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RALEIGH, N.C. -- Notre Dames defense might have figured a few things out, just in time for a different kind of test -- an efficient North Carolina State offense in a possible downpour.Notre Dame (2-3) visits the Wolfpack (3-1) on Saturday in a game that could be affected by the threat of severe weather from Hurricane Matthew .Well deal with the elements, coach Brian Kelly said, just like North Carolina State will.Maybe, but that hardly seems like the recipe for success for a defense that struggled earlier this season. Those problems culminated in a 38-35 loss to Duke that cost defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder his job.Kelly promoted analyst Greg Hudson to replace him and took a more hands-on role on that side of the ball, and after a wacky start last week against Syracuses ultra-fast-paced offense, they settled down and held the Orange to seven points in the second half of a 50-33 victory.Theyre doing less, and theyre doing it better, N.C. State coach Dave Doeren said.The Fighting Irish showed improvement that didnt necessarily translate to the stat sheet: Notre Dame still ranks 100th or worse nationally in three of the four major stat categories. Theyre 106th in total defense and 100th in scoring defense.Now comes a test from an N.C. State offense that has hung at least 30 points on every opponent its faced, behind quarterback Ryan Finley -- a Boise State transfer who completes nearly 73 percent of his passes and has yet to throw an interception.New N.C. State offensive coordinator Eli Drinkwitz says he wants his unit to be even more efficient and cited a metric -- points per possession -- that basketball coaches often rely upon.All that other stuff really doesnt matter, Drinkwitz said. How many times you get the football and how many times you get points on the scoreboard. Thats where weve got to be better and continue to improve.---Some things to know about the Notre Dame-NC State game:MATTHEWS MARCH: Both teams are keeping an eye on the weather maps , with Matthew churning his way up the East Coast. Kelly says his team has made contingency plans in case the game is pushed back until Sunday afternoon, and the league has been in contact with the programs in case the weather is too severe. Planes, trains, automobiles, all the logistics have been taken care of, Kelly said.IRISH OFFENSE: Theres nothing wrong with the Notre Dame offense. The Fighting Irish have not been held to fewer than 28 points and theyve surpassed 500 total yards in each of their last two games, both against ACC opponents. That will pose some challenges for an N.C. State defense that has been strong against the run -- holding two opponents to fewer than 100 yards rushing -- but at times vulnerable through the air. Theyre going to make some plays. I mean, theyre good, Doeren said. Were just going to have to get them on the ground and line up and play again and try to get some turnovers.PENALTY PROBLEM: N.C. State was called for 13 penalties -- its most since 2012 -- and assessed 144 penalty yards in a 33-16 win over Wake Forest. The Wolfpack wont have S Shawn Boone for the first half after he was ejected for targeting, and they know they have to clean things up with the Irish coming in.CARTER-FINLEYS 50th: This game comes on the 50th anniversary of the day Carter-Finley Stadium opened, and the Wolfpack are marking the occasion by breaking out throwback uniforms with the diamond logo on the helmets. Doeren calls it a pretty neat thing for our fanbase.---AP Sports Writer Tom Coyne in South Bend, Indiana, contributed to this report. The Colorado Rapids can move closer to an MLS playoff bid while the Vancouver Whitecaps look to keep their faint postseason hopes alive when they meet Saturday at BC Place in Vancouver, British Columbia.Colorado (12-5-11) is third in the Western Conference with 47 points, one point behind the second-place Los Angeles Galaxy and three points ahead of fourth-place Real Salt Lake. The Rapids can likely clinch a postseason berth with wins over the Whitecaps and the Portland Timbers.Vancouver (9-14-7) is tied with the San Jose Earthquakes for eighth in the Western Conference with 34 points, one point behind the seventh-place Seattle Sounders and six points behind sixth-place Sporting KC. The Whitecaps would likely have to win their four remaining matches to make the playoffs.Until its mathematically impossible, we wont be giving in, Vancouver coach Carl Robinson said.These teams were in much different positions a year ago. Vancouver finished second in the Western Conference with 16 wins andd 53 points before losing in the conference finals.dddddddddddd. Colorado finished last in the Western Conference with 37 points last season.Theyve managed to instill a little bit of hunger with the team, a never-say-die attitude, Robinson said. We need to get back to that as well. Weve done it at times this season as well, but not enough.Colorado is led by Shkelzen Gashi, who has five goals and four assists this season. Kevin Doyle has four goals. Marco Pappa has four assists.Pedro Morales has a team-high six goals for Vancouver. Christian Bolanos and Kekuta Manneh have scored five goals apiece, but Manneh has been sidelined since early July with a broken foot.This will be the third and final meeting this season. They played to a 2-2 draw in July after Axel Sjoberg scored a stoppage-time equalizer. The Rapids rolled to a 2-0 victory last month in Colorado. ' ' '