First look: NC State travels to Miami with another upset on its radar
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- NC State aims to upset Miami at Hard Rock Stadium after beating Georgia Tech
- Miami relies on Carson Beck’s passing and a 155-yard average rushing attack
- Wolfpack brings 14 Florida players and hometown QB CJ Bailey for motivation
N.C. State crashed one party when it handed Georgia Tech its first loss of the season, and now it’s focused on crashing another when it heads to Miami on Saturday.
The Wolfpack travels to Hard Rock Stadium this weekend in hopes of upsetting the Hurricanes, who have been ranked all season, and handing them their second home loss of the year.
Louisville is the only team that’s come out victorious, picking up a 24-21 win on Oct. 17. Miami lost to SMU last week, 26-20, in overtime on the road but bounced back this week. The Hurricanes overcame a slow start against struggling Syracuse (3-7) and moved to 7-2 this season.
Quarterback Carson Beck surpassed 10,000 career passing yards in the 38-10 win over Syracuse. This season, he’s thrown for 1,947 yards, 14 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
Miami relies on the passing game, but its run game makes the Hurricanes dynamic. They average 155 yards on the ground and have scored 19 rushing touchdowns. Mark Fletcher leads the rushing efforts with 636 yards and nine touchdowns, all of which have come at home. He will, like several other players in the ACC, test N.C. State’s ability to stop the run.
Malachi Toney leads the team with 632 receiving yards and three touchdown runs as a true freshman.
The Hurricanes are heavily favored in the matchup, with ESPN analytics giving them an 88.5% win probability. This wouldn’t be the first time N.C. State upset Miami. Two years ago, the Wolfpack pulled off a 20-6 win at Carter-Finley Stadium behind then-quarterback MJ Morris. That was part of a five-game winning streak that gave N.C. State nine wins on the season.
This game, however, will be personal for the Wolfpack.
CJ wants the Canes
N.C. State’s roster features 14 players from the state of Florida, including two from Miami and another six whose listed hometowns are within 50 miles of Hard Rock Stadium.
CJ Bailey is the most notable hometown kid on the roster. The sophomore quarterback attended Chaminade-Madonna, where the team won three state championships — he was the starting QB for two. He finished with 9,005 passing yards and 116 touchdowns during his prep career.
N.C. State offered Bailey a scholarship on Feb. 9, 2023, following his junior season. He committed to play in Raleigh on March 13. Bailey took an unofficial visit to Miami on Nov. 9, 2022, but the Hurricanes did not offer him until more than a year later, at the conclusion of his senior year.
Bailey was a three-star prospect and ranked No. 89 in the nation, according to 247Sports. He was also listed as the 24th-best quarterback in the Class of 2024. By the time Miami officially offered Bailey a scholarship, it had already signed Judd Anderson, a quarterback out of Georgia. Anderson who was the 53rd-best QB in the class, according to 247Sports.
The Hurricanes then went on to sign Cam Ward out of the transfer portal.
Since then, Bailey recorded some of N.C. State’s best freshman numbers after taking over for Grayson McCall last season. This year, Bailey has thrown for 2,411 yards, two shy of his freshman season total, 19 touchdowns and thrown seven interceptions. He has also run for 137 yards and four scores.
“We’ve got another game coming up. We’ve got Miami. That’s one that I really want,” Bailey said following the team’s win over Georgia Tech. “I need everybody. I’ve got to come to play as well as I did today. I need those guys that have my back, and I already know they’re going to do it. We’re going to pull through for the rest of these couple games.”
On the other side: The Hurricanes have ties to the Triangle
Three players on the Miami roster are from North Carolina or played at N.C. State.
Sophomore Kamal Bonner spent two seasons with N.C. State prior to transferring to Miami and was expected to be a major contributor on this year’s Wolfpack defense. The linebacker went through spring practices in Raleigh before entering the portal in April.
Bonner appeared in 13 games last season for the Wolfpack, contributing 56 tackles, seven tackles for loss and one sack. This year, Bonner has recorded only one tackle in four games. It’s unclear whether Bonner will play in Saturday’s game.
Braylon Lamar is a linebacker for the Hurricanes. He is from Cary and the son of Duke head softball coach Marissa Young.
Long snapper Adam Booker is from Holly Springs and previously spent time at Charlotte.
Vegas betting line
Miami is a 13.5-point favorite at FanDuel, while the NFP Consensus has the Hurricanes favored by 14.5 points. The total is set at 54.5 points by FanDuel and 55.5 points by the NFP Consensus. Miami is a -710 favorite, and NC State is a +490 underdog.
NC State vs Miami game info
Teams: N.C. State Wolfpack (5-4, 2-3 ACC) vs. Miami Hurricanes (7-2, 3-2)
Where: Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida
Date: Nov. 15
Time: 3:30 p.m.
TV: ESPN
Stream: fubo TV, Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, DIRECTV Stream, Sling TV
Series history: N.C. State trails the all-time series 6-11-1, including a 4-6-1 road record. The Wolfpack won the most-recent game, 20-6, on Nov. 4, 2023, at home after scoring 10 fourth-quarter points. Now-Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Payton Wilson recorded 16 tackles, two quarterback pressures and two pass deflections in the win. N.C. State has not defeated Miami on the road since Nov. 3, 2007. The Wolfpack picked up a 19-16 overtime win after trailing by 10 points, scoring four field goals and finding the end zone once.
This story was originally published November 10, 2025 at 5:30 AM.
