Three keys and a prediction

Factors that will help decide this week's game against Syracuse

Tonight's game between NC State and Syracuse is a pivotal one for both teams heading into the second half of the season.

Both are 3-1 overall, 0-1 in the ACC. Both have yet to beat a Power 5 opponent. And both have had particular problems on one side of the ball -- with the Wolfpack struggling on offense and the Orange having its problems defensively.

Both teams are also coming off an open week, giving their respective coaching staffs an opportunity to make changes, correct mistakes and perhaps get some injured players back into the lineup. How well the teams used the time off will go a long way toward determining tonight's outcome at Carter-Finley Stadium.

As far as State is concerned, here are three other keys to getting back on the winning track:

Protecting the quarterback

All eyes will be on sophomore quarterback Bailey Hockman when he makes his first college start for the Wolfpack tonight. As well they should. State's offense has sputtered over the past three weeks, prompting coach Dave Doeren to finally pull former starter Matthew McKay. Hockman performed well in his relief role at Florida State completing 21 of 40 passes for 208 yards and a touchdown. But he also had moments in which his inexperience showed. FSU didn't make him pay for those ill-advised throws, but he might not be as lucky against a Syracuse defense that already had 12 takeaways this season. That makes protecting the young quarterback a priority. The problem is that without starting left tackle Justin Witt in the lineup because of injury, Hockman's blind side will be manned by Icky Ekwonu -- a true freshman also making his first career start. Needless to way, how well Ekwonu does tonight will have a direct impact on on the Hockman's performance and the success of the team as a whole.

Bailey Hockman is sacked during State's loss at Florida State

Melina Myers/USAToday sports

Pressuring the quarterback

Tommy DeVito ranks fourth in the ACC in passing efficiency and is completing 63.5 percent of his passes through the first five games. If given the time to set up and find his receivers downfield, he has the potential to pick State's secondary apart -- even if injured cornerback Nick McCloud does make his long-awaited return tonight. One thing the Wolfpack has going for it in this respect is the fact that Syracuse's offensive line hasn't always done a good job of giving DeVito the time he needs. He's been sacked 18 times already this season, an average of nearly four per game. That bodes well for a State defense coming off an eight-sack performance two weeks ago at Florida State. Even if sack leader Larrell Murchison and the Wolfpack aren't able to put DeVito on the ground, forcing him out of his rythym won't just limit his effectivness, but will also help slow down one of the highest-tempo offenses State will see all season.  

Tommy DeVito has thrown for 11 touchdowns for the Orange this season (Mark Konezny/USAToday sports)

Don't self-desctruct

The Wolfpack has been its own worst enemy in its two losses this season. It's been a combinatination mistakes ranging from untimely presnap penalties that have thrown its offense off schedule and undisciplined defensive penalties that helped both West Virginia and Florida State extend drives to missed assignments that have led to game-changing big plays by the opposition. Doeren said that cutting down on the self-inflicted mistakes was a point of emphasis during the open week. As difficult as it's been for State to get into the end zone recently, the last thing it needs right now is to make its task just a little more difficult by helping the opposition dig its hole for it.

Prediction

State is hoping that a quarterback change will be the elixer that cures its offensive woes. But while Bailey Hockman should be an improvement over Matthew McKay because of his ability to throw the ball down field, the best thing the Wolfpack may have going for it tonight is a Syracuse defense that was riddled for 62 points in a loss to Maryland earlier this season. Between that and the home field advantage provided by a festive Thursday night crowd, State should have enough going for it to pull through and finish off the first half of the season on a winning note ... Wolfpack 34, Orange 31