Murray State Racers vs. NC State Wolfpack
Location: Carter-Finley Stadium (Raleigh, NC)
Television: None
Records: NC State (0-1), Murray State (1-0)
"They have a couple good skill players. the one wide-out, Harris, the quarterback, he can pull the ball down and take off and run. So, they have good players. Everybody has good players nowadays and they have people that can beat you, so we're going to have to play very well on Saturday." said O'Brien.
With a hard fought loss already behind them, the Pack desperately need a victory on Saturday against Murray State to, not only get into the win column, but also to fend off the critics who have begun to appear over the past week. The first step in getting that victory is knowing you're opponent inside-out. Let's take a look at just who the Murray State Racers really are...
Who Is Murray State?
Hailing from the OVC (Ohio Valley Conference), Murray State is a four year public university with an enrollment of about 10,000, located in Murray, Kentucky. The Racers, believe it or not, have actually spawned out some pretty big names in the College Football world over the past decade. Current Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer and current Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt both got their coaching careers under way at Murray State, and that's not all. Illinois football coach Ron Zook was an assistant for the Racers before moving on to coach the Fighting Illini.
Last season the Racers finished under .500 with a mark of 5-7. However, they are making it a habit of starting strong. In their past two season openers, Murray State has hung a total of 107 points, while picking up two victories. Last season, the Racers routed Lambuth before being annihilated by Indiana 45-3. The Wolfpack are looking to help them continue that trend, but need to stop a few playmakers to make that possible.
The Racers Have Thoroughbreds
Junior wide-out, Marcus Harris is a legitimate playmaker for the Racers. The 6'1, 185lbs receiver has good hands, great instincts and blazing speed. Just ask Kentucky Wesleyan, who was decimated by the pure speed of Harris last weekend as he shredded the Panthers defense and special teams on his way to 225 all-purpose yards and 3 touchdowns. There's never a time to rest when Harris is on the field, as he's a true threat as a kick returner, punt returner or slotting in as a receiver. (He scored from all three positions last weekend). As a sophomore Harris was already starting to break out with 652 yards and 6 touchdowns.
Another threat that the Pack need to be aware of is Senior Charlie Jordan, who tallied 116 yards and 2 TD's on the ground, all while only carrying the ball 15 times in week 1. Jordan is small in stature at 5'8, but packs a punch at 190lbs.
While both of these players are extremely skilled, they are not anything that the Wolfpack is not used to playing in the ACC. If the Wolfpack can stay aware of Jordan and Harris, and improve on their pitfalls of last Thursday night, they should be able to walk away with their first win.
What Will the Wolfpack Have To Do To Win?
Plain and simple, the Wolfpack offense will need to execute, and that all starts with Russell Wilson. Wilson came out a bit timid in the home opener against South Carolina, but seemed to pick up the pace and get into a rhythm late in the 4th quarter. That rhythm will need to carry over to Saturday, as many will be looking on to see if Thursday's offense performance was only a blip on the radar or a real cause for concern.
The offense took a blow this past week, when it was learned that Junior offensive lineman, Jake Vermiglio and Senior halfback Jamele Eugene will both miss Saturday's contest with injuries. That should open up opportunities for both senior Julian Williams and freshman James Washington. Washington showed some serious playmaking ability on Thursday with some ankle breaking jukes that had the crowd looking to their programs to see just who #24 was.
"As time goes on he's certainly going to get his chances, and he showed some flashes the other night. So, hopefully he'll get some more opportunities to play in this game." O'Brien said about Washington after Wednesday's practice.
The true test for the Pack offense is whether or not the line can give Wilson and the backfield enough time and room to make plays. O'Brien was not pleased by the line's effort and said "they will be re-evaluated and changes may need to be made." This week they will get another chance to prove that they have what it takes to protect the jewel of the offense, Wilson. If they cannot, the Pack is in for a long season, and Wilson will be running for his life for the next few months. Protect Wilson, and create lanes to run and the Pack could be in for an offensive explosion.
Defense A Strong Point?
One thing that the many did not expect was for the Wolfpack defense to come out and completely shut down the USC offense on Thursday night. Led by a Willie Young, Ray Michel and newcomer Earl Wolff, the Wolfpack defense allowed only 256 yards of total offense, and only 2.6 yards per rush. Some may have predicted the experience front line to shut down the Gamecock's running attack, however the real question was whether the wet behind the ears secondary could hold off the big play. Question answered, as the secondary allowed only 148 yards in the air.
If the Wolfpack defense can give a repeat performance and offense can get rolling, watch out, the Racers will have nowhere to run.
comments
8 Responses to "GAME PREVIEW: Wolfpack Looks To Keep Racers In Their Stable On Saturday"I think Wilson will get rolling this week, and I agree that the secondary answered the call against USC. My prediction: Pack- 34 Racers:10.
Thanks for the pregame write up as well. I don't know about anyone else, but I hate never knowing a darn thong about these OOC schools that we play. I appreciate the background. Many papers and websites fail to do this Bc it's not a "big game," but I feel like the true football fan wants to know these things.
Also, I'd like to say that the writing here is really improving. I'll admit that I was one of the ones that criticized the spelling and overall writing of this site, but I'm a fair man and will give credit when it's deemed necessary.
Anyways, can we get some predictions people? Whover is closest wins my respect ; ). Which is really all I have to offer these days.
- Miles (G'boro)
Miles - I think that your prediction is about right. I know that may seem like a 'cop out' but if you think about it, then it makes a ton of sense.
We (almost) always give up one senseless TD to a lesser opponent, and will usually give up a TO on our own end of the field. We may stop them from scoring 7, but a field goal is probable.
Our O-line should look much better tomorrow. The 4-2-5 Defense that M. State uses will be a pass stopper, so I would expect to see a lot of the 'option' aspect of our Flex Option Offense. I'm hoping that Baker will ramp it up, and that we get to see the big play ability of Washington tomorrow. You may see Glennon more tomorrow night, but from what I've heard our second team pushes our first team, in terms of Offensive production, so I wouldn't expect much of a drop-off when shuffling Glennon and his boys from the 'B' team into the game.
I think 34-10 is a fair prediction. Let's just pray that it turns out that way! Go Pack!
I don't mean to dismiss or take this team lightly, but if we don't stomp them pretty badly, something is wrong. Our defensive line should smother them. I'm not sure I'll be happy unless we shut them out, even if they supposedly have "playmakers". I don't buy it. last week, they dropped 66 points on a team that I believe doesn't even give football scholarships.
I think State wins 45(+) to 7. I'll give them seven because at some point, we'll surely have some kind of a breakdown.
ppack3,
You and your brood rockin' the fairgrounds again?
BTW,
Coach Archer more or less has a base D set up of a 4-2-5. The Field LB, Audie Cole's position, is not much more then a STRONG strong safety.
Our other two LB's are really both MLB's. Amateur football is sort of a different breed then Pro football in that the hash marks are so far apart that you end up lining up over the half the game with a an unbalanced field. So many Offenses have gone to their version of the spread and smart D Coordinators, like ours at State, have looked for ways to get position in the open spaces.
It wasn't that long ago when it seemed every offense lined up tight and pitched student body right towards the open side of the field. Well, yeah I guess it was.
Jose, We will be rocking the Big Bus at the fairgrounds this week! Sadly, I am working until 2pm, so I won't be able to ride the Pack-mobile out there at 8am with the family. We will be just east of the students. It's not a bad area. Just a long walk. But, at least we won't be parking in the middle of the 'NC Dog Show' RV's! Where do you guys set up before the games?
Interesting take on the D! I love what they're doing with Archer at the helm. You know, every time I see a picture of Cole, I think of the D-lineman from the movie 'The Program.' Not quite as big or insane, but he has that look about him. He is already fun to watch! Linebackers are going to be a bright spot in Raleigh for a while. Especially as Irving comes back.
Go State!
We park in faculty & staff PP3. Brutal getting out last week.
Supposedly there is a plan to actually coordinate auto's and pedestrians leaving at the same time. Up to know it had been written in stone that any heavy foot traffic would completely deactivate motorist exiting.
"I don't mean to dismiss or take this team lightly, but if we don't stomp them pretty badly, something is wrong."
Mission accomplished.
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