Head coach Pat Narduzzi and his Panthers are coming off a sloppy win last week. This week against NC State will change the direction the Panthers are headed this season. The Panthers need to win these ACC games to ensure an ACC playoff spot.
NC State holds a 1-2 record in conference play and a 4-3 record overall. They are 12th in the ACC with their one win against No. 16 Virginia. Coming off a blowout loss to No. 12 Notre Dame, the Wolfpack will try to bounce back against the Panthers.
If the Panthers want to assert themselves in the ACC, they must start now. Every game is crucial, and a loss will be the end of any ACC championship hopes. The Panthers need to keep the ball rolling in ACC play with a clean win.
First Key: Win turnover battle
The Panthers’ offense looks best when they are in control of the game, and the only way to do that is to hold onto the football. First-year quarterback Mason Heintschel has — for the most part — looked like a veteran in his first three starts. But there are some issues when he exits the pocket and looks downfield. He has thrown six touchdowns with three interceptions — a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 2:1. Heintschel’s play has kept the Panthers alive so far, but these mistakes could be costly against higher-ranked opponents like Notre Dame, Georgia Tech and Miami.
This is a game for Heintschel to settle back in and re-establish Kade Bell’s offense. NC State averages less than a takeaway per game. If there is a game for the Panthers to end clean on the turnover sheet, this is the one. This is a soft defense that doesn’t make huge plays but focuses on buckling up in the red zone.
If the Panthers keep possession of the ball, they should dominate this football game and score 30 plus. The Wolfpack averaged 31 minutes of possession this year, which is 31st in the country. Opponents have to break this trend and execute long drives to tire the Wolfpack’s defense down. They have only produced four interceptions in seven games, which should give Pitt’s first-year quarterback some confidence.
The Panthers, on the other hand, average 1.8 takeaways a game. This is a problem for the Wolfpack. Their sophomore quarterback, CJ Bailey, has thrown seven interceptions this season. Now he does have 14 touchdowns to show for it, but in bigger games, the interceptions lead to the Wolfpack’s demise. The Panthers’ defense needs to capitalize and create turnovers to win this game.
Second Key: Re-establish the passing game
Heintschel only completed 13 of 24 passes against the Syracuse Orange, which was his lowest number of completed passes in his young collegiate career. The Panthers’ offense didn’t even surpass 150 yards passing, which is low for this season. The first-year quarterback broke for over 300 yards in his first two starts.
The Wolfpack defense gives up 280 yards of passing per game, which is 127th in the country. This is a perfect game for Heintschel to regain confidence in his arm and sling the football. The Panthers’ offense wants to play fast. This is the game to implement that because you have a beat-up defense that is depleted after being smacked by Notre Dame.
The Panthers have a three-headed monster at running back right now. With senior running back Desmond Reid, first-year Juelz Goff and first-year Ja’Kyrian Turner, the Panthers don’t have to worry about the run game. Lean on Heintschel’s arm and spread the football. With his speed, the run game has several elements for the defense to worry about. This is great and all, but hopefully Heintschel uses his feet as a last resort. You have Desmond Reid as a check down and so many weapons just go through progressions, then use your feet if all else fails.
Third Key: Limit penalties
The Panthers cannot have another game like the one against the Orange — 13 penalties for 114 yards lost. Some of the penalties ended drives short and kept the Orange in striking distance during the first half. The game against the Orange was really sloppy, and they cannot mimic that this week.
They are averaging 8.7 penalties per game, which is the fifth most in college football. This is not a winning formula, and the Panthers are lucky their penalties haven’t hurt them more. If Kade Bell wants a consistent offense, then the penalties have to stop. The Panthers are shooting themselves in the foot by starting five yards back every drive.
The offense has to put itself in better situations, and penalties will do the exact opposite. Some big plays were called back. Turner had a 61-yard rushing touchdown that was brought back due to a holding penalty. Remove the penalties from the game, and the Panthers will score more points and beat the Wolfpack.
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