No. 22 NC State visits Syracuse in key ACC matchup

Posted October 25, 2018 7:00 am

By The Associated Press

No. 22 North Carolina State (5-1, 2-1 ACC) at Syracuse (5-2, 2-2), 7 p.m. ET (ESPN2).

Line: Syracuse by 2ˆ½.

Series record: North Carolina State leads 10-1.

WHAT'S AT STAKE?

North Carolina State will try to rebound after suffering its first loss of the season at No. 2 Clemson as the Tigers turned back their biggest challenge in the ACC's Atlantic Division. Syracuse, which is unbeaten at home, can tie the Wolfpack in the division with a win. The winner becomes eligible for a bowl game.

KEY MATCHUP

The Syracuse defense against North Carolina State's offense. The Orange rank fifth nationally in third-down conversion defense, are tied for 27th in red-zone defense, but are 94th in total defense (416.4) and 70th in scoring defense (26.9), having allowed 108 points in the last three games. Wolfpack QB Ryan Finley has gone over the 300-yard mark passing four times this season and running backs Reggie Gallaspy Jr. and Ricky Person Jr. have combined to rush for 464 yards over the last three games.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

North Carolina State: Finley. The senior leads the ACC with 296.2 yards passing per game and ranks fourth in school history with 8,354 career yards. He has 30 completions of 20 yards or more this season.

Syracuse: QB Tommy DeVito. The redshirt freshman rescued the Orange with a stellar performance in relief of Dungey in last week's overtime victory over North Carolina, throwing for three TDs after entering the game late in the fourth quarter. DeVito also excelled in the second half of Syracuse's victory over Florida State in mid-September and coach Dino Babers won't hesitate to insert him.

FACTS & FIGURES

Syracuse's only win in the series was in 2013, in N.C. State coach Dave Doeren's first season at the helm. ... The Wolfpack are 5-0 at Syracuse. ... Finley has 10 completions of 20 or more yards when pressured, the second-most among all Power Five QBs ... N.C. State has rushed 220 times and thrown 223 passes. ... Syracuse QB Eric Dungey's 291.5 career yards of total offense per game is fifth among active players. ... The Orange have rushed for 1,490 yards (212.9 average) and scored 19 times on the ground.

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