NC State football dismantles Campbell. What we learned in the Wolfpack win

Coming off two consecutive crushing losses, N.C. State responded in a big way Saturday, crushing in-state FCS foe Campbell, 56-10, in a virtual must-win game for the Wolfpack and head coach Dave Doeren, who has been the subject of heavy criticism the past few weeks.

Hollywood Smothers was the embodiment of tenacity and swagger in his personal rebound. In the Pack’s loss against Virginia Tech, Smothers finished with a season-low 67 yards. It was his lowest output since Nov. 9, 2024, when he recorded just 13 yards in N.C. State’s loss to Duke.

Saturday, the Charlotte native put up 123 yards and a score on just four carries — including a career-long 59-yard run — and added 30 yards and a TD on two receptions.

The Wolfpack (4-2) used Smothers’ individual bounce-back, a versatile offensive attack and better defensive attack to smother the Camels (1-5) in the first meeting between the teams.

Smothers was already statistically one of the best tailbacks in the nation before Saturday’s game, but he continues to beef up his resume for national awards and a shot at the NFL. Smothers entered the weekend with 570 rushing yards this season, fourth in the nation and No. 2 among Power Four players, behind Missouri’s Ahmad Hardy.

After his performance against the Camels, Smothers has 693 total yards this season to move him into second place in the NCAA for net rushing yards.

“It takes a lot of pressure off, you know, our passing game when he can run so good,” North Carolina State quarterback CJ Bailey said. “Every week, he’s been dominant. It’s been great to have a guy like Hollywood in our backfield.”

Smothers dominated on the ground, but he was not the only contributor. Duke Scott and quarterbacks Bailey and Will Wilson all gained positive rushing yardage. Nine different players nabbed a reception and four scored. Tight end Cody Hardy recorded his first touchdown with the Wolfpack after a 37-yard grab and short scamper into the end zone.

N.C. State recorded 482 yards of total offense and scored 49 points in the first half alone. The Wolfpack’s yardage was the most in an opening half by any FBS team this season. Its 49 points were tied for the third-most first-half points in the NCAA this season and the most by an N.C. State team since 2001 against Duke. The Pack finished with 607 yards on offense, 57 yards shy of a program record set in 2012 against Miami.

Most of the Wolfpack’s starters opened the second half, but they were gradually replaced to give younger or less experienced players some field time. “We haven’t been a team that has finished people this year,” N.C. State head coach Dave Doeren said. “We’ve built leads and given up leads. I wanted them to go out and feel that. That’s what we need to do. Obviously, there’s risk in that. I understand that, but I wanted the starters in there on the first drive the second half, both sides of the ball.”

Quarterback Lex Thomas earned playing time in the third quarter. He is the younger brother of former N.C. State standouts Drake and Thayer Thomas. Lex Thomas, a redshirt sophomore, missed two years due to an injury and has played limited minutes for the Pack. He went 2 of 6 passing for 18 yards.

Will Wilson, who has primarily been used in short yardage situations, also got into the backfield for several snaps. The freshman finished 3 of 5 for 16 yards and one interception. He also ran for one touchdown.

After allowing Virginia Tech to rack up 406 yards of total offense, including 229 yards rushing, the defensive front shut down Campbell. It held the Camels to 188 total yards and 67 rushing yards, while adding two sacks, seven tackles for loss and four quarterback pressures.

Campbell quarterback Kamden Sixkiller finished 12 of 22 for 87 yards and one touchdown.

What we learned from the Wolfpack’s commanding win over the Camels:

New, young players step up on defense

N.C. State’s defense is battered, bruised and in bad shape, but it took a step forward.

The team announced in its game notes that three players in an already-thin secondary are out for the season. Linebacker Sean Brown and safety Brody Barnhardt were both out against Campbell due to injury, while cornerback Jackson Vick missed his third game.

“It’s sad as a coach when you see a kid go down,” Doeren said this week. “We love these kids, man. You don’t want to see anybody get injured. Football is a physical sport, and that is part of the game. The next guy in there has to do a great job.”

Ronnie Royal was one such player. The redshirt freshman came into the game with a defensive grade of 43 on Pro Football Focus, the team’s worst defensive grade. He also ranked last in his tackling grade (31.2). Royal’s performance looked more like that of an upperclassman, with the way he wrapped up Camel players. The young safety finished with eight tackles.

Linebacker Kenny Soares isn’t young, but he is new to the program. The Northwestern transfer had his best game of the season for N.C. State, leading the team with nine tackles. He recorded 13 in the previous five games. Soares hasn’t been a bad player for N.C. State, but he hadn’t been dominant. The win over Campbell felt like a breakout game.

Jivan Baly got his first start at nickel and added seven tackles, while Asaad Brown moved to strong safety to help rest some other players.

The Wolfpack also got positive contributions from its top players, including Sabastian Harsh and Cian Slone — he contributed a major fourth-down stop — but they didn’t need to carry that side of the football. That’s something to keep building on.

“It feels good that we’re able to flip a switch when we need to, but in my opinion, it’s never good enough,” Soares said. “We have to be able to do this week-to-week, and not take a week off.”

Big bombs for Bailey

Quarterback CJ Bailey continues to fly under the radar when it comes to national attention, but he’s one of the best in the country and more than solidified himself in the Wolfpack record books.

Like Smothers, Bailey put together an elite performance Saturday after two weeks where he didn’t always look like himself. The sophomore finished with 337 yards and a career-high four touchdowns. He went 20 of 23 passing for an 87% completion rate. It was his third 300-yard passing game this season.

Bailey was more decisive and did not commit any turnovers in the team’s Week 6 game, an issue that popped up against Duke and Virginia Tech. He made smarter decisions and spread the ball around well, all while recording eight explosive passing plays of more than 15 yards.

Through the first 14 career starts, Philip Rivers recorded 3,822 yards, 30 passing touchdowns and 13 interceptions on a 63% completion percentage. Wolfpack great Russell Wilson had 2,602 yards, 25 touchdowns and one interception on 63% passing.

Bailey had 3,308 yards, 24 touchdowns, 12 interceptions and a 68% pass completion rate through that period.

With his performance against Campbell, the sophomore is up to 3,645 passing yards in his first 15 career starts and reached 4,073 yards in his career.

And he still has room to improve. The sophomore may not win the Heisman Trophy, but he’s among the best quarterbacks to play for the Pack. That has to count for something.

Uncharted waters for NC State special teams

The Wolfpack’s special teams unit has been consistent the last several years, but the issues for this year’s squad reared their ugly head again.

N.C. State pulled freshman receiver Teddy Hoffmann as its punt returner after he fumbled two punts before the half. The first mistake put Campbell on the Wolfpack 14-yard line. Miscommunication from the defense allowed the Camels to turn Hoffmann’s error into a touchdown. He bobbled a second punt later in the half, but linebacker Kelvon McBride jumped on the ball to prevent another possession change.

Hoffmann muffed a punt against Duke, as well, which required N.C. State to march down the field for a 99-yard touchdown. The rookie was replaced on Saturday by Terrell Anderson, a receiver who entered the game leading the team in receiving yards.

Anderson’s first return was a 78-yard touchdown run, but a holding penalty wiped his effort from the board.

“Disappointed that catching a punt is so hard, but I think out of this, we found our punt returner in Terrell Anderson, so that might be the thing I’m most excited about coming out of the game,” Doeren said. “We finally got a guy back there that knows what to do. What you do in practice has got to show up in games. The special teams area continues to be a sore spot for me with our performance.”

The rest of the game was largely uneventful, but the Wolfpack needs to get its special teams in order. It can’t afford to have touchdowns called back or to give free possessions against tougher competition.

This story was originally published October 4, 2025 at 5:27 PM.

Jadyn Watson-Fisher

The News & Observer