Good read, kinda surprised re the bolded part from Henderson.
By James Henderson, WRALSportsFan contributor
Saturday afternoon in Chestnut Hill, Mass., is when NC State's offense will have that breakout game it has lacked the last few weeks – at least, it better be. If the Wolfpack's offense struggles versus Boston College, it's time to be very concerned, because matchups won't get any better the rest of the season.
If you scour the ACC's defensive statistics, chances are Boston College is at the bottom. This is great news for NC State's running game and passing attack.
Let's start by taking a look at the potential challenges, or juicy opportunity, ahead for quarterback Bailey Hockman. The redshirt sophomore will be making his first career start, but after playing three quarters at Florida State and virtually the entire game against Syracuse, he should be ready. He won't even be the least-experienced quarterback on the field, what with walk-on Dennis Grosel making his first career start for Boston College.
The Eagles pass defense has been dreadful, ranking in the ACC's bottom third in virtually every statistical category: third-down defense (No. 14, which is last), pass defense (No. 13), yards per pass attempt allowed (No. 14), passing touchdowns allowed (No. 12), and sacks per game (No. 14).
BC is getting shredded through the air, yielding explosive plays, allowing passing touchdowns, and they aren't generating any pressure at all on the quarterback. The team has five sacks in six games. For comparison, NC State defensive tackle Larrell Murchison has seven sacks – all by himself – in six games.
Hockman has been okay so far, but he only has one passing touchdown, and NC State has scored a paltry 13 points and 16 points the last two games. He really needs a breakout performance to silence critics and seize control of the quarterback competition. If it doesn't happen at Boston College, some are going to wonder if it will happen at all – because Boston College is allowing nearly 30 points per game
This is the type of matchup any quarterback is hoping for. Hockman should have confidence that he will be protected, his wide receivers are going to be open, and he can have a showing to quiet any remaining skeptics.
But if he does struggle, guess what? Boston College has been nearly just as bad defending the run! Out of 14 ACC teams, BC is No. 13 in rushing defense, No. 12 in rushing yards per carry allowed, No. 12 in rush attempts per game allowed, and No. 12 in opponent runs of 20+ yards.
NC State's running game has been fairly good so far this season with true freshmen Jordan Houston and Zonovan Knight. Houston is averaging 6.22 yards per carry, which ranks No. 4 in the ACC. Knight isn’t far behind at 5.13 and No. 11 in the league. State and Clemson are the only two teams in the ACC with two rushers in the top 12 in the ACC in yards per carry.
Both backs have been very close to breaking a long, explosive scoring run, and this could be the game it happens. Either way, though, NC State should be able to have a lot of success rushing the football against the Eagles.
This is what you should call a “Get Right” game for NC State's offense. When you're struggling to score in the ACC, having Boston College up next on the schedule has often been a timely tonic.
Can NC State's offense capitalize on the opportunity? That's the big question. Clearly the goal will be to win the game, and it often doesn’t matter how. Whether the score is 3-0 or 35-34, it all looks the same in the standings.
The reality, however, is that this game is huge for the Wolfpack offense and Bailey Hockman. We've already seen Devin Leary get a full series against Syracuse, and it's likely he receives reps this coming Saturday, as well. If the script plays out like it did with Matt McKay, Hockman needs a fast start -- or we could see more of Leary than expected against the Eagles.
What NC State should hope for is Hockman having that breakout game, and as a result there being fewer questions about the offense going forward. One game is unlikely to silence all the critics, but it would give some confidence that State could have the right guy under center, and that's important.
The defense has totaled 16 sacks the last two games and just held Syracuse's high-powered offense to 10 points. That unit is playing at a high level, and if State can get above-average play from the offense there are a lot of winnable games left on the schedule.
If not, it's going to be a dogfight to reach bowl eligibility, because holding the remaining offenses on the schedule to 10 or less points each week probably isn’t going to happen. The defense has been good, but the reality of the situation is that it’s time for the Pack offense to carry its weight.
So when I'm watching State-BC my focus will be on the Wolfpack offense. If it's a struggle all game against Boston College, it might be time to push the panic button.
https://www.wralsportsfan.com/tri-p...faces-golden-opportunity-against-bc/18704377/
By James Henderson, WRALSportsFan contributor
Saturday afternoon in Chestnut Hill, Mass., is when NC State's offense will have that breakout game it has lacked the last few weeks – at least, it better be. If the Wolfpack's offense struggles versus Boston College, it's time to be very concerned, because matchups won't get any better the rest of the season.
If you scour the ACC's defensive statistics, chances are Boston College is at the bottom. This is great news for NC State's running game and passing attack.
Let's start by taking a look at the potential challenges, or juicy opportunity, ahead for quarterback Bailey Hockman. The redshirt sophomore will be making his first career start, but after playing three quarters at Florida State and virtually the entire game against Syracuse, he should be ready. He won't even be the least-experienced quarterback on the field, what with walk-on Dennis Grosel making his first career start for Boston College.
The Eagles pass defense has been dreadful, ranking in the ACC's bottom third in virtually every statistical category: third-down defense (No. 14, which is last), pass defense (No. 13), yards per pass attempt allowed (No. 14), passing touchdowns allowed (No. 12), and sacks per game (No. 14).
BC is getting shredded through the air, yielding explosive plays, allowing passing touchdowns, and they aren't generating any pressure at all on the quarterback. The team has five sacks in six games. For comparison, NC State defensive tackle Larrell Murchison has seven sacks – all by himself – in six games.
Hockman has been okay so far, but he only has one passing touchdown, and NC State has scored a paltry 13 points and 16 points the last two games. He really needs a breakout performance to silence critics and seize control of the quarterback competition. If it doesn't happen at Boston College, some are going to wonder if it will happen at all – because Boston College is allowing nearly 30 points per game
This is the type of matchup any quarterback is hoping for. Hockman should have confidence that he will be protected, his wide receivers are going to be open, and he can have a showing to quiet any remaining skeptics.
But if he does struggle, guess what? Boston College has been nearly just as bad defending the run! Out of 14 ACC teams, BC is No. 13 in rushing defense, No. 12 in rushing yards per carry allowed, No. 12 in rush attempts per game allowed, and No. 12 in opponent runs of 20+ yards.
NC State's running game has been fairly good so far this season with true freshmen Jordan Houston and Zonovan Knight. Houston is averaging 6.22 yards per carry, which ranks No. 4 in the ACC. Knight isn’t far behind at 5.13 and No. 11 in the league. State and Clemson are the only two teams in the ACC with two rushers in the top 12 in the ACC in yards per carry.
Both backs have been very close to breaking a long, explosive scoring run, and this could be the game it happens. Either way, though, NC State should be able to have a lot of success rushing the football against the Eagles.
This is what you should call a “Get Right” game for NC State's offense. When you're struggling to score in the ACC, having Boston College up next on the schedule has often been a timely tonic.
Can NC State's offense capitalize on the opportunity? That's the big question. Clearly the goal will be to win the game, and it often doesn’t matter how. Whether the score is 3-0 or 35-34, it all looks the same in the standings.
The reality, however, is that this game is huge for the Wolfpack offense and Bailey Hockman. We've already seen Devin Leary get a full series against Syracuse, and it's likely he receives reps this coming Saturday, as well. If the script plays out like it did with Matt McKay, Hockman needs a fast start -- or we could see more of Leary than expected against the Eagles.
What NC State should hope for is Hockman having that breakout game, and as a result there being fewer questions about the offense going forward. One game is unlikely to silence all the critics, but it would give some confidence that State could have the right guy under center, and that's important.
The defense has totaled 16 sacks the last two games and just held Syracuse's high-powered offense to 10 points. That unit is playing at a high level, and if State can get above-average play from the offense there are a lot of winnable games left on the schedule.
If not, it's going to be a dogfight to reach bowl eligibility, because holding the remaining offenses on the schedule to 10 or less points each week probably isn’t going to happen. The defense has been good, but the reality of the situation is that it’s time for the Pack offense to carry its weight.
So when I'm watching State-BC my focus will be on the Wolfpack offense. If it's a struggle all game against Boston College, it might be time to push the panic button.
https://www.wralsportsfan.com/tri-p...faces-golden-opportunity-against-bc/18704377/
