Here's NC State’s Recipe for an Upset in Miami
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NC State (5-4, 2-3 ACC) will have another chance to shake up the ACC standings and significantly disrupt the conference's hopes of having a team appear in the College Football Playoff. The Wolfpack is set to face No. 15 Miami (7-2, 3-2 ACC) down in South Florida on Saturday.
The Wolfpack already stunned Georgia Tech, then ranked No. 8, at home before getting a bye week to recover. With minds and bodies refreshed, Dave Doeren's team will try to do it again against Miami.
On this episode of the NC State Insider Podcast, lead beat writer and host Tucker Sennett breaks down the recipe needed for a Wolfpack upset.
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Doeren spoke about the upcoming matchup on Monday, laying out his views about Miami and what it means to players like sophomore quarterback CJ Bailey to return to their home state to play the Hurricanes.
Doeren's Noteworthy Quotes
Reflecting on the win over Georgia Tech
- "It was an awesome night, great environment. Just a bunch of guys that went out there and played together and what we've been trying to get for four quarters, we finally got. It was a really fun night. The rooms that needed to step up because of the players that were out... It was a team effort, and we played well off of each other."
- "We knew that they'd score points and we had to stop them enough and play really well offensively and we did. We'd get touchdowns and hold them to a field goal. We had some really good red zone stops and, obviously, a big interception to close the game out... And so it's just a really good growth by the football team. With all the things we've been through that are well documented, it was great to see them step up and play that way in a game of that magnitude, in a game we needed to win."
Overall thoughts on Miami
- "Just look at them statistically, averaging 33 points a game, holding teams to 15. Stopping the run, 88 yards a game they're giving up. A bunch of weapons, can't say enough about their freshman receiver, No. 10 (Malachi) Toney, what a good football player he is. Quarterback's got a lot of weapons around him."
- "Offensive line is big and does a really good job in pass protection, clean pockets. Defensively, probably the best defensive line that we'll see all year. When you look at all four starters, four NFL guys..."
On what he saw in CJ Bailey's recruiting process out of South Florida
- "He was a winner in high school. Two-time state champion, had great control of their offense, accurate passer. Obviously, with his size, you knew you'd be able to build a bigger frame than he had at that time, but we knew he would develop and he's a winner, bringing that kind of spirit and belief about who he is and the players that we thought would want to play with him."
- "I think he's doing a great job. He's a 19-year-old kid that plays his butt off. The scramble he had at the end of that game shows his heart, how tough he is, jumping over the top of some guys on a critical third down to extend our possession there and keep the ball away from them in the final five minutes. He's just going to keep getting better because of he is and how he lets us coach him..."
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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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