There’s an expiration date on the Wake Forest-N.C. State football series, which has been played every season since 1910.

The ACC’s move to a 3-3-5 scheduling model for the 2023-26 seasons, and the fact that each team was given different permanent opponents, means that a series that’s been played 112 years in a row eventually won’t be played. That’s the longest continuous rivalry in the ACC and second-longest in the country, only trailing Wisconsin-Minnesota (every year since 1906).

It doesn’t expire this season or either of the next two seasons, though.

“It’s about to end in a few years,” Wake Forest coach Dave Clawson said of the series. “So enjoy it while we have it, OK?”

Here are five things to know about N.C. State ahead of Saturday night’s game:

This was the season in which N.C. State was supposed to challenge Clemson for Atlantic Division supremacy and instead, already with two losses and staring down the barrel of a 21-3 deficit to two-win Virginia Tech last week, things were looking bleak.

Enter freshman quarterback MJ Morris.

Morris became N.C. State’s first freshman since Philip Rivers (in 2000) to throw three touchdown passes in a game. Those accounted for the rest of the points in the Wolfpack’s 22-21 win last Thursday night — and makes for a surge of optimism for N.C. State that it’s found a future star at quarterback.

When Morris presumably starts against Wake Forest, it’ll be the first time since Rivers that N.C. State starts a freshman at QB. Devin Leary’s season-ending injury, announced just before a 24-9 loss at Syracuse, cast an ominous feeling over this season; Morris’ sudden arrival changes that.

Morris dropped a 35-yard dime to Thayer Thomas for his first touchdown and threw a middle screen to Thomas for an 18-yard score as the third score, with a 7-yard pass to a wide-open Trent Pennix in between.

It’s hard to tell based on about one half of football who Morris’ favorite targets are. But in terms of N.C. State’s reliable targets this season, it’s Thomas — and then everyone else.

The 6-foot, 195-pound former walk-on has 37 catches for 437 yards and four touchdowns this season. All of those marks lead N.C. State, and Keyon Lesane is second in catches (20), Devin Carter is second in yards (256), and no other player has caught more than one touchdown.

That also means the ball has been spread around. N.C. State has completed passes to 20 receivers, tied for the most in the country (with Tulane and Michigan).

The payoff for N.C. State having to play most of last season without Isaiah Moore and Payton Wilson is that they’re back this season, and the leader at linebacker last season, Drake Thomas (brother of Thayer), makes it a formidable trio.

“That linebacker crew, you just go right across the board,” Clawson said. “Those guys are all high-level ACC players.”

The numbers are gaudy: Moore, Wilson and Thomas have combined for 103 starts, 781 tackles, 89½ TFLs and 29 sacks.

Thomas leads N.C. State with 58 tackles and nine QB hurries this season; Moore leads the team with 7½ TFLs.

Wake’s pass protection didn’t hold up well against Louisville and that’s putting things as mildly as possible.

That was against the country’s top team in sacks (33) and sack yardage (229) this season.

Now the Deacons face a team that’s tied for 107th in the country with 12 sacks, which is last in the ACC.

It’s not going to be as simple as Sam Hartman going from being under constant pressure from Louisville to having all night to throw against the Wolfpack, but it’s a noticeable difference from last week’s matchup to this one.

Eight of the Wolfpack’s 12 sacks have come in two games; four apiece against Texas Tech and then in last week’s comeback win over Virginia Tech.

Clawson had seemingly finished his rundown of N.C. State in Tuesday’s press conference, going into detail on his relationship with coach Dave Doeren and their familiarity, on the Wolfpack’s offense and defense, and on the Deacons needing to apply corrections against a tough team.

There was one more aspect he needed to mention, though.

“I’ll just add, their special teams units — this is, in our opinion, one of the best-coached special teams units every single year in the conference,” Clawson said. “This is a unit that’s always well prepared.”

N.C. State’s kick return unit averages 21.6 yards per return and allows an average of 16.8. Kicker Christopher Dunn has made all 15 of his field goal attempts this season, eight of which have been of at least 40 yards.