ACC Football Preview: NC State vs Pittsburgh

NC State v Pittsburgh 

Two teams heading in opposite directions will clash when North Carolina State travels to Pittsburgh Panthers for an Atlantic Coast Conference game on Saturday.

Pitt (5-2, 3-1 ACC) has won three straight games thanks to the emergence of a new quarterback.

Before the Panthers’ Oct. 4 game against Boston College, freshman Mason Heintschel was named the new starter in place of a struggling Eli Holstein, and Heintschel hasn’t looked back.

Heintschel has led Pitt to wins against Boston College, Florida State and Syracuse, completing 64 of 94 passes for 784 yards and six touchdowns in that span.

Pitt enters with the third-best scoring offense in the ACC at 38.4 points per game and will be going up against a Wolfpack defense that is 13th in the league at 26.6 points allowed per game.

However, Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi said he guarantees that NC State Wolfpack is “the most talented football team that we will have played to date,” and that his squad will have to put together a complete game to win.

“(Against) Florida State, defense didn’t play very good, but offense played really well,” he said. “You flip it to the Syracuse game, defense played really well, offense didn’t play very good. If that happens Saturday (where) one of those — offense or defense — don’t play good, it will not be a good Saturday afternoon.”

NC State (4-3, 1-2) has lost three of its last four games, the latest being a 36-7 defeat at Notre Dame on Oct. 11.

NC State does have a couple of threats on offense in quarterback CJ Bailey (72.1 completion percentage, 1,846 yards and 14 touchdowns) and running back Hollywood Smothers (739 yards and five TDs on 112 carries).

“We’ve got a lot to play for,” Wolfpack coach Dave Doeren said. “We have five games to play. If you go 5-0 in those five games, you’re sitting here with nine wins. You’ve got a lot on the table. Let’s go 5-0. That’s the mindset.”

The teams have only played three times since 2009, with NC State winning each of those games. Pitt’s last win over the Wolfpack came at the 2001 Tangerine Bowl.

Why Pittsburgh wins:

• Pittsburgh has won each of its last six games in October.
• NC State has lost five of its last six road games in October..
• NC State has lost the first half in each of its last four games against conference opponents.

Why NC State wins:

• NC State has won three of its last four October games as an underdog against non-AP-ranked teams.
• Pittsburgh has lost three of its last four home games against conference opponents.

Prediction:

Pittsburgh 28 – NC State 17

In their previous meeting in 2020, NC State won 30-29 on the road and has won all three meetings against Pitt. In this NC State vs Pitt Prediction, both teams are coming into this matchup on opposite trajectories, as Pitt has won their last three games and are a strong 3-1 at home, while on the flip side, NC State is 1-3 in their last 4 games. The Panthers are superior both offensively and defensively, having the 13th-best offense in the country and winning by an average of 18.1 points per game this season.