Kickoff: The Huskies are in Raleigh, North Carolina tonight for a prime time match up with the N.C State Wolfpack.

The Huskies are coming off an ugly 59-0 loss at Michigan. The Wolfpack aren’t exactly a bounce back opponent so the Huskies could be in for another long night if they don’t get off to a good start.

Four Downs (Four keys to the game)

1st Down: Get Leary off his spot: The Huskies need to get consistent pressure on N.C State quarterback Devin Leary. If he has time to hang in the pocket and delivery the ball on time, that will put a lot of pressure on a secondary that has struggled of late.

2nd Down: Offensive line must play well: The offensive line has actually played decent during this tough two game stretch. They are going to need to play at a high level tonight, especially in 2nd and 3rd down situations. Giving Zion Turner time is key. He has proven he can get the ball out quick and on time when given time.

3rd Down: Take care of the ball: N.C State has forced nine turnovers in the last two weeks. The Huskies have had an issue taking care of the ball thus far this season. If they want to have any shot at winning tonight, they have to play mistake free and take care of the ball.

4th Down: Don’t let bad plays snowball: UConn fell behind early last week but when things started going bad, they snowballed. That can’t happen this week. The Huskies need to move onto to the next play and execute. They can’t stack bad plays.

Extra point: The Huskies are 39 point underdogs. That is to be expected but if they can run the ball, slow things down a bit and take of them ball, they can compete in this game.

Final Drive: UConn has experienced some growing pains the past two weeks. The schedule is unforgiving. Winning this game will be tough but an improved effort and a more positive game would be a positive to build on.