NC State faces more line uncertainty as Louisville awaits key availability decisions

NC State could face another change to its offensive line against Louisville after left tackle Jimarion McCrimon was added to the ACC's Thursday availability report as questionable. Center Spike Sowells Jr. remains out for Saturday's 3:30 p.m. Eastern game in Raleigh.

Those are the designations in the report posted October 1 at 8 p.m. Eastern. They leave the Wolfpack preparing for two possibilities at left tackle while continuing to replace its starting center. A questionable listing does not establish that McCrimon will miss the game, and the report does not identify his injury.

The line has already been moving around. Matthew Bradham's Friday report for Pack Insider describes Teague Andersen moving from right tackle to center while Sowells is unavailable. NC State then used Rico Jackson at right tackle against Vanderbilt before moving Kamen Smith there and Jackson inside to right guard against Appalachian State.

McCrimon's availability could require another adjustment to that arrangement. Keeping a reliable protection plan around quarterback CJ Bailey will depend partly on which linemen are available, and on how many players must change positions to accommodate an absence. The Wolfpack has not announced a replacement lineup for Saturday.

Louisville also has unresolved decisions on offense. Quarterback Lincoln Kienholz and wide receiver Lawayne McCoy are questionable in the same Thursday update. Running back Keyjuan Brown is probable. Those categories describe different levels of uncertainty; they do not establish that Kienholz or McCoy will sit out, or that Brown has been cleared for unrestricted work.

In the Cardinals' secondary, Koen Entringer is questionable and Antonio Watts is out. That puts personnel questions on both sides of the matchup as the teams approach kickoff.

The ACC requires football availability reports each day beginning three nights before a conference game, followed by a report two hours before kickoff. The next updates can change the picture before Saturday. On game day, the conference uses available, game-time decision and out categories.

For now, the clearest absence on NC State's line is Sowells. McCrimon's status, along with Louisville's quarterback and receiver decisions, remains open. Michael McCammon's October 1 matchup preview includes an injury discussion and a look at the teams' stakes entering the game.