North Carolina State Wolfpack — Syracuse football scouting report

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NC State head coach Dave Doeren speaks to reporters. Mandatory Photo Credit: AP Photo, Ethan Hyman.

Syracuse will try for its first ACC conference win when they travel to North Carolina to take on the Wolfpack:

POSSIBLE RETURN: NC State quarterback Brandon Mitchell may make his first appearance since Week 1 when the Wolfpack host the Orange. Mitchell, a transfer from Arkansas, led NC State to touchdowns on each of its first two possessions of the season against Louisiana Tech, tallying 93 yards passing and 19 yards rushing. But he broke his foot on the third possession and hasn’t played since. The good news for the Wolfpack is Mitchell was recently medically cleared, and head coach Dave Doeren said that there is a chance that Mitchell plays against SU. Pete Thomas, who also transferred from Colorado State, has thrown for 1163 yards and two touchdowns in Mitchell’s absence, but he’s also been intercepted seven times.

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Syracuse has never beaten NC State

» Related: Orange has to put Clemson loss in rearview mirror

SCOUTING THE WOLFPACK: NC State’s offense employs its quarterback as a rushing option. Thomas, who is by no means a speedster, has rushed for 153 yards and a pair of touchdowns after rushing for a combined -153 yards his first two years at Colorado State. Mitchell is a more mobile quarterback and would give the Syracuse defense more trouble in that department. WR Bryan Underwood has been used all across the board in the Wolfpack offense. He leads the team in receiving (268 yards) and has also accumulated 101 yards on the ground. But Underwood is perhaps best known for the 83-yard touchdown against Clemson that never was. While one official ruled touchdown, he was overruled by another official who said that Underwood had stepped out of bounds.

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING: North Carolina State is 6-0 against Syracuse. The last time these two teams met was in 1998, when the Wolfpack downed the Orangemen 38-17. WR Torry Holt had six catches for 132 yards while QB Jamie Barnette ran for a pair of touchdowns and threw another.

GAME INFORMATION: Saturday, Oct. 12, 2013 at 3:30 p.m. at Carter-Finley Stadium. TV: ACC Network.

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About Wes Cheng 2907 Articles
Wes has worked for Rivals.com covering the New York Knicks, as well as for Scout.com covering Syracuse athletics. Wes has also been a contributing writer for the South China Morning Post (Hong Kong), for SportsNet New York (SNY) as a news desk writer covering all of New York professional sports, and reported on the NBA and MLB for the New York Sportscene. A native of Long Island, New York, Wes graduated from Syracuse University in 2005 with a degree in journalism. Contact him at wes[at]sujuiceonline.com.