NC State enters the fourth game of its 2020 football season on Saturday, Oct. 10 against Virginia in Scott Stadium in Charlottesville (Va.) at 12:00 p.m. ET on ACC Network.
The Cavaliers (1-1, 1-1 ACC) will look to get back on track after losing to No. 1 Clemson 41-23 in Death Valley Saturday. The Wolfpack (2-1, 2-1 ACC) is coming off of a 30-29 road win over No. 24 Pittsburgh and will look to continue its momentum.
Here is the full scouting report on Virginia:
Five Virginia players to watch
Redshirt sophomore quarterback Brennan Armstrong — Armstrong will present the toughest dual-threat challenge the Wolfpack has seen to this point in the season. He has made his first two starts at quarterback over the past two weeks, but he appeared in 11 games for the Cavaliers prior to this fall.
The 6-foot-2, 215-pounder had nearly identical passing stat lines in Virginia's first two games against Duke and Clemson. In the opener against the Blue Devils, Armstrong completed 24 of 45 passes for 269 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Last week in Death Valley, he completed 24 of 43 passes for 270 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. He's had a 54.6 percent completion rate in his first two starts.
Armstrong is also Virginia's leading rusher with 136 yards on 32 attempts for one touchdown. He's averaged 4.3 yards per carry and has produced six runs for a gain of 10 or more yards.
Senior free safety Joey Blount — A third-team All-ACC selection last season, Blount is the highest-graded defender for the Cavaliers through two games, according to Pro Football Focus (PFF).
The 6-foot-1, 205-pounder appeared in all 14 games in 2019, started 11, and was the second-leading tackler on the team. Through two games this season, he's tallied 16 tackles, including two for loss, one interception and one forced fumble.
Junior halfback Billy Kemp IV — The 5-foot-9, 170-pound halfback leads the Cavaliers with 166 receiving yards through two games. He has received nine more targets than any other Virginia pass catcher and also paces the Cavs with 17 receptions.
Kemp is capable of lining up in the backfield, the slot or sliding out to the outside, but has seen all of his production come from the passing game thus far in 2020. He has yet to receive a rushing attempt in 2020 on a team that's running attack relies heavily on the dual-threat ability of its quarterback.
Senior outside linebacker Charles Snowden — Snowden is a team captain and a three-year starter that provides experience to the Cavaliers defense. He was an All-ACC honorable mention in 2019 but has earned preseason first-team All-ACC honors in Phil Steele's College Football Preview Magazine the past two years.
The 6-foot-7, 240-pounder has tallied nine tackles, including 0.5 for loss, two quarterback hurries and two pass breakups through two games this fall.
Freshman wide receiver Lavel Davis Jr. — In his collegiate debut against Duke, Davis Jr. grabbed four receptions for 101 yards and two touchdowns. He was named ACC Receiver and Rookie of the Week for his performance.
He has six receptions for 159 yards on the season and is currently the second-highest graded player on the Virginia offense behind Armstrong. Along with Kemp, Davis is the only other Cavaliers player to have at least 100 receiving yards through two games.
The 6-foot-7, 210-pounder presents a matchup problem with his length. Look for NC State's 6-foot-4, 220-pound redshirt sophomore corner Malik Dunlap to be assigned with covering the lanky freshman.
What to watch from Virginia
1. The offense runs through the quarterback.
Armstrong, between passing and running, accounts for 675 of the Cavaliers' 867 total yards which converts to 77.8 percent of the offense.
The redshirt sophomore is currently the fourth-highest graded among ACC quarterbacks with at least 20 pass attempts in terms of total offense according to PFF behind only upperclassmen Trevor Lawerence (Clemson), D'Eriq King (Miami) and Kenny Pickett (Pittsburgh).
2. Fourth-down conversions
The Cavaliers showed they weren't afraid of going for it on fourth down in the 41-23 loss to Clemson Saturday. While some of it may have to do with situations and the opponent, Virginia converted four of its five fourth-down attempts Saturday.
The Hoos only went for it once against Duke and failed to convert. Virginia currently ranks tied for ninth on fourth down conversion percentage among FBS teams that have gone for it at least five times. Coincidentally, NC State is tied for fifth among FBS teams with at least five fourth-down attempts with an 80 percent conversion rate.
3. Tackling struggles
Virginia ranks last in the ACC in tackling efficiency through two games according to PFF. The Hoos have missed a total of 30 tackles, 14 defending the run and 16 in pass defense.
Its biggest offenders so far have been senior inside linebacker Zane Zandier, who has been credited with five missed tackles, and fifth-year senior free safety Brenton Nelson, who has been flagged with four.
Three keys to the game for NC State
1. Keep Brennan Armstrong in check
Scoring points has not yet been an issue for the Wolfpack, and considering Virginia's tackling struggles through two games, it shouldn't start Saturday. So far, defense has been the biggest challenge for NC State, who has allowed an average of 36.3 offensive points per game to its opponents through three contests.
The Pack struggled against Virginia Tech's dual-threat quarterbacks Braxton Burmeister and Quincy Patterson II, who combined for 114 rushing yards and one touchdown in the 45-24 loss in Blacksburg. Armstrong is clearly the biggest threat on the Cavaliers offense and will present the biggest dual-threat challenge the Wolfpack has faced this fall.
If the NC State defense can limit Armstrong's production Saturday, the Pack's odds of advancing to 3-1 grows tremendously.
2. Keep Devin Leary's momentum going
Speaking of quarterbacks, NC State fans witnessed the best game from a Wolfpack starter Saturday since current NFL signal caller Ryan Finley wore the red and white.
Leary completed 28 of 44 passes for 336 yards, four touchdowns and zero interceptions in the 30-29 road win over No. 24 Pittsburgh. Is this the new Devin Leary or did the redshirt sophomore just have the hot hand in Heinz Field? Only time will tell but Wolfpack fans have every reason to be excited about this season if Leary can continue to perform like he did in NC State's first win against a ranked opponent since 2017.
3. Get off of the field on late down situations
As previously mentioned, Virginia has been effective in moving the chains on fourth-down attempts this season. Since allowing 9 of 19 third-and-fourth down attempts in the 45-42 win over Wake Forest, the NC State defense has actually been able to get the opposition off of the field in late down situations.
In the past two games, the Wolfpack held Virginia Tech and Pittsburgh to a 37-percent conversion rate on third-and-fourth down attempts. The Pack's defense will look to keep up its momentum as it travels up to Charlottesville Saturday.
Three numbers to watch
9 Virginia is currently on a nine-game home winning streak and has won 13 of the last 14 games at Scott Stadium. The Cavaliers are currently tied for the 10th-longest active streak in the country.
35 NC State leads the all-time series with Virginia 35-22-1. The Wolfpack has beaten Virginia more than any other team in school history outside the state of North Carolina. The Pack won the last meeting 35-21 in Carter-Finley Stadium in 2018 in Dave Doeren's only meeting against the Cavaliers during his tenure as head coach.
337.5 Brennan Armstrong has averaged 337.5 total yards of offense through two games which leads the ACC and ranks No. 8 in the country.
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