Erstwhile Top 25 teams North Carolina State and Northern Illinois both aim to rebound from losses on Saturday when they meet in Raleigh, N.C.
N.C. State (2-2) is coming off a crushing defeat in their Atlantic Coast Conference opener, falling 59-35 on the road to Clemson. It was the most points the Wolfpack had given up since Nov. 17, 2012, when they lost 62-48 to Clemson.
Meanwhile, NIU (2-1) was ranked No. 23 — boosted by an upset win at Notre Dame in Week 2 — before losing 23-20 at home to Buffalo in overtime last week.
The Wolfpack announced this week that pass rusher Red Hibbler — who led the team in sacks last season — is no longer on the roster. Further, starting left tackle Anthony Belton won’t start against NIU. Belton was ejected from the loss to Clemson for spitting on an opponent.
“He put strain on our team and got ejected from the game for it. He’s learning a tough lesson,” Wolfpack coach Dave Doeren said. “That’s not what we do. He’ll learn from that and he’ll grow from that. Choices have consequences.”
What’s also up in the air for the Wolfpack is the status of quarterback Grayson McCall, who did not play against Clemson and exited N.C. State’s win over Louisiana Tech with an undisclosed injury. In his place, true freshman CJ Bailey completed 16 of 25 passes for 204 yards and a touchdown.
NIU seemed headed for a 3-0 start as it led Buffalo 14-3 at halftime, but the Huskies were outscored 20-6 in the second half and OT. In the first half, NIU also coughed up a fumble that led to a Buffalo field goal.
“We were prepared to play but didn’t make the plays necessary to put ourselves in a position to win,” NIU coach Thomas Hammock said. “The only way we can lose the game is if we turn the ball over, and that’s what we did.”
Before taking the reins at N.C. State in 2013, Doeren was the head coach at NIU for two seasons, leading the Huskies to a 23-4 record and two MAC titles. This is the first time N.C. State has faced NIU since 1997.
“It’s a great place, and I think Thomas Hammock, their head coach, has done a really good job building a tough football team,” Doeren said of NIU. “And they’re going to come in here and run the football.”
