The NC State football team’s offense had its worst showing of the season last week on the road against West Virginia. This Saturday, it’ll look to get back on track against a porous Ball State defense.
NC State wide receivers vs. Ball State secondary
NC State’s wide receivers struggled to get open in the Pack’s 44-27 loss to West Virginia, but they shouldn’t have an issue against a Ball State defense that is allowing opposing quarterbacks to complete nearly 66% of their passes and throw for over 300 passing yards per game.
Just seven days after he set career highs in receptions (12), targets (23) and yards (103), junior receiver Emeka Emezie should have a field day against the Cardinals secondary. Ball State has allowed a receiver to go over 100 yards in each of its losses, and with the way redshirt sophomore quarterback Matthew McKay likes to target Emezie, there is a good chance that streak continues this weekend.
The Cardinals have a young secondary with only one senior, safety Ray Wilborn, who currently starts. Wilborn is a solid tackler in the second level, with 23 on the season, and anchors the Cardinals’ below-average secondary group.
NC State offensive line vs. Ball State front seven
After struggling with pass blocking against West Virginia, the NC State offensive line should be licking its chops looking at its matchup against Ball State. The Cardinals have just three sacks as a team and struggle mightily to get pressure on the quarterback. If the offensive line can play to its potential, it should be able to turn in a clean sheet for McKay.
Run blocking will be more of a challenge for the Wolfpack line, as Ball State’s defensive ends and linebackers have been lethal when attacking running backs in the backfield. Led by defensive end James Jennette III’s four tackles for loss and outside linebacker Christian Albright’s 3.5, the Cardinals have racked up 21 tackles for loss in their three games and play an aggressive style of defense against the run, leaving themselves vulnerable to big plays out of the backfield.
If NC State’s trio of running backs in freshmen Zonovan Knight and Jordan Houston, and sophomore Ricky Person Jr. can avoid getting hit in the backfield, they should be primed to break off some big runs and make explosive plays in the running game.
Matthew McKay vs. Ball State cornerbacks
McKay’s biggest struggle in the loss to WVU came when throwing against man-to-man coverage. McKay was inconsistent when targeting his receivers, who were trying to create separation, and that led to a poor 48 completion percentage. Especially during run-pass option plays, McKay too often tried to make the perfect throw to avoid an interception rather than just fitting the ball where his receiver could catch it.
If McKay can throw the ball with confidence instead of throwing with the intent to not turn the ball over, he should be able to consistently find Emezie, redshirt sophomore receiver Thayer Thomas and graduate receiver Tabari Hines beating their coverage for chunk plays. Ball State’s secondary is inexperienced and lacks high-level talent, so McKay should be able to bounce back.
