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So to go with the theme, the question in this game is NC State's defense. Masks optional, risk guaranteed for 52,633 fans as NC State opens football season NC State has one of the more experienced running backs in the league in Bam Knight coming back, plus a good offensive line and obviously an experienced quarterback and wide receivers (we'll get to the QB shortly).
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Well, that's probably not much of a question. They return a lot on an offensive line that gave up 30 sacks in nine games, but experience always helps in that spot, They also bring in some dynamic threats at wide receiver and in the secondary, so the real question will be if their defensive line and linebackers will be good enough to get pressure on and slow down NC State. But there's been a lot of turnover and it's tough to know how big of an impact the transfers will have. Will they be better? I mean, they'd have to be. But the Bulls were bad last year and did not beat an FBS team in former Clemson offensive coordinator Jeff Scott's first season at the helm. Last year's COVID season made some teams tougher to evaluate coming into 2021 than others, and South Florida is definitely one of them - especially since the Bulls brought in quite a few transfers, they have a second-year head coach and it's a program that's had success in the past.
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