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No. 14 Tennessee football (1-0) will face No. 24 NC State (1-0) in a nonconference matchup in Week 2 of the college football season at the Duke's Mayo Classic.
This early Top 25 showdown will be on a neutral field. However, it will take place in Charlotte, North Carolina, much closer to the Wolfpack’s home of Carter-Finley Stadium than Neyland Stadium. For what it's worth, Tennessee coach Josh Heupel is 3-1 at neutral site games. He's 6-7 on the road, while 18-4 at home. The Volunteers hold a 2-1 lifetime record over the Wolfpack.
Tennessee will look to continue its momentum after a dominant win over Chattanooga last week, beating the Mocs 69-3. The Volunteers enter the young season with a lot of hype and praise, thanks to what should be a much-improved offense led by first-year starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava.
NC State didn't look nearly as polished and dominant as the Volunteers in its Week 1 game against Western Carolina, ironically a Southern Conference rival of Chattanooga. The final score was 38-21, but the Catamounts were within three points of tying the Wolfpack until about six and a half minutes remaining in regulation.
Maybe NC State football was saving its best for what should be quite the test in this SEC vs. ACC matchup against Tennessee. The Volunteers are looking to make an early statement in 2024, even if it is against a nonconference opponent. With that said, let's delve into some bold predictions for Tennessee football against NC State in Week 2.
This will be Nico Iamaleava's arrival
There have only been glimpses of Tennessee football's former five-star quarterback. His first start was against Iowa in the Volunteers’ bowl game last season, and then it was against an FCS team in Week 1. Even though coach Josh Heupel let Iamaleava loose—he went 22-for-28, throwing for 314 yards and three touchdowns—most would shrug that off due to the level of competition.
On Saturday night, this will be against a Power 4 program in NC State that has had some stout defenses in the past. Last year, the Wolfpack had 17 interceptions and 33 sacks. Granted, they did lose some of that defensive talent, like linebacker Payton Wilson.
This is a perfect opportunity for Iamaleava to have a statement game, right in primetime on ABC against a ranked opponent. Don’t be surprised to see a 250-yard-plus, two-touchdown night from the redshirt freshman.
Tennessee takes a two-score lead going into the half
Tennessee fans are hoping that the 2022 team, which produced the No. 1 offense in the country, was just a sample of what the 2024 offense can look like. Last year's Volunteers team suffered from not only inconsistent quarterback play but also injuries to key skill position players.
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Heading into Week 2, the Volunteers are healthy, and quarterback play has been upgraded tremendously from a season ago. If it all comes together, don’t be surprised to see Tennessee jump out to an early lead and take a two-score advantage into halftime.
Tennessee’s defense looks strong but fails to pick off NC State QB Grayson McCall
NC State coach Dave Doeren has been looking for a reliable quarterback for a while now. That’s why he reached into the transfer portal to grab three-time Sun Belt Player of the Year Grayson McCall.
Injuries plagued McCall last season, limiting him to just seven games. Perhaps last week there was a bit of rust, which caused him to throw an interception. That typically doesn’t happen with McCall, who has never thrown more than six in a season. Before this season, his touchdown-to-interception ratio was 88 to 14.
Tennessee had 12 interceptions last season. While the Volunteers’ defense looks like it could still have a great game, it will have to fend off what could be a good passing attack from the Wolfpack, who have talented receivers like Kevin Concepcion, who had nine catches for 121 yards and three touchdowns last week.
Tennessee beats NC State, plain and simple
One of the most interesting matchups in this game will be seeing what Tennessee’s secondary looks like against a Power 4 conference opponent. The Volunteers lost several players from last year’s group and had to make some replacements through the portal. That could keep the game close, but in the end, Tennessee should still come out as a decisive victor.
Perhaps looking too much into the Week 1 matchups against SoCon opponents is not a good reason to be all in on Tennessee and overly concerned about the Wolfpack. Nonetheless, that’s something to consider here. That, and Tennessee should have an all-around better roster than the Wolfpack.
