What we learned from NC State football’s thrilling win over Virginia

N.C. State never believes it’s going to lose a game until it hears the final horn. If there’s time on the clock, there’s still time for a win. This has been especially true in its series against Virginia.

Facing a 10-point halftime deficit and a potential Virginia game-winning touchdown, the Wolfpack channeled that belief into a Week 2 win over its longtime foe.

N.C. State defeated Virginia, 35-31, at home Saturday in a nonconference game, and moved to 4-0 over the Cavaliers in the Dave Doeren era.

“We never, never quit. Jimmy V taught us that a long time ago,” Doeren said during his postgame television interview, referencing the late N.C. State men’s basketball coach Jim Valvano. “I’m proud of our guys.”

The Wolfpack (2-0) picked up its second victory of 2025 behind an impressive offensive showing — tied for its second-highest point total against UVA during Doeren’s tutelage. Quarterback CJ Bailey threw for 200 yards, his ninth career game with 200 passing yards, and a touchdown while also rushing for 44 yards and two scores.

Running back Hollywood Smothers rushed for a team-best 140 yards — 115 came in the second half, with two touchdowns. He is the first player since Reggie Gallaspy in 2018 to record at least 130 rushing yards and two touchdowns in a single game.

“When you can throw the football the way that [Bailey] can and have the skill around him, but then also make them have to defend his legs, that’s tough on defense,” Doeren said. “It’s really hard.”

N.C. State’s defense, though, was virtually nonexistent for most of the game, with the Cavaliers (1-1) scoring the most points against a Doeren-coached squad, but it came up with a trio of big fourth-quarter plays when it mattered most.

The Cavaliers found themselves on fourth down at the N.C. State 30-yard line. Virginia missed a 47-yard field goal attempt instead of going for it on fourth down. One drive later, the Hoos made it as far as the Wolfpack 8-yard line and attempted the fourth down conversion. N.C. State, after an afternoon of defensive breakdowns, made the stop.

Virginia, led by quarterback Chandler Morris, looked poised to upset the Wolfpack with 1:02 remaining. But Morris threw a pass intended for J’Mari Taylor and defensive end Cian Slone intercepted the pass in the end zone to secure the Wolfpack win.

Morris finished with 257 passing yards, one touchdown and one interception. He added 56 yards on the ground. Three different receivers hauled in at least five passes, and Trell Harris led all players with seven catches and 57 yards.

“We all just kind of had to hone into our 1/11th,” Slone said. “If we’re doing our job and we’re doing our job in inside the scheme, the plays are going to happen. We had to not panic and feel like we had to make a Superman play. … We found that trust, and I feel like we all took a deep breath in the second half. “

Here’s what we learned in N.C. State’s win.

Third down defensive troubles

N.C. State’s first and second down defense had little issue forcing Virginia into third down opportunities, something defensive coordinator DJ Eliot said this week has been an emphasis.

“As long as you can continue to not let them get you in third and mediums and third and shorts, then you’re going to get off the field,” Eliot said. “If you get them into a third and long, then you should win 70% of those. A great defense only wins 30% of the third and shorts … The key is first and second down.”

The Wolfpack did what it was supposed to on first and second down but struggled to get off the field, primarily in the first half, even in long yardage situations.

UVA started 6 of 7 on third down, with five conversions on plays of at least 10 yards and one conversion for a gain of 20. The Wolfpack recorded its first third down stop on Virginia’s third drive of the game.

Midway through the second quarter, cornerback Ronnie Royal picked up a face mask penalty on 3rd down, giving the Hoos an automatic 15-yard gain and another third down conversion.

Virginia was 10 of 13 at the end of the first half. The Cavaliers finished 13 of 19 on third down and never went three and out.

N.C. State’s efficiency on Saturday paled in comparison to the start it had in Week 1, when the Wolfpack forced four consecutive three-and-outs to open the game and held East Carolina to 6 of 16 on third down. UVA, meanwhile, entered Saturday after converting on 9 of 18 third down opportunities in its season opener.

“We just gotta win our one-on-ones up front, get after the quarterback,” defensive end Sabastian Harsh said. “There’s no other way of saying it. Especially me, like I hold a lot of that responsibility.”

NC State run defense falters

Run defense was one of N.C. State’s major successes in Week 1 after it held East Carolina to just 30 yards on the ground. The Wolfpack exceeded that total one drive into its game against Virginia with a 39-yard touchdown.

UVA added to its rushing yard total on the second drive for another 37 yards. Unfortunately, that did not improve as the game progressed.

The Wolfpack gave up 257 rushing yards, allowing 8 yards per carry. Taylor, a former N.C. Central walk-on, led Virginia with 150 yards on the ground. He contributed three touchdowns, including a 66-yard touchdown run in the third quarter to give his team a 31-28 lead.

It also couldn’t stop Cam Ross, the reigning ACC receiver and specialist of the week. Ross recorded 140 all purpose yards, 100 coming in the return game.

N.C. State nose tackle Brandon Cleveland said the defense takes pride in stopping the run.

“We take that personal. We don’t want guys running the ball on us,” Cleveland said. “We want to dominate the opposing line. It means a lot to not have a lot of rushing yards on us.”

That might’ve been the goal, but it was clear the defense and special teams need to get back to the drawing board.

Pack returns to experience at kicker

Kanoah Vinesett earned the starting place kicker job for Week 2 after being beat out for the position in Week 1.

Redshirt freshman Nick Konieczynski impressed the staff during fall camp with his consistency, distance and poise in situational kicking. He finished the preseason with 91% accuracy, head coach Dave Doeren said Monday.

That version of Konieczynski did not show up in Game 1. He went 1 of 3 on field goal attempts, missing kicks from 40 and 46 yards out. He was perfect on PATs. Doeren said Monday the staff would continue evaluating the position.

Vinesett made his first appearance of the season on N.C. State’s opening offensive drive, making the PAT after Bailey rushed for a 30-yard touchdown.

Vinesett did not attempt a field goal but made every PAT.

“We expect that position to get back to where it was; to where these guys are accurate, making the kicks we expect them to make,” Doeren said.

The Wolfpack is only three seasons removed from Christopher Dunn, who won the 2022 Lou Groza Collegiate Place Kicker Award. Brayden Narveson, who followed Dunn, started the 2023 season 9 of 9 and set a program record with a 57-yard field goal against Duke.

While Konieczynski could return for the Wolfpack this year, Vinesett’s experience playing behind Narveson was clearly an asset.

This story was originally published September 6, 2025 at 3:22 PM.

Jadyn Watson-Fisher

The News & Observer