore quarterback and former Hollywood Chaminade-Madonna standout has been strong for NC State, completing 70.7% of his passes for 2,411 yards and 19 touchdowns against seven interceptions to go along with four rushing touchdowns. He threw for 340 yards in the Wolfpack’s upset win over Georgia Tech.
Caden Fordham: The veteran linebacker leads NC State with 92 tackles and is tied for the team lead with seven tackles for loss and two-and-a-half sacks.
Hollywood Smothers and Jayden Scott: The Wolfpack’s one-two punch at running back has combined for 1,256 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns on 191 carries for a 6.6 yards per carry average. Smothers is questionable for the game Saturday.
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