Oct 172 min read

NC State Travels to Berkeley, Face California Golden Bears

The NC State Wolfpack (3-4, 0-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) travel to Berkeley, Calif. to take on the California Golden Bears (3-3, 0-3) at 3:30 p.m. EST on Oct. 19. at California Memorial Stadium. Since both NC State and California are winless in the ACC, this game is a must win for either team. With the Wolfpack and the Bears being in the bottom of the ACC standings, this game can hopefully leapfrog one of these teams into a better position and potentially closer to becoming bowl eligible.

What's at Stake?

As mentioned above, neither NC State or California has won a conference game so this game will be crucial to getting that elusive first conference win. This is Year 1 for California in the ACC, so this would be an historic win for the Bears if they pull this game out. The Wolfpack are looking to get back above .500 and the Bears look to avoid being below .500.

Key Players: California Golden Bears

Fernando Mendoza, QB

Mendoza has thrown for 1,449 passing yards on the season. He has 8 touchdowns and 3 interceptions with a quarterback rating of 65.4. Furthermore, his completion percentage is 66.5 percent

Jaivian Thomas, HB

Thomas has 62 carries and 359 rushing yards with an average of 5.8 yards per rush. He also has 2 two touchdowns on the season.

Jack Endries,WR

Endries has 19 receptions for 265 yards currently. With 2 touchdowns on the season, Endries is also averaging 13.9 yards per reception.

Key Players: NC State Wolfpack

CJ Bailey, QB

Bailey has 1,070 passing yards on the season. He has thrown for 6 touchdowns and 4 interceptions on the season. With a 66.4 completion percentage, his quarterback rating on the season is 50.6

Kendrick Raphael, HB

Raphael currently has 48 carries on the season. With an average carry of 5.8 yards, Raphael has 277 yards on the season with 3 touchdowns.

Justin Joly, WR

Joly has had a quiet season with only 22 receptions. He has 352 receiving yards with only 2 touchdowns on the season. He averages 16 yards per reception.

Trends to Watch

After NC State won their season opener against Western Carolina, the Wolfpack have lost four out of their last six games. This is a very winnable game for the Wolfpack. California has lost their last three games. With their last two games coming against ranked opponents, this is a must win for the Golden Bears.