First look: NC State opens ACC play with rivalry game at Wake Forest
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Wake Forest opens ACC play under new coach Jake Dickert against rival NC State.
- Demond Claiborne leads Wake Forest offense after 193-yard, 3-touchdown game in Week 2.
- NC State seeks defensive improvement after shaky performance against Virginia.
Less than one week after a not-quite ACC game against Virginia, N.C. State officially begins conference play this week by way of an in-state rivalry.
The Wolfpack travels to Winston-Salem on Thursday to face Wake Forest in its 2025 ACC opener. It will be Demon Deacons head coach Jake Dickert’s first conference game since taking the job in the offseason.
Wake Forest put together several solid seasons under Dave Clawson, who retired from coaching after last season, bookmarked by a handful of disappointing ones. The Deacs went 3-9 in his first two seasons, 4-8 in his last two seasons — a 3-13 record in league play — and averaged 7.6 overall wins in the remaining seven years. Wake Forest won the ACC Atlantic Division Championship in 2021. The Deacs, led by former quarterback Sam Hartman, finished that year 11-3 overall and 7-1 in the ACC, while picking up a Gator Bowl victory over Rutgers.
Dickert, who came from Washington State, now has an opportunity to guide the program back to where it was in the middle of Clawson’s tenure; stable and consistent.
For its ACC opener, Wake Forest enters the game after drastically different offensive outings in the first two games. The Deacs scored just 10 points against Kennesaw State in Week 1 — running back Demond Claiborne missed most of it — before scoring 42 against Western Carolina on Saturday.
The defense, however, has been a consistent presence in both games and held both opponents to 10 points or fewer. Kennesaw State’s nine points last week were the fewest points allowed by the Deacs defense since Oct. 30, 2021, when they beat Duke, 45-7.
Wake Forest dominated in all three phases of the game on Saturday, racking up 542 yards of total offense, 78 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, five sacks and a safety. The defense held the Catamounts to -11 rushing yards in the first half. Zamari Stevenson contributed a pick six, while Carlos Hernandez added 53 yards on punt returns.
And, running back Demond Claiborne was back.
The Wolfpack defense struggled in its game against Virginia. It was unable to stop the run in the first half, giving up 122 rushing yards, missing tackles and allowing the Cavaliers to take a 24-14 lead. The Cavaliers converted on 10 of 13 third down opportunities, as well. Linebacker Sean Brown said the defense had a conversation at halftime about playing to the team’s standard.
It still gave up 135 rushing yards after the break, but the defense limited Virginia to seven points and defensive end Cian Slone hauled in the game-sealing interception.
“Offense was doing their thing, going out there, scoring points, doing what they’re supposed to do. Defensively, we were letting them down,” Brown said of the halftime talk. “We just let the defense know that the way we’re playing right now is not [us]; we gotta cut that [expletive] out.”
N.C. State’s offensive front looked tough against a much-improved UVA defense and gave CJ Bailey plenty of time in the pocket, opened up seams for the runners and extended plays with clean blocks. That side of the ball should compete well against Wake Forest, but the defense will need to return to the tougher, more energized version of itself if it wants to stop the run — especially Claiborne.
This rivalry has featured plenty of drama the last two seasons, in particular. Last year, Grayson McCall sustained a head injury on the first drive of the game that ultimately forced him into medical retirement. CJ Bailey replaced McCall and nearly defeated the Deacs, but a few late mistakes, including an interception, allowed Wake Forest to win the game, 34-30.
A season prior, Brennan Armstong returned to the starting spot. He was benched earlier in the season, unable to find a groove in the backfield, and replaced by MJ Morris. Morris, now at Coastal Carolina, took over for four games before deciding to redshirt and transfer from the program. Armstrong led the Pack to a 26-6 win on the road, the first road win against Wake since 2015.
The Deacs have not won two straight games since the 2018 and 2019 seasons but seek to do that again.
Players to watch: Demond Claiborne, Langston Hardy
Claiborne earned preseason All-America and All-ACC honors from Phil Steele, pre-season All-ACC from Athlon Sports and was named to the Maxwell and Walter Camp award watchlists. He looked every bit the part against the Catamounts.
The senior running back rushed for 193 yards on 10 carries and a career-high three touchdowns. His best rush was for 85 yards, which was the longest rush by a Wake Forest player since 2019.
Last year when the Wolfpack lost to Wake Forest, Claiborne led all players with 136 rushing yards and two touchdowns. He looks poised to repeat this season. The back is shifty on his feet and fast; his skills setting up a contest with N.C. State’s Hollywood Smothers — who is also coming off a 100-yard game — to see who can dominate on the ground.
On the defensive side, Langston Hardy was all over the field in the Deacs’ win over Western Carolina. Though he only finished with four tackles, he contributed 2.5 sacks and a pair of QB pressures. Plus, the linebacker was generally quick to the quarterback and disrupted the Catamounts’ offensive progression. With Hardy, and Davaughn Patterson swatting balls away in the secondary, Wake has an opportunity to slow down the N.C. State offense with multiple points of attack.
Vegas betting line
The Wolfpack opened as a 7.5-point favorite over the Demon Deacons, with the over/under set at 55.5 points.
NC State vs Wake Forest game info
Teams: N.C. State Wolfpack (2-0) vs Wake Forest Demon Deacons (2-0) Where: Allegacy Stadium, Winston-Salem Date: Thursday, Sept. 11 Time: 7:30 p.m. TV: ESPN Stream: fubo TV, Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, DIRECTV Stream, Sling TV Series history: N.C. State leads the all-time series 69-42-6. It lost the most recent matchup, 34-30, at Carter-Finley Stadium but won 26-6 in 2023 in Winston-Salem. The series is tied 5-5 in the last 10 matchups, and N.C. State holds a 31-21-2 record on the road. The Wolfpack is 14-14 at Allegacy Stadium.
This story was originally published September 8, 2025 at 6:00 AM.
