The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1456098
MARCH/APRIL 2022 ■ 29 In February, the 2022 football schedule was an- nounced during a primetime special on the ACC Network, although the NC State schedule was acci- dentally released prematurely by an assistant coach on social media. Here is how the Wolfpack slate is scheduled: Sept. 3 at East Carolina NC State opens with a true road game for the first time since 2008. The last time it kicked off a season in Greenville was 1983. The Pack is just 1-4 all time in Greenville, but leads the overall series 18-14. ECU went 7-5 last season, including a 5-3 mark in the American Athletic Conference, but had its Mili - tary Bowl contest against Boston College canceled due to COVID-19 at BC. Sept. 10 vs. Charleston Southern The lone FCS team on the sched - ule, Charleston Southern went 4-6 a year ago. Sept. 17 vs. Texas Tech The last time a Power Five non- conference opponent played at Carter-Finley Stadium was 2016, but many fans skipped the game against Notre Dame due to Hurricane Mat - thew rolling through Raleigh at the time of kickoff. The Red Raiders finished 7-6 in 2021 and defeated shorthanded Mississippi State in the Liberty Bowl, but will have a new head coach in former Baylor as- sistant Joey McGuire. Sept. 24 vs. Connecticut The last of four non-conference opponents, Connecticut is in major rebuilding mode after going 1-11 last season with zero FBS wins. The Hus - kies hired Jim L. Mora, a former NFL head coach, to take over the program. Oct. 1 at Clemson For the second straight season, NC State opens ACC play against Clemson, this time on the road. ESPN's Heather Dinich rated this game the No. 5 contest nationally that could shape the College Football Playoff. "The ACC could be wide open in 2022," Dinich wrote. "However, Clemson could be the toughest test NC State faces. Both teams need a victory to justify their résumés in this showdown." Oct. 8 vs. Florida State NC State has won four of its last five against the former ACC powerhouse, which went 5-7 overall and 4-4 in the conference a season ago. Oct. 15 at Syracuse The Orange has had just one winning year in the last seven seasons, but playing in the Carrier Dome has not been easy for the Wolfpack. In its four games at Syracuse since the Orange entered the ACC in 2013, the Pack is 3-1 with two of those victories by just seven points. Oct. 27 vs. Virginia Tech (Thursday night) Between home games with FSU and the Hokies, NC State will have a pair of October contests at Carter-Finley Stadium for the first time since 2016. The Hokies hired a new coach, former Penn State defensive coordinator Brent Pry, after going 6-7 overall and 4-4 in the ACC a year ago. Nov. 5 vs. Wake Forest A year ago, Wake Forest's three-point win in Winston-Salem over NC State proved to be the difference in the De - mon Deacons playing for the ACC title instead of the Wolfpack. The rematch this year will be in Raleigh. Nov. 12 vs. Boston College The Eagles went 6-6 last year and just 2-6 in the conference, but also played much of the season without star quarterback Phil Jurkovec. Jurkovec, who did not play in the Wolfpack's win at BC in 2021, has decided to use a super senior season and return to the Eagles. Nov. 19 at Louisville Louisville returns dynamic quarterback Malik Cunningham off a team that went 6-7 overall and 4-4 in the ACC with a string of losses that came down to the fourth quarter. The trip is the first of two road games to end the regular season. The last time that happened for NC State was 2010. Nov. 25 at North Carolina (Friday) For the eighth consecutive year, NC State and UNC are scheduled to end the regular season against each other. But it will be the first time since 2016 that the Pack actually end the year in Chapel Hill. In 2018, NC State made a late addition to the end of its schedule, setting up a game against East Caro - lina after an earlier non-conference game vs. West Virginia was canceled. In 2020, the revamped slate moved the game up to earlier in the fall. Dave Doeren is 5-4 against UNC. The Heels went 6-7 overall and 3-5 in the ACC in 2020, and lost 34-30 in Raleigh. — Matt Carter NC State 2022 Football Schedule Released NC State's ACC opener at Clemson Oct. 1 could impact both the league race and College Football Playoff picture. Last year, the Pack knocked off the Tigers 27-21. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN