NC State vs. Louisville Fearless Prediction, Game Preview

By: Pete Fiutak | November 15, 2018 4:33 pm

NC State vs. Louisville fearless prediction and game preview.

Broadcast

Date: Saturday, November 17
Game Time: 12:20 ET
Venue: Cardinal Stadium, Louisville, KY
Network: ACC Network

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NC State (6-3) vs. Louisville (2-8) Game Preview

One Reason Why NC State Will Win

The coaching change might have been made, but will the Louisville defense be any better?

The Cardinals have been a total disaster on the lines so far this year. The offensive front almost got the quarterbacks killed against Syracuse, and the defense gave up yards and points like it had eight guys on the field.

There aren’t any third down stops. There’s nothing happening against the run, the O line gives up the second-most sacks of anyone in college football, the pass rush is among the worst in the country, the pass defense can’t come up with a big play …

Poor caddying.

Normally, this would be the type of letdown moment that might be scary for a team like NC State that’s bowl eligible and doesn’t have anything big to play for, but after getting whacked by Wake Forest last week, look out.

The Wolfpack offense and the passing game are about to have a day.

One Reason Why Louisville Will Win

Yeah, the Louisville defense is awful. The NC State pass defense is even worse.

The Wolfpack were going against a backup quarterback in last week’s game against Wake Forest, and it made Jamie Newman look like Aaron Rodgers.

On the year, the ACC’s worst pass defense has allowed 240 yards or more in seven of the eight games against FBS teams. The one team that didn’t was Boston College, who spent most of the day running the ball.

Louisville might not have an efficient passing game, but it can crank up yards. NC State has picked off one pass in the last five games and is getting lit up too easily.

With absolutely all of the pressure off now, the Cardinals are going to rip it.

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What’s Going To Happen

It’ll be interesting to see if Louisville all of a sudden plays a wee bit differently under interim head coach Lorenzo Ward. At home, and before the Kentucky game, the team might just come up with a special offensive day.

However, the lines didn’t get any better in the last week. NC State will crank up the passing game in a big shootout, but it’ll be a bit more competitive than the last several Cardinal games.