NC State football vs. Wake Forest: Scouting report and score prediction

NC State football regained its momentum last week with a 22-21 comeback win against Virginia Tech thanks to the emergence of true freshman quarterback MJ Morris.

Now things get interesting.

The No. 21 Wolfpack (6-2, 2-2) look to extend a 15-game home win streak on Saturday ( 8 p.m., ACC Network) when they host No. 20 Wake Forest (6-2, 2-2) in a game that will go a long way in deciding both teams' postseason bowl fates next month.

The Demon Deacons were ranked in the top 10 last week before a shocking 48-21 loss to Louisville handed them their second divisional loss. NC State owns a 67-42-6 series advantage, but Wake Forest has won four out of the past five, including 45-42 last year in Winston-Salem.

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Turnovers have been trouble for Wake Forest

Wake's loss to Louisville can be boiled down to the third quarter, during which the Demon Deacons turned the ball over six times and gave up 35 points.

Their third-quarter drives consisted of three fumbles and three interceptions, including two that were returned for a touchdown.

When the dust settled, Louisville had forced eight turnovers held Wake's potent offense to 4.5 yards per play and forced quarterback Same Hartman to the bench in the fourth quarter after completing 20 of 35 passes for 271 yards, a touchdown and three interceptions.

The Wolfpack is No. 2 in the ACC with 11 interceptions, including one for a touchdown by Aydan White against Texas Tech. The sophomore defensive back leads the team with three interceptions, tied for the most in the ACC.

Wake Forest's A.T. Perry is a problem for N.C. State football

NC State's secondary has struggled against wide receivers with considerable size this season, most notably, allowing Syracuse's 6-foot-5 Oronde Gadsden II to haul in a season-high eight catches for 141 yards and two touchdowns during a 24-9 loss to the Orange.

The Wolfpack will face another size problem this week, matching up against the 6-5 A.T Perry. Perry led Wake with five catches for 73 yards and a score during the win over NC State last year and is averaging 15.8 yards per catch this season with five touchdowns.

Wake has six players with at least 16 catches, so getting pressure on Hartman will be a huge factor. Louisville finished with eight sacks and forced four fumbles.

What to expect from NC State quarterback MJ Morris

Morris' three-touchdown performance in the second half against Virginia Tech was more than a pleasant surprise. It was a resurrection of NC State's season on the brink of disaster.

NC State coach Dave Doeren said Monday that Morris will start against Wake Forest, but did not rule out cycling in 25-year-old transfer quarterback Jack Chambers.

Chambers and Morris split snaps in the first half against Virginia Tech before Morris took over for good in the second half, completing 20 of 29 passes for 265 yards with three scores that erased an 18-point second-half deficit. Morris was named the ACC rookie of the week.

"Obviously we have the ability to play both, but we haven't gotten into all that with the staff yet," Doeren said.

On Wednesday, injured quarterback Devin Leary, who is recovering from season-ending surgery after tearing his right pectoral muscle, said Morris reminded him of a younger version of himself.

"I just kind of took it upon myself to really show him the ropes and really just show him where I went wrong," Leary said, "show him the mistakes that I made throughout my career and how he can kind of prosper off of that and learn from me, as well as the success that I had and know how to handle success, too.”

End of an era for NC State football vs. Wake Forest

Saturday's game will be the 111th consecutive season that NC State and Wake Forest have played each other and also the end of that impressive streak.

The Atlantic Coast Conference announced its new football scheduling model in June, with each team facing three primary opponents every season starting in 2023. That did not include an NC State-Wake matchup.

The teams have met every season since 1910, making it the longest-continuous rivalry in the ACC and the second-longest in the FBS. Wisconsin and Minnesota have met every year since 1906.

"To see a game like that end is a negative," Wake Forest coach Dave Clawson said in July. "The NC State game is always a very important game."

Doeren echoed that sentiment this week.

"We've created two long-standing programs with a long-standing head coach and both of us have done it the right way and recruiting and through development," Doeren said. "I have a lot of respect for them."

NC State football vs. Wake Forest score prediction

Wake Forest 31, NC State 21: Wake's worst performance of the season couldn't have come at a worse time for the Wolfpack. MJ Morris' emergence at quarterback gives NC State a fighting chance, but it may not be enough to keep up with the Deacon's high-powered offense.

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: NC State football vs. Wake Forest: Scouting report, score prediction