The storylines are obvious between NC State and North Carolina on Saturday.
UNC coach Mack Brown was fired Monday and could be coaching his last game with the Tar Heels. It is unknown if the 73-year-old will coach UNC in its bowl game. It is also Senior Day at North Carolina, while underclassmen could be scrambling to figure out if they'll be transferring.
On top of all that, NC State needs one more win to become bowl eligible. The Wolfpack completely dominated an unprepared Tar Heels squad 39-20 and have won the last three meetings.
NC State (5-6 overall, 2-5 ACC) plays at North Carolina (6-5, 3-4 ACC) at 3:30 p.m. Saturday on the ACC Network.
Five North Carolina players to watch
Senior quarterback Jacolby Criswell
The 6-foot-1, 230-pound Criswell played his first three years at UNC, but was a backup behind future NFL quarterbacks Sam Howell and Drake Maye. He left to play for Arkansas in 2023, where he was a backup to K.J. Jefferson. He transferred back to UNC and eventually became the starter. He has gone 167-of-286 passing for 2,179 yards, 12 touchdowns and six interceptions, and he has rushed 66 times for 92 yards and three scores.
Senior weakside linebacker Power Echols
The 6-0, 225-pounder from Charlotte, N.C., has 70 tackles, six passes defended and one interception, which he returned 42 yards for a touchdown against Wake Forest. He has the top Pro Football Focus grade with 76.9. Echols had a combined 205 tackles and two interceptions his sophomore and junior year. Echols had a season-high 12 tackles in a 41-34 loss vs. Georgia Tech on Oct. 12. He has had at least 10 tackles in eight career games.
Junior running back Omarion Hampton
The powerful and fast Hampton, who is 6-0 and 220 pounds, has rushed 259 times for 1,475 yards and 14 touchdowns. He has also caught 34 passes for 295 yards and one score. He has rushed for over 100 yards in all but two games, though Boston College held him in check last Saturday with 11 carries for 53 yards. He rushed 35 attempts for 244 yards and a touchdown in the 31-24 victory vs. Wake Forest on Nov. 16.
Senior right guard Willie Lampkin
The 5-11, 290-pounder is second on the team behind Hampton with a 81.0 grade on Pro Football Focus. Lampkin started 38 consecutive games at Coastal Carolina and was named first-team All-Sun Belt in 2022. He transferred to North Carolina and was named third-team All-ACC last year. Lampkin was undefeated at 47-0 in wrestling his senior year at Lakeland (Fla.) High.
Senior defensive end Kaimon Rucker
The 6-2, 265-pound Rucker is a key part in helping UNC deliver 35 sacks this season. Rucker has 30 tackles, six sacks and one interception in six games this season. He missed September, but returned Oct. 12. He had eight tackles and three sacks against Virginia in a 41-14 win Oct. 26. Rucker has 22 career sacks and 179 tackles in five years.
What to watch for from North Carolina
1. Ground game is the identity North Carolina is averaging 189.2 rushing yards per game this season, thanks to junior Omarion Hampton and freshman running back Davion Gause, who was a prep teammate of NCSU freshman quarterback Cedrick Bailey.
Hampton is one of the top running backs in college football, with 259 carries for 1,475 yards and 14 touchdowns, plus 34 catches for 295 yards and a score. Gause has chipped in 61 carries for 312 yards and four touchdowns off the bench.
North Carolina has allowed 27 sacks this season, but the offensive line has proven to run block, with Hampton reaching 100-plus yards in every game this season except against Boston College last week and Charlotte on Sept. 7.
The offensive line features two seniors, and both sophomore tackles are huge. Left tackle Howard Sampson is 6-8 and 325 pounds and right tackle Trevyon Green is 6-7 1/2 and 340 pounds. Speed rushes might help defensive ends get to the quarterback, but the Tar Heels are built around the run this season.
2. Defense gets after the quarterback. North Carolina has had some past defenses that didn’t blitz much or get to the quarterback. That isn’t the case this season under first-year defensive coordinator Geoff Collins.
The former Georgia Tech head coach has turned loose his four defensive linemen this season, resulting in 35 sacks. Sophomore defensive end Beau Atkinson and senior defensive tackle Jahvaree Ritzie both have 6.5 sacks, and senior defensive end Kaimon Rucker has missed time with injuries, but also has six sacks.
Sophomore middle linebacker Amare Campbell has been the blitzer of choice from the back seven. He has five sacks to go along with 63 tackles this season. Defensive end Desmond Evans and defensive tackle Kevin Hester, both seniors, have 3.5 sacks apiece.
3. UNC’s rush defense has struggled. Opposing teams have averaged 27.5 points, 137.5 rushing yards and 231.7 passing yards per game this season against North Carolina.
However, when the Tar Heels have struggled on defense, they have really struggled.
The Tar Heels allowed 70 points to James Madison, who had a new quarterback and head coach this season. The Dukes ran 39 times for 223 yards and two scores.
Pittsburgh threw for 381 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 139 yards and four yards per carry, plus a score in a 34-24 win.
Duke scored 21 points in the second half and dominated the line of scrimmage after halftime. Senior running back Star Thomas benefitted from that and rushed 30 times for 166 yards and a touchdown and Peyton Jones added six carries for 43 yards and a touchdown in rallying for a 21-20 win.
Georgia Tech, with a healthy Haynes King at quarterback, ran 48 times for 371 yards and five touchdowns in a 41-34 victory.
Last week, Boston College with an inexperienced new quarterback rushed the ball 51 times for 230 yards and three touchdowns, and led by as much as 41-7 with 5:51 left in the fourth quarter.
Three keys to the game for NC State football
1. Typically the team that rushes the football the best in the NC State and North Carolina game, wins the game, but not always of late
That wasn’t the case in the famous Devin Leary/Emeka Emezie comeback victory game in 2021, but that is why NC State trailed 30-21 with 2:12 left in the fourth quarter. The running of walk-on running back British Brooks and Sam Howell led to 41 carries for 297yards and two scores.
NC State rushed 29 times for 113 yards, with Zonovan Knight and Ricky Person working in tandem.
NC State turned to reserve quarterback Ben Finley in 2022, and he delivered with 271 passing yards and two scores in a 30-27 double overtime victory. Neither team ran the ball particularly well, but the Wolfpack were limited to 25 carries for 59 yards and a touchdown.
Last year was definitely a game for the trenches. NC State used a committee to rush 43 times for 170 yards and one touchdown in a 39-20 win. UNC star back Omarion Hampton wasn’t overly involved with nine carries for 28 yards.
Everything is pointing toward NC State playing smash-mouth football and trying to establish the run game and build off the fourth quarter against Georgia Tech last Thursday.
2. NC State has been much tougher on defense the last four games.
That has been reflected in the rushing yardage and the third-down conversion rate against California, Stanford, Duke and Georgia Tech.
On third downs, those four teams combined to go 10 of 44 for just 22.8 percent. Duke went 0 of 9 on third down, but still got the one.
Add in the Syracuse game, and the run defense has been much improved. California running back Jaivian Thomas and Stanford quarterback Ashton Daniels gauged the numbers with three long touchdown runs.
Syracuse rushed the ball 33 times for 78 yards in the Orange win. California had 29 carries for 117 yards, which was aided by Thomas’ 49-yard touchdown run.
Daniels rushed for 129 yards and the two scores — a 67-yard run and 48-yard score — but Stanford finished with 39 carries for 225 yards.
Duke couldn’t must anything on the ground, with 27 carries for 31 yards. NC State loaded up against the run with Georgia Tech rotating two quarterbacks. The Yellow Jackets finished with 36 carries for 119 yards.
3. NC State will need a strong performance from its kicking specialists to win the battle of field position, and to execute in what could be a close game.
Redshirt sophomore kicker Kanoah Vinesett will get his first taste of the rivalry game. He is 15 of 20 on field goals with a long of 52 this season.
Redshirt junior punter Caden Noonkester understands the assignment Saturday. He is averaging 44.3 yards on 41 punts with a long of 58. He has landed 13 inside the 20-yard line and 15 have been fair caught.
UNC counters with junior punter Tom Maginness, who is averaging 41.2 yards on 39 punts with a long of 65. He has landed 10 inside the 20-yard line and 13 have been fair caught.
Former Raleigh Leesville Road High kicker Noah Burnette has already tasted disappointment against NC State in the 2022 loss. The senior is 14 of 19 this year with a long of 52. Two of his misses came from 50-plus yards and one was blocked.
Three numbers of note
2 Former NC State players, who now play for North Carolina — senior starting safety Jakeen Harris and backup senior defensive tackle Joshua Harris, no relation.
78 National ranking for North Carolina's 10-man recruiting class by Rivals.com in the class of 2025.
3,380 Career rushing yards for UNC junior running back Omarion Hampton, who could be playing his last college game Saturday.
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