Sounds reasonable enough!!
NC State is off to a nice start at 2-0, but the Wolfpack will have
their first real test at home when they host Cincinnati on Thursday.
Cincinnati, coming off a banner season, lost its first game of the
season but rebounded last week and is looking to add a quality road win
to its resume.
NC State started its season with a 48-7 home win
over Western Carolina and a 28-21 road win at UCF. The Wolfpack fell
down 7-0 early before putting up 48 straight points. NC State QB Russell Wilson
threw four touchdown passes in the first and second quarters to put the
Wolfpack up 28-7. He finished 21-for-31 passing for 306 yards and those
four touchdowns. The Wolfpack ran the ball 36 times for 133 yards while
passing the ball a total of 38 times, so they had a very balanced
offense. NC State's defense shut down Western Carolina, allowing only
103 passing yards and 86 rushing yards.
Last week, the Wolfpack
won 28-21 at UCF. They held a 28-7 lead after the third quarter before
nearly letting UCF come back and tie the game. The Wolfpack failed to
score a point on offense in the second half. In that game, Wilson really
struggled, completing just 10-of-30 pass attempts for 105 yards and a
touchdown. The Wolfpack totaled 139 rushing yards on 37 carries. They
allowed 95 rushing yards and 213 passing yards. The reason they won the
game was the turnover battle. The Wolfpack committed zero turnovers
while forcing five of them. In their first game, they also committed no
turnovers and forced one.
Cincinnati opened its season with a 28-14 loss at Fresno State. Cincy QB Zach Collaros,
who filled in nicely for an injured Tony Pike last season, was
24-for-41 for 219 yards and two touchdowns, one passing and one rushing.
Neither team could run the ball well. The Bearcats had 15 rushing yards
and Fresno State only had 49. Cincy allowed 296 passing yards. The game
was tied at 14 at the half but the Bearcats couldn't score in the
second half. Each team had one turnover.
Last week, the Bearcats
won 40-7 over Indiana State. They scored 28 points in the third quarter
to pull away. Collaros was 11-for-17 for 130 yards and two touchdowns in
the air, and ran for 32 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Cincy RB Darrin Williams ran the ball 13 times for 117 yards. John Goebel
had 75 yards and two touchdowns on nine carries. They allowed 161
passing yards and 93 rushing yards. Cincy committed two turnovers and
forced one.
NC State doesn't have a great offense. Wilson looked
great against Western Carolina but then he struggled mightily against
UCF, a team that is not nearly as strong as Cincinnati. The Wolfpack
will have to shut down the dynamic Cincy offense to win this game. The
Bearcats can run the ball and pass it, and they have a dynamic QB in
Collaros. If they can shut down Collaros, the Wolfpack will have a
chance to win the game if they can score some points.
Cincinnati
is 0-5 ATS in its last five games following an ATS loss and 0-5 ATS in
its last five games following a SU win. The Bearcats are 0-5 ATS in
their last five non-conference games and 0-7 ATS in their last seven
games overall. NC State is 4-0-1 ATS in its last five September games
and 8-2-2 ATS in its last 12 games following an ATS win. The over is 4-0
in Cincy's last four games following an ATS loss but the under is 8-1
in Cincy's last nine Thursday games. The over is 11-2 in NC State's last
13 games overall.
Ryno's Pick to Cover the Point Spread: I like the Wolfpack to win a close game.
Ok, this is my last bet ever . . .
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