The Wolfpack kickoff their season on Thursday night in Raleigh in early September, when the welcome in William & Mary to Carter-Finley Stadium. They also have tough games against East Carolina and Notre Dame, to go along with Old Dominion this year for their non-conference schedule, as they gear up for conference play
Let’s take a quick look at each school that the Wolfpack will face, as three of the games will be on their home turf this coming season.
William & Mary
This game will be on a Thursday night to kick off the season for the Wolfpack in Raleigh. The Tribe is coming off a 9-4 record this past season (almost defeating Virginia as well) and might not be a pushover as many might think. Last year, the Tribe averaged 30 ppg and used a balanced offense that averaged 411 ypg. With several key players returning on the offensive side of the ball, the Tribe could be a nice test early on. However, key losses on the defensive side could spell trouble early on and the Wolfpack could take advantage.
East Carolina
The Wolfpack head to Greenville as their only true road game on their non-conference schedule but it certainly won’t be an easy one. NC State have lost the last two against the Pirates, including the last time they travelled to Greenville in 2010. The Pirates will look a little different with Head Coach Scottie Montgomery running the ship but the Pirates will still be a dangerous one and the first true test for the Wolfpack this season, as it will be packed at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium. With key pieces offensively that are new names on the field for the Pirates, it will be interesting to see how the balanced attack looks early on in the season. However, the Pirates certainly have pieces that could be dynamic and help the Pirates to their fourth bowl appearance in five years.
Old Dominion
These two teams have played the last two years as their only meetings against each other, with NC State coming away with victories in both. In the win last year, the NC State defense stood tall in limiting the Monarchs to only 148 total yards offensively. It was also a great day for the running backs, as they racked up over 286 yards on 52 carries and four touchdowns in the 38-14 win. With the running backs that the Wolfpack have this year, could they expect the same script in this matchup?
Notre Dame
It is hard to believe that these two teams have only met ONCE since 1869, that coming back on January 1, 2003 in the Gator Bowl (W 23-6). This will be one of a few true tests for the Wolfpack this season, as Notre Dame will again be bringing in a load talent but they also lost some key guys from last year that had them in the championship conversation. The quarterback and running back position should be solid on the offensive end, and the defense will hope to improve from last season when it allowed up some big numbers late in the season. But fully expect Notre Dame to come in ranked to Raleigh and the Wolfpack geared for a possible upset.
