I expect the DL and the LBs to step it up and contain Jackson.....huge task but I know they can do it.
NC State Football
NC State's Airius Moore Says Louisville Is A "Huge Game"
Airius Moore saw what Lamar Jackson can do last season. He also understands that the Heisman winner has improved.
He also remembers the end result of last season’s encounter with the Cardinals.
It is not something he wants himself or NC State to be known for.
“That is not who we want to be,” Moore said of last season’s blowout loss to Louisville. “That is not what we are trying to represent. When you think of NC State that is not what we want you to think about so that definitely drove us to improve a lot. It helped us improve last season and even this season 100 percent. We want you to think something different when you see NC State.”
The inclination when NC State takes on the Cardinals is to assume the Pack will seek revenge.
What it is more about is staying the course and growing day-by-day. The work put in has all been a part of a process and that process is nearing the midpoint of the regular season.
And it has reached an exciting opportunity.
“We have every game circled on our calendar,” Moore said. “They are all important. Having us get blown out last year, we didn’t play very well, obviously, we want to play way better than we did last year. We want to compete and step up to the challenge this year.
“I am looking forward to it. I think there is going to be a lot of fans there. They are going to be able to give us a huge advantage. There is nothing else you really can ask for, playing on ESPN, playing against a really good Louisville team and just going to compete. That is what you dream of as a kid, to play in games like this.”
Jackson is coming off an incredible season that culminated in his winning the Heisman Award.
It has been more of the same this year for the junior, who burst onto the scene as a freshman in Raleigh with his running ability. NC State head coach Dave Doeren recently compared Jackson to Michael Vick.
Moore is also impressed.
“He is definitely a better passer, obviously statistically,” Moore said. “Last year he threw the ball all around on us so we know that he is good passing. Obviously, it is well-documented that he is a good runner so it is going to be a challenge this week but as a defense, we want to step up to the challenge and step up to the opportunity to play. That is what competitors so we want to compete.”
Ultimately, Moore has to straddle the fence when it comes to his emotions.
While he knows it is just one game in the step he also has a grasp of how big the event will be. In fact, these are the moments that he has dreamt of.
“As a team, we are definitely focusing,” Moore said. “We are working on a gameplan every single day. Obviously, we are going to be working right up until 8 o’clock kickoff so as much as we can polish it can do us some good.
“It is a huge game. It is a huge opportunity. [Jackson] is a great player and it allows you to compete. You get to see how good you really are and that is what you want as a player. You want to be challenged and get better. That is what our challenge is this week. That is the opportunity given to us….I am getting excited just thinking about it. We still have a lot of work to do up to the game but we are definitely ready for it.”
He also remembers the end result of last season’s encounter with the Cardinals.
It is not something he wants himself or NC State to be known for.
“That is not who we want to be,” Moore said of last season’s blowout loss to Louisville. “That is not what we are trying to represent. When you think of NC State that is not what we want you to think about so that definitely drove us to improve a lot. It helped us improve last season and even this season 100 percent. We want you to think something different when you see NC State.”
The inclination when NC State takes on the Cardinals is to assume the Pack will seek revenge.
What it is more about is staying the course and growing day-by-day. The work put in has all been a part of a process and that process is nearing the midpoint of the regular season.
And it has reached an exciting opportunity.
“We have every game circled on our calendar,” Moore said. “They are all important. Having us get blown out last year, we didn’t play very well, obviously, we want to play way better than we did last year. We want to compete and step up to the challenge this year.
“I am looking forward to it. I think there is going to be a lot of fans there. They are going to be able to give us a huge advantage. There is nothing else you really can ask for, playing on ESPN, playing against a really good Louisville team and just going to compete. That is what you dream of as a kid, to play in games like this.”
Jackson is coming off an incredible season that culminated in his winning the Heisman Award.
It has been more of the same this year for the junior, who burst onto the scene as a freshman in Raleigh with his running ability. NC State head coach Dave Doeren recently compared Jackson to Michael Vick.
Moore is also impressed.
“He is definitely a better passer, obviously statistically,” Moore said. “Last year he threw the ball all around on us so we know that he is good passing. Obviously, it is well-documented that he is a good runner so it is going to be a challenge this week but as a defense, we want to step up to the challenge and step up to the opportunity to play. That is what competitors so we want to compete.”
Ultimately, Moore has to straddle the fence when it comes to his emotions.
While he knows it is just one game in the step he also has a grasp of how big the event will be. In fact, these are the moments that he has dreamt of.
“As a team, we are definitely focusing,” Moore said. “We are working on a gameplan every single day. Obviously, we are going to be working right up until 8 o’clock kickoff so as much as we can polish it can do us some good.
“It is a huge game. It is a huge opportunity. [Jackson] is a great player and it allows you to compete. You get to see how good you really are and that is what you want as a player. You want to be challenged and get better. That is what our challenge is this week. That is the opportunity given to us….I am getting excited just thinking about it. We still have a lot of work to do up to the game but we are definitely ready for it.”
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