Cincinnati
7th Big East4-8
NC State
5th ACC8-4
Cincinnati @ NC State preview
Carter-Finley Stadium
Two offenses that are still trying to find an identity take the field, when North Carolina State hosts Cincinnati Thursday night in an ACC-Big East matchup.
Neither offense has piled up huge yardage or moved the ball consistently in the early going,
Reversing the trend from last year's 5-7 season, North Carolina State (2-0) relied on its defense for big plays, while its offense sputtered at times against Central Florida. The visiting Wolfpack forced five turnovers in a 28-21 victory, including C.J. Wilson's 43-yard touchdown on an interception return and a game-clinching fumble recovery in the last minute. The opportunistic defense made up for an offense that has had some unexpected problems. Quarterback Russell Wilson was 10 of 30 for 105 yards, and the Wolfpack gained just 239 total yards against UCF. On the plus side, the N.C. State hasn't lost an interception or fumble in its first two games.
Among the defensive leaders has been linebacker Audie Cole, who had 12 tackles and an interception against Central Florida to earn ACC Player of the Week honors. N.C. State leads the ACC in total defense (248.4 yards per game) while holding opponents to 90.5 yards a game on the ground.
After playing in major bowls the past two seasons, Cincinnati (1-1) is in a rebuilding framework, after losing coach Brian Kelly to Notre Dame. Cincinnati opened with a loss to Fresno State and had some trouble early with Indiana State last week. The Bearcats scored just 12 points in the first half before running away with a 40-7 win, the first for new head coach Butch Jones. This week, they'll need more balance out of an offense that gained 263 yards on the ground, led by sophomore Darrin Williams' 120 yards on 13 carries in his first start.
Quarterback Zach Collaros faced heavy pressure for the second game in a row. After being sacked eight times in a loss to Fresno State, he was caught twice by the Sycamores. He has a 60 percent completion rate and with no interceptions, but Collaros passed just 17 times against Indiana State. He threw for two touchdowns to Armon Binns, who has combined with D.J. Woods for 21 catches and 232 yards in two games. But Woods lost two fumbles in the first half last week, one on a kickoff return and the other after a pass reception.
N.C. State is off to its best start since 2002 and gets into its ACC schedule next week, facing Georgia Tech on the road Sept. 25, while Cincinnati hosts Oklahoma.
Neither offense has piled up huge yardage or moved the ball consistently in the early going,
Reversing the trend from last year's 5-7 season, North Carolina State (2-0) relied on its defense for big plays, while its offense sputtered at times against Central Florida. The visiting Wolfpack forced five turnovers in a 28-21 victory, including C.J. Wilson's 43-yard touchdown on an interception return and a game-clinching fumble recovery in the last minute. The opportunistic defense made up for an offense that has had some unexpected problems. Quarterback Russell Wilson was 10 of 30 for 105 yards, and the Wolfpack gained just 239 total yards against UCF. On the plus side, the N.C. State hasn't lost an interception or fumble in its first two games.
Among the defensive leaders has been linebacker Audie Cole, who had 12 tackles and an interception against Central Florida to earn ACC Player of the Week honors. N.C. State leads the ACC in total defense (248.4 yards per game) while holding opponents to 90.5 yards a game on the ground.
After playing in major bowls the past two seasons, Cincinnati (1-1) is in a rebuilding framework, after losing coach Brian Kelly to Notre Dame. Cincinnati opened with a loss to Fresno State and had some trouble early with Indiana State last week. The Bearcats scored just 12 points in the first half before running away with a 40-7 win, the first for new head coach Butch Jones. This week, they'll need more balance out of an offense that gained 263 yards on the ground, led by sophomore Darrin Williams' 120 yards on 13 carries in his first start.
Quarterback Zach Collaros faced heavy pressure for the second game in a row. After being sacked eight times in a loss to Fresno State, he was caught twice by the Sycamores. He has a 60 percent completion rate and with no interceptions, but Collaros passed just 17 times against Indiana State. He threw for two touchdowns to Armon Binns, who has combined with D.J. Woods for 21 catches and 232 yards in two games. But Woods lost two fumbles in the first half last week, one on a kickoff return and the other after a pass reception.
N.C. State is off to its best start since 2002 and gets into its ACC schedule next week, facing Georgia Tech on the road Sept. 25, while Cincinnati hosts Oklahoma.