Game Day Preview: Wolfpack Looking For Fifth Straight over UNC
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NC State is set to host the North Carolina Tar Heels in the 2025 chapter of the football rivalry matchup between the neighboring universities. The Wolfpack is in the midst of one of its most successful stretches in the matchup's history, winning four in a row and seeking a fifth-straight under head coach Dave Doeren.
For Doeren, it will also be his first opportunity to beat NFL legend-turned Tar Heel coach Bill Belichick, who has North Carolina 4-7 with just two wins in ACC play in his first season in Chapel Hill. While NC State already secured bowl eligibility with a win over Florida State for its sixth victory of the season, a win over the Tar Heels would make the end of the season even sweeter for the Wolfpack.
On this episode of the NC State Insider Podcast, host and lead beat writer Tucker Sennett gives his full game day preview of Saturday's game between the Pack and the Tar Heels, providing stat projections, key storylines and even a final score prediction for the massive game at Carter-Finley Stadium under the Saturday night lights.
Watch the episode here
The importance of the rivalry
Anything less than a win for Doeren and the Wolfpack would make for a massively disappointing finish to the season. The war of words, albeit controlled this year, began after the win over FSU when Doeren called UNC the "Baby Blue." A seven-win season with a victory over the Tar Heels would erase much of the negativity from the first 11 weeks of the year. For Doeren, there might not be a bigger game.
"It's been that way my whole life... These rivalry games are special. The bragging rights part of it, the way it makes your school feel, and knowing that you were a part of uplifting the community that you are a part of. I'm a part of NC State," Doeren said. "I look at it as an honor to get the opportunity to go out there and compete against somebody and help our fans and alumni and students, and obviously our players have that."
Doeren also explained that he likely wouldn't be in charge of NC State football without his 8-4 record against the Tar Heels.
"It means a lot. I probably wouldn't be here if I didn't, and that's the reality," he said. "These games mean a lot, and they mean a lot to the 'everybody's' of who supports these programs, for me, for their school... This weekend is full of these games."
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Tucker Sennett graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in Sports Journalism from the esteemed Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. A former basketball player, he has gained valuable experience working at Cronkite News and brings a deep passion for sports and reporting to his role as the NC State Wolfpack Beat Writer On SI.
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