TRI-PARTISAN: The Real Season Begins Now
Each week I submit a Tri-Partisan column to WRALSportsFan.com, and here is today's feature where I tell you why the final three games of the season could impact NC State's football program.
WRALSportsFan.com: The Real Season Begins Now
Nine games into the season and we still don't know what type of team this could have been for NC State.
The Pack is coming off a 55-10 loss at home to Clemson after starting nine freshmen against the Tigers, and 43 percent of the team's snaps were also being played by freshmen. That type of reliance on young players is almost unheard of in college football, and it's certainly not what you need to upset a team like Clemson.
State is not competing for a title; we all know that. However, that doesn't mean there's nothing left to play for. In fact, the final three games could be monumental for the program, and that is why 2019 is far from over for the Wolfpack.
NC State ends the year with home matchups against Louisville and North Carolina with a Thursday night road game in Atlanta versus Georgia Tech sandwiched between the two. Like the Wolfpack, all three programs have yet to become bowl-eligible, with the Yellow Jackets already being eliminated at 2-7.
These games are in the “potential win” category, and certainly more so than Clemson was viewed. NC State is battered and bruised, having likely lost additional players to injury versus the Tigers, but the fact that players continue to compete, is encouraging.
First up is Louisville.
The Cardinals come to Raleigh this weekend having just lost at Miami, 52-27, and it was never really that close. However, at 5-4, Scott Satterfield has three ACC wins in his first season and has Louisville quickly on the right track. That was to be expected given that previous coach Bobby Petrino recruited fairly well, and particularly at the skill positions.
Winning Saturday would be huge because you don't want to be in a position where you have to win the two final games just to reach bowl eligibility, and right now, that's the clear goal: becoming bowl eligible. If ever a team could benefit from the additional practices in December, it's NC State. I've talked for weeks about the youth on the roster, and those practices could serve as a springboard into the 2020 season.
If you ask Wolfpack fans they will tell you the game State has to win is North Carolina. It's a rivalry game, and the Tar Heels have generated a buzz despite having the exact same record as State. A win would be the Pack's fourth straight in the series, and that can take away a lot of the frustrations of the season. Click the link to read the rest of the story: LINK