Louisville vs NC State Prediction, Game Preview
Louisville vs NC State prediction, game preview, how to watch: Saturday, October 30
Louisville vs NC State How To Watch
Date: Saturday, October 30
Game Time: 7:30 ET
Venue: Carter-Finley Stadium, Raleigh, NC
How To Watch: ACC Network
Record: Louisville (4-3), NC State (5-2)
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Louisville vs NC State Game Preview
Why Louisville Will Win
The running game picked a great time to come up with its best performance of the season.
At 3-3 and in desperate need of a win to stay in the hunt for a bowl game, the Cardinals rolled for 331 yards on the ground. Trevion Cooley ran for over 100 yards, and QB Malik Cunningham put up 133 yards and three touchdown.
Throw in the steady production from Jalen Mitchell, and with Hasaan Hall running for over 100 yards in the previous game against Virginia, and the ACC’s great running game has a ton of weapons.
Get that attack going, rely on the defensive front to generate enough pressure to force a few stops, and hope this gets into a shootout.
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Why NC State Will Win
The ACC’s best defense is amazing against the run.
Louisiana Tech was able to come up with 139 yards, and that was the best anyone’s been able to do. The D hasn’t allowed more than 100 yards on the ground in four of the last six games – it’s allowing 93 rushing yards per game.
The offense doesn’t turn the ball over enough to matter, the defense is phenomenal on third downs, and it should all work against an inconsistent Cardinal team that has way too many holes.
NC State has one of the nation’s most consistent passing games – 230 yards or more in every game – but it’s 0-2 when it doesn’t get to 120 rushing yards. Louisville allowed 86 yards on the ground against Eastern Kentucky, and 35 in the loss to Virginia – but the Cavaliers threw for almost 500.
The Wolfpack will blow past 130 yards on the ground, but …
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What’s Going To Happen
Can NC State’s pass defense come through?
It’s 4-0 when it doesn’t allow 200 yards through the air, it had to much of a fight against a bad Louisiana Tech team that threw for 341, and it lost when Mississippi State almost got to 300 and gave up 325 to Miami’s Tyler Van Dyke.
Louisville has thrown for 200 or more in every game but last week against Boston College, and that’s when it ran wild.
NC State’s defense was great against a whole lot of mediocre offenses, but it hasn’t faced anyone with Louisville’s versatility and balance. There’s going to be one problem …
The Cardinals will turn the ball over in a key spot, and the Wolfpack won’t.
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Louisville vs NC State Prediction, Lines
NC State 37, Louisville 31
Line: NC State -6.5, o/u: 56.5
ATS Confidence out of 5: 3
Must See Rating: 3.5
5: The French Dispatch
1: Finch
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