What to know before Stanford kicks off at NC State
Records: Stanford 2-6, 1-4 in ACC; N.C. State 4-4, 1-3 in ACC
Kickoff: 9 a.m. Saturday at Carter-Finley Stadium, Raleigh, N.C.
TV: ACC Network
Radio: KNBR 1050 AM
Series history: First-ever meeting.
Stanford storylines: The Cardinal look to break a five-game losing streak but need to overcome a fourth trip to the Eastern Time Zone in seven weeks and a 9 a.m. body clock kickoff. They need to get off to a better start – in Stanford’s last four ACC games, it has trailed 17-0 at No. 17 Clemson, 21-0 against Virginia Tech and No. 21 SMU, and 14-0 against Wake Forest. The quarterback position is still unsettled: Junior Ashton Daniels started two weeks ago and was pulled after the first quarter for freshman Elijah Brown. Then Brown was pulled in the first quarter last week and Daniels played the rest of the game. Both players took snaps with the first team this week. Whoever starts could use some help from the run game – short-yardage QB Justin Lamson is the only Cardinal player with a rushing TD this season, and he has four.
N.C. State storylines: The Wolfpack is coming off a 24-23 win at Cal – its fourth straight one-score game. True freshman CJ Bailey will be making his fifth straight start after a career-ending injury to Grayson McCall. In the last two games, he became the first N.C. State freshman since Philip Rivers in 2000 to throw for more than 300 yards in consecutive games. The Wolfpack needs a win to stay in line for a 10th bowl game in 11 years under coach Dave Doeren, the program’s winningest coast (84-62).
Stats that matter: Stanford has multiple defensive touchdowns for the first time since 2019 and has forced 12 turnovers, already exceeding last year’s total (11). … N.C. State is 22-1 when it wins the turnover battle. … 80.7% of Stanford’s receiving yards are from underclassmen, the highest mark in college football. … The Wolfpack has allowed just one kickoff return this year.