The toughest 3-week window of NC State’s schedule will come to an end Saturday at Syracuse, as the Wolfpack looks to hand the Orange its 1st loss of the season.

The 15th-ranked Pack is coming off a gritty 19-17 victory over Florida State, which saw NC State rally from a 14-point halftime deficit with a 2nd-half shutout. The No. 18 Orange is 5-0 and coming off a bye week, and a rare top-20 matchup at the JMA Wireless Dome should make for a fun atmosphere.

One major question heading into the contest is around NC State’s quarterback situation, as Devin Leary left the Florida State game with a shoulder injury. And while his imaging came back clean and he’s “day-to-day,” the overwhelming likelihood is it will be Jack Chambers behind center against the Orange.

Here’s what to expect:

The Orange

Scoring defense. Total defense. Opponent 10-yard plays. Opponent 1st downs.

Those are just some of the categories that Syracuse’s stout defense leads the ACC in, as the Orange is allowing just 14 points and 271.6 yards per game. The schedule hasn’t been the strongest, but its defense has been impressive.

Linebacker Mikel Jones is among the best players in the ACC, and he’s off to a really hot start. He has 4 tackles for loss and 2 sacks. Marlowe Wax also has been good with 5.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks, as Syracuse’s pass rush has been an obvious strength.

Offensively, the Orange also has been pretty solid throughout 5 games. Garrett Shrader has looked like a much improved quarterback. He’s completing better than 70% of his passes, has 10 touchdowns to just 1 interception and is throwing for more than 240 yards per game. On the ground, Shrader also is a weapon with 5 touchdowns and 219 yards.

The prize piece of Syracuse’s offense still is Sean Tucker, though, as the talented running back is well on his way to another exceptional season. Tucker is averaging more than 100 yards per game and is at 5 yards per carry, as last year’s 1st-team All-ACC member is leading the charge again for the Orange.

It has been a really great, somewhat surprising start for Syracuse in 2022. But now the Orange will face its toughest test of the year by far in the first top-20 matchup at The Dome since 1998.

The Wolfpack

The biggest concern for NC State is the availability of Leary. The signal-caller has looked a little better as the season has gone along, and his loss would be huge.

Chambers played well to facilitate the game against Florida State, but he only attempted 1 pass. He threw the ball really well during his time at Charleston Southern and even had a 400-yard game against East Carolina once, but the task ahead is a little different.

The good news for the Wolfpack is that it appears everyone else on the offensive side of the ball will be available. Demie Sumo-Karngbaye and Devin Carter left the FSU game as well, but coach Dave Doeren said he expects both to play.

The Wolfpack ran the ball as well as it has all season against the Seminoles, and with a dynamic Chambers added to the mix NC State will have to hope to continue that against the Orange.

Defensively, the Pack might be getting a key piece back this week in Tyler Baker-Williams. He hasn’t played since the Texas Tech game Sept. 17, but the starting nickel is expected to make his return to the field. That should be a big boost for a defense that has been strong even without him.

The Wolfpack will be missing a cornerback for the opening half for a 2nd straight week, as Shyheim Battle was ejected for targeting during the 2nd half against Florida State. That shouldn’t be much of an issue for the Pack, though, as its depth at cornerback is a strength.

Prediction

With Leary expected to miss the game, the Wolfpack is going into a weekend as a betting underdog for just the 2nd time this year.

For the Pack, the game will come down to how well Chambers is able to run the offense. The added wrinkle of a quarterback run game should help NC State, but an already-struggling offense certainly won’t be helped by having to make a change at quarterback.

For the Orange, the opportunity ahead is to move to 6-0 and 3-0 in ACC play, and show that maybe Syracuse is a legitimate threat to at least be in the conversation in the ACC Atlantic Division.

In the end, Syracuse’s defense is too good for a new quarterback in the Pack’s backfield, and Shrader’s improvements all around should be enough for the Orange to pick up a marquee win in a low-scoring game.

Syracuse 17, NC State 13