Mario Cristobal's Honest Thoughts on NC State

On NC State's offense

• "Really explosive. They're a top-5 team in plays of 50 yards or more, top-10 in every other explosive play. It starts with their quarterback (CJ Bailey), but it certainly doesn't end there. Just really dynamic. We know him. Certainly a local product that has developed into a great player. Can do it with his arm, extremely accurate. Can do it with his feet."

• "Both running backs... You thought when (Hollywood) Smothers went down, people maybe feared they might drop off a little bit, he averaged seven yards a carry... And in comes (Duke) Scott and they played an unbelievable game against Georgia Tech. Just really dominant offensive football."

• "It's complemented by playmakers outside. They can flat-out go. A lot of 21.5, 22 mph guys. Then, a big, nasty, physical offensive line, especially at the tight end position. It was really important for our edge guys to watch and see how physical they are, running power, counter, as a second puller, as the insert fitter... They do damage in both the run game and the pass game."

On NC State's defense

• "Just watch the first play of their last game, how physical they were in setting the edge really set the tone for the rest of the game. You always want to see what the line of scrimmage looks like on plays one and then 70, 80. They are relentless up front and complemented by a really good back end as well."

• "We've played against them. Different scheme, but the same mentality, same culture, same type of players. They're playing as good of football this team of year as you can play."