Wolfpack, Cavaliers meet in ACC cross-divisional matchup

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina State's passing game has been the strength everyone expected in preseason. Now the Wolfpack must find the reliable running production to go with it.

N.C. State (3-0) enters Saturday's game against Virginia ranked in the upper half of the Atlantic Coast Conference statistics in scoring and total offense. Yet the Wolfpack's rushing production (107.7 yards per game) ranks 13th out of 14 teams in the ACC and 117th out of 129 Bowl Subdivision programs entering its league opener.

The production has gotten better with each game. And to listen to coach Dave Doeren, this is a different run game that doesn't have the same big-play talent as last year with Nyheim Hines and Jaylen Samuels — two players now in the NFL.

"We don't have Nyheim," Doeren said. "We don't have that guy that's going to turn a 5-yard into a 50-yard run, which helps your stats a lot. It's going to be more of a slugfest in the run game, which hurts your numbers, but that doesn't mean it's not good."

The Wolfpack's passing game has been sharp with NFL prospect Ryan Finley throwing to big-framed receivers. But N.C. State started the year by running for just 83 yards on 29 attempts (2.9 per carry) in the opening win against James Madison.

The Wolfpack ran for 115 yards against Georgia State then had a season-high 125 yards behind Reggie Gallaspy, who ran for 81 yards with two scores while working as the lead back.

"We want to continue to take those 2-yard runs and make them into 4-5-6 (yards) or more," Doeren said, adding: "Just the demeanor of the run game was completely different (at Marshall) and will continue to improve."

The Cavaliers (3-1, 1-0) are near the middle of the ACC in run defense (sixth at 113.8 yards) and third in total defense (297.5 yards). And Virginia coach Bronco Mendenhall figures much of N.C. State's offensive success starts up front.

"They're good enough to have N.C. State playing well on a yearly basis now under Dave, as well as just kind of reloading now rather than rebuilding," Mendenhall said. "They've been together long enough as a program to where their specifications are pretty clear what they're looking for, who they're looking for, and what kind of qualities they want, and it shows up in their O-line."

Here are other things to know about Saturday's Virginia-N.C. State game:

CONTAINING PERKINS

Virginia quarterback Bryce Perkins is the Cavaliers' second-leading rusher with 317 yards, and averages 5.1 yards per carry. If he can force the Wolfpack to shadow him because of his running success, that could open things for speedy wide receiver Olamide Zaccheaus in 1-on-1 coverage. Against Ohio, that backfired as he turned short passes into touchdowns of 86 and 77 yards.

SNOWDEN'S BREAKOUT

Virginia linebacker Charles Snowden had a huge game against Louisville with eight tackles, two pass breakups, an interception, a fumble recovery and a sack. "I wasn't really surprised, though," fellow linebacker Chris Peace said. "It was only a matter of time. Everybody has that one game they break out in, and for Charles it was this time against Louisville."

SECOND-HALF BATTLE

The game could test a trend for both teams. Virginia has allowed just 16 points in the second half of games this season. N.C. State, however, has scored 21 points in both the third and fourth quarters to score 42 points after halftime. Continuing that trend could decide this one.

KICKING GAMES

N.C. State appears to have moved past years of kicking struggles , with freshman Christopher Dunn making 6 of 8 on field goals for the Wolfpack. But Virginia's kicking game has struggled since Mendenhall arrived, with A.J. Mejia starting 1 for 4 with three misses from 35 yards or closer. That prompted Mendenhall to switch to Hunter Pearson against Louisville, with Pearson making 28- and 24-yards kicks.

A LONG WHILE

This is the first meeting between the cross-divisional league opponents since 2012. The teams met every year from 1960 to 2003 before the league expanded in 2004, and they've played only four times since.