NC State football caps off the 2018 season with a rescheduled contest against the ECU Pirates. Will the Wolfpack be mentally prepared for one more game?
There’s some games on the slate for Week 14, commonly known as conference championship week, that won’t award any titles. NC State football is one of the numerous teams impacted by a canceled game earlier this season, a game which will be made up on Saturday. Joining them are teams like Iowa State and South Carolina.
NC State was originally scheduled to play the West Virginia Mountaineers but weather concerns forced the game to be postponed and later canceled. Although, the phrase “inclement weather” doesn’t even begin to describe what hit North Carolina at the end of the summer in the form of Hurricane Florence.
Instead, the NC State Wolfpack take on the East Carolina Pirates to try to move one step closer to 10 wins on the season. ECU doesn’t have a whole lot to play for at this point and has already fired head coach Scottie Montgomery after a three-win season.
However, head NC State football coach Dave Doeren wants to see senior quarterback Ryan Finley sent off in the proper fashion with a win over an in-state foe. Doeren also has the opportunity to get his team to 10 wins by knocking off ECU and then winning a bowl game.
The real question in this game for both teams is going to be how much of a challenge the 3-8 Pirates can present for the 8-3 Wolfpack. ECU didn’t put up much of a fight against good teams in the American Athletic Conference this year. The one exception to ECU’s play this fall came in a surprising 41-19 win over the North Carolina Tar Heels who also changed coaches this offseason.
If ECU can play with the same effort it came out with that saw them post more than 500 total yards and a second half shutout of the Tar Heels against NC State this could turn into an interesting game. But, NC State is a much better team than UNC and one that ECU is going to have a difficult time containing in pass coverage.
There’s a shot that ECU can hang with NC State, but it shouldn’t wind up too close in the end. NC State comes into this game as a 23-point favorite and has a good chance to cover. It kicks off at 12 p.m. ET at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh, NC, on Dec. 1.