7 p.m. • ESPN2

Radio Coverage Begins at 5 p.m. on the Wolfpack Sports Network

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the pack vs. the red raiders

• NC State and Texas Tech will face each other for the first time since 2003 and the sixth time in history. The Wolfpack has won four of the previous matchups, including the last four.

• The Wolfpack’s lone loss in the series was in Lubbock in 1952 (7-54).

• The two squads played in Lubbock in 2002 and in Raleigh in 2003. The No. 17 Pack won a shootout in overtime in 2002, with RB T.A. McLendon rushing for a school record five touchdowns in that 51-48 win. In 2003, QB Philip Rivers led NC State to a 49-21 win in Raleigh.

• The Red Raiders' trip to Carter-Finley Stadium in 2003 marks the last time a Big 12 school played on the Wolfpack’s home field (West Virginia was scheduled to play here in 2018, but the game was canceled due to Hurricane Florence).

red raider ruff

Another game, another former Ruffin McNeill tie. Coach Ruff - NC State’s special assistant to the head coach - was on the staff at Texas Tech from 2000-09 under head coach Mike Leach. When the two squads played in Lubbock in 2002, he was serving as the Red Raiders’ LB coach and when TTU came to Raleigh in 2003, he was the assistant head coach and special teams coordinator.

McNeill actually served as head coach at Texas Tech for one game: the Alamo Bowl on Jan. 2, 2010, filling in for Leach. The Red Raiders won that game over Michigan State: 41-31.

T-BAKEAWAY

Nickel Tyler Baker-Williams (known to his teammates as “T-Bake”) is having a great start to the 2022 season - his fifth in a Wolfpack uniform. After two games, Baker-Williams leads the ACC and ranks second in the FBS in interceptions. He pulled down his fourth career pick in the win at East Carolina on the Pack defense’s second play of the 2022 season.

Last week, when Charleston Southern took the opening kickoff of the second half, the Raleigh native sacked the QB for a 13-yard loss, causing a fumble that was recovered by the Wolfpack. The Pack offense scored on the next play to go up 45-0.

When CSU got the ball back following the Pack touchdown, Baker-Williams picked off his fifth career pass.

cannon collin

PK Collin Smith waited his turn. Prior to this season, he had appeared in one game - kicking off one time against UNC in 2020. This season, however, he is proving to be a pivotal part of the Pack’s special teams.

Smith is serving as the Pack’s kickoff specialist this season, and after his performance against Charleston Southern on Saturday, it’s a role that he’s performing quite well.

In his first game handling kickoffs in Carter-Finley Stadium, the local product from Gibsonville boomed all 10 of his kickoffs for a touchback against Charleston Southern.

On the season, 10 of his 14 kickoffs (71.4%) have gone for a touchback.

making it count

Sophomore running back Demie Sumo-Karngbaye - known to his teammates as “Sharko” - has definitely made his presence known in 2022. After playing in six games last season as a true freshman, only on special teams, he has proven hard to bring down while rushing 21 times for 149 yards this season.

Do the math. That’s a 7.10 yards per carry average - which ranks second-best in the ACC and 12th in the FBS.

In just two games, Sumo-Karngbaye has notched seven explosive plays - more than double any other Pack player. In game 2, five of his seven rushes were for 10 or more yards. In the opener, he had two explosive plays, including a 24-yard touchdown romp and another 22-yard run.

The Willingboro, N.J., native never took a recruiting visit to NC State before arriving on campus in the summer of 2021.

Leary legs it ...

Devin Leary had two rushing touchdowns in his career heading into last Saturday’s game vs. Charleston Southern. By the time the game was over, he had four.

QB1 scored on a 12-yard rush in first quarter - showing some pretty impressive moves to get to the endzone - and then again in Q2.

... and leary lets it fly!

Devin Leary not only rushed for two scores in the win over CSU, but he threw for another four. With six touchdowns for the day, he tied the school record for single-game TD responsibility - tying marks held by Philip Rivers (vs. Navy, 2002) and Mike Glennon (vs. Maryland, 2011).

For his career, Leary has been responsible for 60 TDs (56 pass, 4 rush) and tied Rivers and Russell Wilson for the single-season record with 37 last season.

clear the benches

We’re calling it a school record. A total of 83 players saw action in the win over Charleston Southern.

Fourteen offensive linemen saw action, while 13 wide receivers and 13 linebackers got into the resounding win.

Here's a look at how many players played, by position:

#PACKUNITED WEEK

The week leading up to the Texas Tech game will be Pack United Week for NC State Athletics. #PackUnited, a student-led initiative through the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, is dedicated to raising awareness about social issues and ensuring justice and fairness for all, in the Raleigh area and beyond.

#PackUnited encourages NC State’s student-athletes to use their platform to push for change and is focused on three platforms: awareness, action, and education.