Five-star phenom QB Nico Iamaleava leads a potent Tennessee offense into Raleigh, North Carolina to take on head coach Dave Doeren and NC State.
The Volunteers took a step back offensively last season with QB Joe Milton at the helm, but still managed to rank 25th in success rate and 23rd in explosiveness.
Tennessee must improve upon a disappointing 50% red zone touchdown rate that ranked 118th in FBS, while the defense allowed a troubling 67% completion rate.
On the other side, The Wolfpack’s defense ranked 31st in sack rate and fifth in interception rate in 2023, but this year they lose three defensive linemen and Bednarik Award winning LB Payton Wilson from the front-seven.
NC State brings in Coastal Carolina quarterback Grayson McCall, RB Jordan Waters and WR Noah Rogers to help elevate a middling offense that only averaged 350 total yards and 26 points per game last year.
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Game details and how to watch 2024 NC State vs. Tennessee Saturday
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· Date: Saturday, September 7th, 2024
· Time: 7:30 PM EST
· Site: Bank of America Stadium
· City: Charlotte, NC
Latest Game odds for NC State vs. Tennessee
The latest odds as of Friday morning:
· Moneyline: Tennessee -375, NC State +300
· Spread: Tennessee -10 (-115)
· Total: 60.5 points
*odds courtesy of BetMGM
The odds for this game have surged as Tennessee is now hitting the key number of -10 with an over/under of 60.5 points.
Tennessee is currently favored by 6.5 points in the first half market, with a Halftime Total of 30.5 points.
NBC Sports Bet Best Bets
Eric Froton (@CFFroton) loves the dual-threat QB of the Volunteers on Saturday.
“Tennessee QB Nico Iamaleava didn’t need to run much in Week 1, pulling the ball down just three times, but averaging 11.0 yards per carry for 33 yards in his limited action since UT was blowing out their FCS opponent.
I think we see Nico’s full capabilities unleashed on a NC State front seven that is in the midst of a transition. I’m recommending the Over 33.5 rushing yards for Iamaleava.”
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Names to Know for Tennessee and NC State
· Tennessee: QB Nico Iamaleava is a five-star prospect from the vaunted 2023 QB recruiting class that boasts Oklahoma’s Jackson Arnold, Texas’ Arch Manning and Oregon QB Dante Moore.
An electric athlete who led Tennessee to a 35-0 evisceration of Iowa’s top-5 ranked defense in their bowl game, Iamaleava scored four touchdowns and expertly navigated his way down the field. Thus far in his short career, Nico has completed 50-of-73 passes for a 62.2% completion rate, 628 yards and a sparkling 5-to-0 TD/INT ratio.
· NC State: Sixth-year Coastal Carolina transfer Grayson McCall finally gets a crack at leading a Power Four offense. A decorated performer for the Chanticleers, McCall was named the Sun Belt Conference Offensive Player of the Year three consecutive seasons from 2020-2022.
He ran CCU’s motion-based offense like a finely tuned machine, completing 70% of his passes for 10,005 yards and 106 total touchdowns at his previous school, and departs as Coastal’s all-time leading passer.
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Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of the Volunteers vs. Wolfpack
· NC State returns 96 line starts and transfers in Notre Dame starting C Zeke Correll, so they should be strong up front offensively this year. Duke transfer RB Jordan Waters ran for 121 yards and two touchdowns in Week 1, so far so good.
· Wolfpack WR Kevin Concepcion picked up right where he left off in 2023, reeling in 9-of-14 targets for 121 receiving yards and three touchdowns in NC State’s 38-21 victory over Western Carolina in Week 1.
· With Tennessee still looking for a true WR1 to emerge, Dont’e Thornton opened eyes with his three catch, 105-yard, two touchdown performance against UT-Chattanooga last week.
· -UT Edge rusher James Pearce is a first-round caliber defender who posted 10.0 sacks and received first-team All-SEC accolades in 2023. Pearce will give NC State left tackle Anthony Belton all he can handle in passing situations.
