Opponent Breakdown: NC State Wolfpack Defense
· Yahoo Sports
The Wolfpack have been known for having a strong defense during the Dave Doeren era, but this season has not started as well as they would have liked on that side of the ball. Virginia had their way on offense until they essentially called off the dogs in the third quarter. Vandy figured things out in the second half a couple of weeks ago, while App State did the same this past weekend. NC State will have to put together a full game performance this weekend with Louisville’s explosive offense coming to town.
Isiah Shirley leads a completely rebuilt defensive line that returned no starters from last season. The Wolfpack barely had any real contributors return, but Shirley is a leader on this team from his defensive tackle spot. The Pack has plenty of size up front with 6-3/335 Katron Evans at nose guard next to the 294-pound Shirley. This group has struggled to create negative plays up front, which has been a hallmark of Doeren’s tenure as the head coach.
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The linebackers for the Wolfpack have been outstanding, but that’s due, in part, to the fact that they’ve essentially been playing only one linebacker this year. Popo Aguirre has been great at middle linebacker after transferring in from Miami. After being a rotation player for the Hurricanes, he has stepped into the top player for this defense, racking up tackles at an insane pace. Aguirre had 18 tackles against Virginia as the Hoos ran the ball nonstop. He is among the national leaders in “stops,” which is a PFF metric I personally like because it helps to gauge tackles that impact the offense. He is a downhill linebacker, which is the exact type of player UofL has struggled to handle this year.
NC State plays a lot of secondary players in different types of roles. Brian Nelson and Jeren Sensabaugh man the corner spots, with neither making many plays this year, though Sensabaugh has one of the more impressive highlight interceptions this season. Jackson Vick returned to his nickel position this year as well, and though these guys haven’t made a lot of plays, they know this defense well, and they have been solid in coverage.
At safety, Ronnie Royal has played all over the field. He has walked down to play as an extra hybrid linebacker role at times while also playing deep safety in his role. State plays a lot of man coverage with one safety deep, so his versatility has been vital for the defense. King Mack and Tristan Teasdell will also rotate in at safety and nickel, while also sliding down into the box at times. Mack was a good pickup in the portal after being a solid contributor at Penn State last year.