NC State Preview

Both teams enter the game heading in opposite directions. BC is coming off a really bad loss and making a switch at Quarterback. NC State is riding high after another FSU win, hoping to put the bad memories from earlier in the year behind them. Here is how I see things from BC's perspective.

Offense -- What BC will do
I think Bible goes very conservative in this game. The Wolfpack are looking better and confused a young quarterback last week. Look for a gameplan similar to the one they used with Ryan in Death Valley -- heavy run and conservative passing. Callender or Whitworth will need to step up. And the line -- under question for the first time all season -- needs to give plenty of protection and push. In his relief duty, we've given Ryan a lot of four wide formations. Don't expect it from Bible this weekend.

Offense -- What BC should do

I want to see more passing. There are many reasons we made the change at QB, but one of the main has to be to spark our passing game. Ryan can throw downfield. He is more accurate. Don't handcuff him with a limited offense. He looked his best this year leading us downfield late in the Clemson game. I expect NC State to key on him and give him a variety of looks. Hopefully BC comes up with a wrinkle or two to counter. I would love to see us send Miller and Lynch wide like we did against Clemson. It takes some of the pressure away from the line and has the potential to cause mismatches that favor us.

Defense -- What BC will do

Our defense has become very predictable. After getting burned against Virginia Tech, we went away from our blitz packages against UNC. I expect more of the same against NC State. They've struggled at times and I bet we come out very conservative with a focus on the run. There will be plenty of two deep.

Defense -- What BC should do

NC State is going to come out running so I hope BC uses a lot of our second team linebackers. Pruitt and Dunbar have proven to be better tacklers than the starters. The only team that really gave them trouble was Wake and that was more about the option. Against a more traditional running game like NC State, their tackling and speed should be valuable. I would also like to see us try some run blitzing. We've gotten away from it, but it worked well earlier in the year.

Special Teams -- What BC will and should do

Last week's coverage breakdown cost us the game (with some other things too). Once again, I hope we refocus. Blackmon was good again last week. He is bound to break one before the season ends.

Overall Prediction:

I've been a founding member of the Ryan bandwagon, so I am predicting victory. If the defense continues at its same level and just gets a little help from the offense, BC wins.

Final Score: BC 27, NC State 17.