Coming off a 54-0 blowout loss to No. 3 Clemson, Syracuse (4-5, 2-3 Atlantic Coast) hosts North Carolina State (4-5, 1-4) Saturday at 12:30 p.m. The Wolfpack is coming off a 24-20 loss to then-No. 19 Florida State. The Orange goes up against FSU next week.

Here’s everything you need to know about the matchup.

All-time series: N.C. State leads, 8-1

Last time they played: The Wolfpack beat the Orange, 42-29, in the penultimate game, one that wasn’t particularly close. Syracuse trailed 42-16 with 11:58 left in the fourth quarter, before scoring two garbage time touchdowns with under three minutes left in the game. Eric Dungey sat out the game with an injury. Zack Mahoney started and went 10-for-21 for 152 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.

Both Steve Ishmael and Brisly Estime were ejected from last year’s game due to unsportsmanlike penalties. Two days later, it was announced that then-head coach Scott Shafer was fired and would coach his and SU’s last game of the year against Boston College.

The N.C. State report: Defense is the strength of this team as it sits just outside the Top 25 (26th) in total defense, and a majority of that comes from its ninth-best run defense (the passing defense is just 92nd in the country). Safety Josh Jones is among the ACC’s leaders with 84 tackles.

If Dungey plays, that actually plays to the Orange’s advantage since running the ball has been a problem this year while passing has produced big games.

The Wolfpack’s defensive strengths mirror the offensive strengths. Starting quarterback Ryan Finley ranks second to last in the ACC in passing yards. Running back Matthew Dayes ranks third in the conference in rushing yards, with 831.

Daily Orange File Photo

How Syracuse beats N.C. State: An active, healthy Dungey would help. But even without him, the Orange has a decent shot here. As long as SU’s strong receivers win their matchups, moving the ball should be fine. The key thing is which SU defense shows up. If it’s the one that competed against Boston College and Virginia Tech, the Orange should be fine. If it’s the one that showed up last Saturday in Death Valley, it’ll be a long afternoon.

Stat to know: 4 — the Wolfpack lost four games this year by one score, including three of their last four.

Player to watch: Matthew Dayes, running back, No. 21

Dayes, one of N.C. State’s best all-time running backs, has 167 carries this year, nearly half of the Wolfpack’s total carries. His 831 yards ranks third in the conference, and he averages 5 yards per carry.

Published on November 10, 2016 at 11:13 pm

Contact Tomer: tdlanger@syr.edu | @tomer_langer