NC State faces another undefeated ACC team on road. What Pack’s up against at Syracuse
For the second time in three games, N.C. State is tasked with facing a ranked, undefeated team on the road, and with concerns of more than just football.
At Clemson, it was the pending threat of Hurricane Ian.
At Syracuse this week, it’s the noise.
The No. 18 Orange, seeking their third 6-0 start since 1935, expects a crowd of 40,000 at the JMA Wireless Dome — “The Loud House” — for Saturday’s ACC game. That’s one reason the No. 15 Wolfpack practiced inside the Close-King Indoor Practice Facility on Tuesday with the noise level cranked up to simulate what’s to come.
Hurricane Ian wasn’t a factor at Clemson. The Tigers beat the Pack 30-20 on a clear evening at Death Valley. But the noise will be there Saturday inside the dome, making it hard to communicate.
“I know it will be loud. It always is,” N.C. State coach Dave Doeren said Monday.
Syracuse was 5-7 a year ago, losing its last three games including a 41-17 beating at N.C. State. That came after a 1-10 record in the 2020 pandemic season, the Orange topping only Georgia Tech and losing 36-29 to the Pack at home.
But look at the Orange now — 5-0 overall, 2-0 in the ACC and one win away from being bowl eligible. Syracuse has beaten Louisville and Virginia in ACC games while winning a 32-29 shootout against Purdue.
There are several factors in the turnaround but start with this: Syracuse leads the ACC in scoring defense (14.0 points per game) and total defense (271.6 yards).
“They’re similar to us, 3-3-5 (scheme), but they’re different in their approach,” Doeren said. “They’re smaller body types, they’re very quick. They angle and loop and stunt a lot with their front and their ‘backers have been there a really long time and are good players. They do a nice job disguising man coverages and zone coverages.”
Offensively, Syracuse is averaging 38.4 points a game and is fourth in the ACC in total offense (441.6 yards). The balance also is there — Syracuse is second in rushing (204.2 yards) and fifth in passing (251.2).
Orange coach Dino Babers has a new offensive coordinator in Robert Anae, who was hired from Virginia when Bronco Mendenhall stepped away from coaching after the season. The Cavaliers were one of five FBS teams to average more than 500 yards in total offense in 2021, finishing second in the FBS in passing (396.2 yards).
Running back Sean Tucker is the ACC’s second-leading rusher with 546 yards and five scores, and 6-foot-5 receiver Oronde Gadsden II is sixth in receiving with 23 catches.
“They’re scoring points, they’re moving the ball on everybody,” Wolfpack defensive coordinator Tony Gibson, who once coached with Anae at Arizona, said Tuesday.
Gibson’s defense put a hard stop on Florida State’s offense Saturday. After allowing 17 second-quarter points, the Pack shut out the Seminoles in the second half as the Pack rallied for a 19-17 win.
“The biggest question was what did we change?” Gibson said. “Really nothing. We just started doing our job a little better. The first half we got out of our gaps and gave up some big plays. In the second half we didn’t.”
Both Clemson quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei and FSU’s Jordan Travis burned the Pack by shaking loose for long runs — Travis had a 71-yarder that set up a TD.
“What happens is we get too excited on the running backs and forget to take care of the quarterback,” Gibson said. “Every defense we have, we have someone accounting for the quarterback. We went in at halftime and talked about it and we came out in the second half and did really good.”
Syracuse’s Garrett Shrader is another threat, having picked up 219 yards rushing in five games and scoring five times. His longest run has been a 24-yarder, but the Pack will have to account for the mobile 6-4, 228-pound junior from Charlotte.
“Their quarterback, who last year I thought struggled throwing the football, has a 70 percent completion rate and is playing really well,” Doeren said. “He was a dynamic runner last year and still is. He’s a North Carolina native and I know this will be a big game for him.”
Shrader, a former four-star recruit at Charlotte Christian, transferred to Syracuse from Mississippi State after the 2020 season. A 52.6% passer in 2021 for the Orange, he rushed for 14 touchdowns, second in the ACC.
It figures to be a big weekend at Syracuse. The school will officially induct three former stars — Jim Brown, Floyd Little and Ernie Davis — into the Syracuse Ring of Honor at halftime. All three famously wore No. 44 at Syracuse and Babers brought up another tribute this week at his weekly news conference.
“I want 44,000 at the game,” he said.
This story was originally published October 12, 2022 at 5:40 AM with the headline "NC State faces another undefeated ACC team on road. What Pack’s up against at Syracuse."
