NC State Wolfpack Preview 2022: Season Prediction, Breakdown, Key Games, Players
NC State Wolfpack Preview 2022: Previewing, predicting, and looking ahead to the NC State season with what you need to know and keys to the season.
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NC State Wolfpack Preview
Dave Doeren: 64-49, 10th year at NC State
12th year overall (87-53) 2021 Preview
2021 Record: Overall: 9-3, Conference: 6-2
Offense, Defense Breakdown | Keys To The Season
Season Prediction, What Will Happen
NC State Top 10 Players | NC State Schedule & Analysis
NC State Wolfpack Preview 2022
NC State was the overlooked really, really good team of 2021 – two of its three losses were on the road by a total of four points.
Devin Leary was the overlooked really, really good quarterback of last year – Kenny Pickett and other ACC stars got all the attention.
NC State overall has become an overlooked really, really good program under Dave Doeren.
It hasn’t been able to bust through and get to an ACC Championship game, much less win one, but outside of a 4-8 clunker in 2019, the Wolfpack have been consistently solid with three nine-win seasons in five years and an 8-4 2020 that might have been nine with a regular schedule.
That was coming off a nice run of three straight winning seasons and 22 wins before taking things up a few notches.
How good has NC State been under Doeren? Clemson is obviously the star of the conference, and not counting Notre Dame – put a ring on it, ACC – NC State has the second-most wins of any ACC program over the last eight seasons.
And this might just be the best team yet under Doeren.
The offense gets back Leary working behind a veteran offensive line that really and truly might be overlooked.
The defense not only should get back eight starters, but returns a few injured stars to form what could be the nation’s best linebacking corps – or close to it.
So no overlooking NC State this year. Put the pressure on.
Clemson is still the most talented team and should rise back up and take the ACC – getting to the ACC Championship could be tough with the Atlantic Division date with the Tigers in Death Valley – but being the second best team in the conference is the reasonable goal.
Ten wins, possibly 11, and the program’s best season than the 11-3 2022 season …
That wouldn’t be overlooked.
Offense, Defense Breakdown | Keys To The Season
Season Prediction, What Will Happen
NC State Top 10 Players | NC State Schedule & Analysis
NC State Wolfpack Preview 2022: Offense, Defense NEXT
NC State Wolfpack Preview 2022: Offense
There’s nitpicking to be done with the 2021 offense. It wasn’t balanced, the ground game didn’t do enough, and overall it should’ve been better on third downs, but the passing attack averaged over 288 yards per game, it was the second-most efficient in the ACC behind Pitt’s attack.
There are a whole lot of very good parts back, but the O is missing top receiver Emeka Emezie, the top two running backs – Donovan Knight and Ricky Person – and …
Ikem Ekwonu. The new Carolina Panther franchise tackle isn’t going to be replaced talent-wise, but the line that was second in the ACC in fewest sacks and tackles for loss allowed returns enough experience to be more than fine.
Bryson Speas will likely move from his right tackle spot to the left side, Grant Gibson is one of the ACC’s best centers, and there’s good size and depth across the board.
Now the ground game has to do more.
It failed to get to 200 yards over the last nine games and had a hard time getting to four yards per pop. There should be a rotation around leading return rusher Jordan Houston, who only ran for 83 yards and a score. But …
The offense will work around Devin Leary. He’s not all that big, but the 6-1, 212-pound junior can bomb away, throwing for 3,433 yards and 35 touchdowns with five picks.
Emezie might be done, but Leary spread the ball around – six players came up with over 200 receiving yards – with the combination of Thayer Thomas and Devin Carter good enough to keep all the fun going. Landing Darryl Jones from Maryland will help.
NC State Wolfpack Preview 2022: Defense
The defense that was third in the ACC overall and 14th in the nation in scoring D should be even better. There’s a ton of ACC all-star talent, great depth, and more big-time players about to get back into the mix to make a great situation even better.
As is the linebacking corps was going to be good. Fourth-leading tackler Vi Jones is gone to the NFL, but First Team All-ACC Drake Thomas is back in the mix after leading the team with 99 stops, and Devon Betty is a good young option in the middle.
However, Isaiah Moore is back after missing last year with a knee injury, and Payton Wilson – the team’s leading tackler in 2019 and 2020 – returns after missing all of last season with both shoulders hurt. This will be an All-ACC linebacking corps if everyone can stay healthy.
Most of the pass rush came from the linebackers, and Daniel Joseph is gone on one end after finishing third on the team with five sacks. The tackles are active – Cory Durden is a pro prospect who can work inside or out in the 3-4 – and Savion Jackson has to do more on the outside.
The corner tandem of Shyheim Battle and Derrek Pitts is solid, and the safety situation is terrific around First Team All-ACC 82-tackle playmaker Tanner Ingle.
2022 NC State Preview | Keys To The Season
Season Prediction, What Will Happen
NC State Top 10 Players | NC State Schedule & Analysis
NC State Wolfpack: Keys To The Season, Top Game, Top Transfer, Fun Stats NEXT
NC State Wolfpack: Keys To The Season, Top Game, Top Transfer, Fun Stats
NC State Wolfpack: Key To The 2022 Offense
Get that ground game going.
It’s tempting to bomb away all the time with one of the nation’s more efficient passing games and with a quarterback like Devin Leary, but the running game at least has to be effective.
It doesn’t have to blast away for over 200 yards – although the Wolfpack are 14-1 the last 15 times they’ve been able to do that – but it does need to produce when it tries.
The Pack couldn’t even get to 100 yards on the ground in a four-game late season stretch, but again, that’s not necessarily the problem. Failing to get to four yards per carry in four of the last five games is.
Averaging 4.5 yards per carry overall – the 4.07 last year was heavily inflated thanked to blowout wins over USF and Furman – would be a plus. Nine of the mere 11 touchdown runs came in three easy games.
NC State Wolfpack: Key To The 2022 Defense
Recover a fumble.
NC State picked off a ton of passes, the defense was great on third downs, and there’s more talent and disruption back to fill in the gaps from the lost parts from 2021.
Now it’s time to pounce on a fumble.
The Pack D came up with a great total of one fumble recovery, but at least it made it count with a scoop-and-score from safety Devan Boykin in the win over Boston College.
And that was it. The defense forced 11 fumbles, but it just didn’t get them. But that’s been a problem with just seven fumble recoveries combined in 2019 and 2020 after coming up with nine in 2018.
NC State Wolfpack: Key Player To The 2022 Season
OT/OG Bryson Speas, Sr.
Where’s he going to play? The versatile 6-3, 315-pound veteran started every game at right tackle last year, worked at guard at time earlier in his career, and he might kick back inside this season.
Or, he might be charged with the task of trying to replace Ikem Ekwonu at left tackle.
He’s not as good as Ekwonu – no tackle in college football is – but if he can be fine on the left side in the spot, the rest of the front five will fill in.
NC State Wolfpack: Key Transfer
P Shane McDonough, Sr.
He started his career at Marshall and moved over to Towson, where he turned into a two-year all-star averaging over 42 yards per punt with a huge leg that flipped the field.
Now he has to try to take over for Trenton Gill, who was great on kickoffs and averaged 45.1 yards per kick with 31 put inside the 20 for the ACC’s second-best punting game.
NC State Key Game To The 2022 Season
at Clemson, Oct. 1
This is it. This is the moment that will show just how amazing the 2022 season might be.
The Wolfpack were able to survive a thriller of a win over Clemson last year, but they ween’t able to translate that into an Atlantic Division title.
NC State lost eight straight to the Tigers before that – mostly in ugly fashion – after rolling 37-13 in 2011. If there’s any dream of playing for and winning the ACC Championship, the team has to win in Death Valley for the first time since 2002.
NC State Wolfpack: 2021 Fun Stats
– Time of Possession: NC State 31:17 – Opponents 28:18
– 2nd Quarter Scoring: NC State 117 – Opponents 58
– 3rd Down Conversions: NC State 68-of-171 (40%) – Opponents 53-of-181 (29%)
2022 NC State Preview
Offense, Defense Breakdown
Season Prediction, What Will Happen
NC State Top 10 Players | NC State Schedule & Analysis
NC State Wolfpack Season Prediction, What Will Happen NEXT
NC State Wolfpack Season Prediction, What Will Happen
Let’s put the pressure on.
Of course, be careful of what you wish for in an ACC that’s been Clemson on top, Georgia Tech and Duke not, and throw everyone else into a bag and pick one out.
NC State came way close to last year being the year – if you’re in the Atlantic and you beat Clemson, you’ve got to shut that (bleep) down and go to the ACC Championship. But this year’s team is better.
The offense will still be dangerous, the defense will be even better, the special teams are going to be strong, and outside of OT Ikem Ekwonu, the lost parts are replaceable.
Now the big goal for the coaching staff and the program is to not get overconfident with a whole slew of very, very dangerous games that could jump up and bite them.
Set The NC State Wolfpack Regular Season Win Total At … 8.5
At East Carolina is a dangerous way to open up a season.
Texas Tech is a dangerous non-conference home game.
At Syracuse is a dangerous midseason landmine.
At Louisville and at North Carolina is a dangerous way to close out the season, and home games against Florida State, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, and Boston College are all …
And then there’s the ACC opener at Clemson that might make or break the season from the start.
This might be a great team, but it’ll be more of a struggle than it might seem to get to nine wins or more. It’ll be good enough to get to at least eight wins, but it’ll likely lose at Clemson, drop one home game against one of the better/hotter teams, and there should be one other close call misfire out there.
But beat Clemson, and this all changes fast.
2022 NC State Preview
Offense, Defense Breakdown | Keys To The Season
NC State Top 10 Players | NC State Schedule & Analysis
