NC State Prepares For A Strong Finish Against Syracuse
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State’s head coaching search is officially over with the announcement on Friday that Philip Rivers will take over the reins of this team at the season’s end.
NC State Brings Rivers Home
The decision comes nearly three weeks after the abrupt firing of Dave Doeren, who slowly became the winningest coach in school history during his long tenure.
The leaders in charge sought a drastic overhaul after enduring a tenure that was slightly better than average over the last 14 seasons.
“I am humbled and honored to be the next football coach at NC State University,” Rivers said in a press release. “In many ways, I feel like I’m coming home. This is where it all began for me as an 18-year-old kid from Alabama, and now to return to this great place as head coach is beyond words.”
Rivers knows the challenge ahead, and he sounds prepared to do the work needed to put NC State on a better trajectory.
It was always 17. pic.twitter.com/UeNitkMW7Q
— NC State Football (@PackFootball) November 13, 2026
“I gave it everything I had here as a player for 51 games, and I will give it everything I have as the coach,” Rivers said. “There’s no denying that this is going to take hard work, but we’re not scared of hard.”
According to The Charlotte Observer, Rivers signed a five-year deal worth $18.3 million through the 2031 season.
Blocking Out The Distractions
All the attention on the coaching search has shifted focus away from the football team that got handed a devastating 41-3 loss to Duke a week ago.
NC State’s Todd Goebbel, who is now in his third week as interim head coach, has tried to keep his Wolfpack on track despite all the outside noise.
“We all understand there’s a lot of distractions out there right now, even more as we move forward,” Goebbel said on Thursday. “We got good kids that are still willing to fight and show up on time and get ready for the game plan, and coaches as well. So that’s where our focus has been: getting prepared for Syracuse.”
NC State welcomes Syracuse to Carter-Finley Stadium on Saturday in search of its first win over the Orange since the 2021 season.
Syracuse has beaten the Wolfpack the last two times, including the last game played in Raleigh, 24-17, on Oct. 12, 2024. Syrcause is also currently at the bottom of the ACC race (2-5 ACC) but has strung together a 2-1 record in the last three games, including impressive victories over SMU and UNC.
NC State is battling through a ton of injuries today, which is nothing new for this team. The Wolfpack will look to its leader, CJ Bailey (QB), to help provide a competitive edge today.
“He’s the ultimate fighter. He’s the ultimate team leader,” Goebbel said.
Bailey wasn’t able to get any production going against Duke. The Blue Devils boast the 5th-best scoring defense in FBS, limiting opponents to only 13 points per game.
Syracuse’s defense should present more opportunities for Bailey to take control of this game early; however, limiting costly turnovers will be critical for NC State to have any chance in this game.
Syracuse thrives on forcing turnovers.
Davien Kerr (DB) is a ball hawk for Syracuse, and his 4 interceptions lead the team. He even had an interception against Clemson last weekend.
“They’re very opportunistic with interceptions and turnovers, and that’s created by their front four and their edge players,” Goebbel said. “We have a great challenge ahead of us. It’s ACC Football. Coach Brown has done a really good job there at Syracuse, and we’re going to show up Saturday, ready to fight.”
Andre Cherry’s Game Prediction
NC State has a great opportunity to get a needed win. However, State has far too many key injuries for me to feel confident about them beating the Orange.
Syracuse plays better than its 4-5 record indicates. I think the Orange leave Raleigh with a slight victory today.
Syracuse 21, NC State 17
NC State vs. Syracuse kicks off at 12:00 pm today on the ACC Network
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Andre Cherry began covering college football in 2010 through his CherryPickin podcast network. Andre originally hails from Chicagoland and is a proud Illinois State alum. He has lived in Philadelphia since 2014 and has previously covered Temple Football. Andre has a broadcast journalism background and got his start in media at WSCR the Score. He’s written for Fox Sports, Bridgehead Media, cinéSPEAK Journal, and IPMF.
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