N.C. State takes the field on Saturday and hopes to bounce back from its loss to Tennessee in Week 2. The Wolfpack (1-1) hosts Louisiana Tech (1-0) out of Conference USA.

The team struggled in its first two weeks. The Wolfpack struggled to get into a rhythm against Western Carolina until the fourth quarter. It started well against the Volunteers but did not sustain its preferred tempo.

N.C. State has a chance to fine tune its performance in all three phases against Louisiana Tech. The defense looks to stop another quick opponent -- 11 of its first-week drives lasted fewer than two minutes -- while the offense hopes to settle in early and maintain success.

The contest also gives N.C. State a chance to build more chemistry and in-game experience together. Its roster features 42 new players, all of whom are still learning how to play efficiently as a group.

"It's not something that you just snap your fingers and fix," Wolfpack head coach Dave Doeren said. "You gotta have reps. In-game reps are the most important when it comes to that, because that's where you really see what's going on when the bullets are flying out there, per se. It's going to get better and better. This a team that has to improve each week, and that's what this week's about. It's about responding."

The two teams have played twice, with N.C. State winning both matchups at home. Most recently, the Pack beat the Bulldogs, 34-27, in 2021.

N.C. State will play without cornerback Aydan White, according to a program spokesperson. No details have been released about the injury type or severity. Corey Coley Jr. is expected to replace White, opposite of Brandon Cisse.

All ESPN networks are available for DirecTV and AT&T customers two weeks after Disney pulled its networks from the providers. Disney and DirecTV announced a new agreement on Saturday morning, just in time for N.C. State, Duke and North Carolina's football games.