Written by James Leyva
A year ago, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish came into Raleigh, N.C. in horrendous weather conditions, thanks to Hurricane Matthew, and fell short against the North Carolina State Wolfpack, by a score of 10-3. Now one year later, the stakes for both teams could not be any higher. The #9 Notre Dame Fighting Irish will face off against the #14 North Carolina State Wolfpack. This will be an epic matchup at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend. Not only is it a top 15 showdown, it is a game that has massive implications on the College Football Playoff.
Both teams have overall records of 6-1. The Wolfpack are on a six-game winning streak and are 4-0 in the Atlantic Coastal Conference and they lead the Atlantic Division. A few of these wins have come against notable teams such as the- at the time ranked- Florida State Seminoles, the Syracuse Orange and the Louisville Cardinals, led by reigning Heisman Trophy winner quarterback Lamar Jackson. Since losing a close game by a score of 20-19 against the now #2 Georgia Bulldogs in week two, Notre Dame is on a five-game winning streak and rising high in the rankings. The Fighting Irish are preparing for another top 15 matchup after defeating the #13 USC Trojans, 49-14. Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly stated, “I said if we didn't win really big, I would be disappointed.” Now they are looking for revenge against the Wolfpack for the loss last season and look to have another dominant performance. NC State head coach Dave Doeren knows that they cannot look past this game with a showdown against the #7 Clemson Tigers the next week. “All that stuff will take care of itself,” said Doeren. “You really focus on what has brought the success that you've had. People are chasing you instead of you chasing them. It's a top-10 team at their stadium, it means a lot, We don't need to be perfect. We just need to be better.” The Wolfpack will need to continue to stop the run and not giving up the big plays. The Fighting Irish will be counting on their star junior running back in Josh Adams to have another good game. Adams is a Heisman contender and has a tough matchup against a NC State defense that is 6th overall in the country. NC State quarterback Ryan Finley has 1,968 yards passing and 11 touchdowns this season. He also has not thrown an interception in 313 passes, dating back to last year. This game will come down to the Notre Dame offense against the NC State defense. The Fighting Irish have been scoring at will in their last five games, averaging over roughly 30 points per game and the Wolfpack defense has held opponents under 30 points per game in the last six games. Notre Dame left tackle Mike McGlinchey and left guard Quenton Nelson, who are potential first round picks in the NFL Draft next year will clash against Wolfpack defensive end Bradley Chubb, who is projected to be a top five pick in the draft. This will be a matchup to keep an eye on. Whichever team wins this game will create chaos in the College Football Playoff race and will have a better chance of it making to the finish line at the end of the season. The Wolfpack have not won against three ranked opponents in a season since 1992. Notre Dame’s victory against USC was the first time they defeated a ranked opponent since 2015. This will be the Wolfpack's first visit to South Bend and they are 2-0 against the Irish in this series. The game will kick off on Saturday at 3:30 eastern time on NBC. |
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