Pack priorities: NC State’s keys to the game vs. Notre Dame

In fewer than 48 hours, NC State will face No. 10 Notre Dame in Carter-Finley Stadium with a chance to make a statement in front of a raucous, sold out home crowd. The noon kickoff on ABC will give the Wolfpack an opportunity to make a statement against one of the top teams in the country.

Over the past four days, NC State’s coaching staff and players broke down the matchup against the Irish and shared what they consider some of the important deciding factors for Saturday’s showdown.

Dave Doeren: Pack Carter-Finley Stadium

During his Thursday afternoon press conference, Dave Doeren stressed that, due to the packed crowd expected at Carter-Finley Stadium Saturday, it is important for fans to get to the stadium early. NC State has built a reputation as one of the tougher ACC venues to play in, and the head coach wants the sold crowd to play a role in this matchup early and often.

“We need you to be a part of this one, big time,” Doeren said Monday. “Complementary football for us, it’s offense, defense, special teams, and then that juice that we get from our sideline and our fans and our students section,” Doeren said.

Every home game this year is sold out. Home crowds might not decide games on their own, but disrupting an offense’s communication with a bunch of noise can certainly help.

Robert Anae: Create explosive plays

Offensive coordinator Robert Anae kept his press conference short and to the point Tuesday. NC State averaged 5.1 yards per play against UConn, but Brennan Armstrong’s longest completion traveled 19 yards.

Doeren said Thursday that Anae aims for 9 explosive plays each week, with that number adjusted based on how many plays the Pack ends up running in a contest. The coordinator hopes to see a more dynamic NC State attack during Saturday’s game.

“We’d like to be a more explosive offense, but that’s going to be the challenge every week as well, not just this week,” Anae said.

The coordinator also shared he believes the program did not make a couple of key throws against UConn because of the Wolfpack’s pass blocking.

“We had a few that we left on the field because protection was hurting us, so that all gets tied together,” Anae said. “We were not as explosive, and a lot of that starts with how it’s working up front.”

Tony Gibson: Tackle as a group

Defensive coordinator Tony Gibson complimented the Notre Dame backfield, pointing out that each of the Fighting Irish running backs are strong and physical. For that reason, tackling as a unit will be a crucial part of NC State’s success Saturday.

“We have to make sure that we have 11 guys to the football,” Gibson said. “That’s the key for us. We can’t leave our DB’s one on one with these big backs. That would be an issue for us.”

Brennan Armstrong: Score 31 points

Armstrong completed 17 of 26 passes against UConn for 155 yards but truly shined on the ground with 19 carries for 96 yards. It was a solid start for the graduate-student signal-caller, who said the team aims to score 31 points or more each week.

He broke down why the Pack did not hit that mark against the Huskies.

“We just need to hit some of our layups,” Armstrong observed. “We had some easy conversions on third down that we didn’t get, and I think that sustains drives. I think your score [at UConn] looks a little bit different. I think we’re probably going over 31 [points].”

The Wolfpacker: Disrupt Sam Hartman

TheWolfpacker.com’s key to the game is to throw quarterback Sam Hartman out of his well-established rhythm. Over the past two games, he averaged 222.5 passing yards per game on an 82.5 completion percentage with 6 touchdowns.

NC State has the talent and the scheme to make things Hartman. He threw 3 interceptions while suiting up for Wake Forest last year and, while that mark might be unrealistic for Saturday, the Pack could really use a couple of timely turnovers in this matchup.

Hartman did not hesitate to challenge the Wolfpack defensive backs last year, and that came back to bite him. NC State’s secondary, especially cornerbacks Aydan White and Shyheim Battle, will likely spend most of this matchup on an island. They relish that opportunity and could have a chance to change the game.

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