- We have Russell Wilson on our side. This is the first time in a while the Pack will have a proven commodity at QB to start the season.
- Steve Spurrier looked old and tired at the end of last season. Has the game passed by the Old Ball Coach?
- NC State has playmakers on the outside that have the potential to can large chunks of yardage
- Stephen Garcia is the opposing QB. Let us hope he is the same player from last years Outback Bowl.
- Tom O’Brien has had time to build some overall team depth in his 3rd season.
NC State 24
South Carolina 20
Lawrence Jordan: The SC Gamecocks will win:
- South Carolina is 9-0 in its last 9 season openers, including a 34-0 romp over the Wolfpack last year.
- NCSU has not beaten its first FBS opponent in a season since 2002.
- NCSU's defensive leader, Nate Irving, is out for the season with a broken leg.
- NCSU finished last in the ACC in total defense in 2008, mainly thanks to shaky coverage in the secondary.
- South Carolina hails from the almighty SEC Football conference, where it loses regularly, but its historically a better conference than the ACC.
South Carolina 27
NC State 25
What does Las Vegas think? NCSU -5
Nice bookending for the season shaping up.
ReplyDeleteLoss to Carolina to start off with.
Loss to Caroina to end up with.
Niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice.
Well, I was wrong. SC had 3 suspended defensive players last night. NCSU is still finding its defensive identity. I thought this would be much higher scoring with Spurrier on one side of the ball, and an All-ACC QB running the offense on the other.
ReplyDeleteWhat I didn't realize:
1. Garcia is a below average QB (abandoning pocket too early only to be terribly inaccurate when throwing on the run).
2. NCSU has no playmakers other than Wilson (who had a bad night of his own).