A Dominant 2nd Half Propels NC State to a 34-24 win at Wake Forest

After a nightmare start, NC State dominated Wake Forest in the second half in Winston-Salem, heading home with a 34-24 win and a 3-0 record.

Things couldn’t have gone much worse for NC State from the opening second of the game, when Wake Forest kickoff returner Chris Barnes took the opening kick 98 yards to the house.

After being forced to punt on their first drive, the Wolfpack allowed the Demon Deacons to march 93 yards down the field for another touchdown, falling behind 14-0.

On the road, it would have been easy for NC State to completely lose its composure, but sophomore quarterback CJ Bailey and redshirt sophomore running back Hollywood Smothers steadied the ship on the next drive. Smothers carried the ball twice for 32 yards and caught a 9-yard pass. Bailey went 3-for-3 for 33 yards, capped off by a 5-yard touchdown pass to senior tight end Justin Joly. He also rushed three times for 22 yards. NC State once again pulled out its secret weapon in freshman quarterback Will Wilson, who converted another fourth-and-one to keep the drive alive.

When Wake Forest took over, its drive was cut short by a 41-yard pick-six from redshirt sophomore defensive end Isaiah Shirley, tying the game at 14 apiece.

After entering the second quarter tied, the Demon Deacons grabbed the momentum once again, scoring 10 unanswered points on their next two drives. NC State cut the deficit to seven heading into halftime with a 24-yard field goal from redshirt junior Kanoah Vinesett.

NC State struggled to stop UVA in the first half last week, and tonight was no different. The Wolfpack allowed the Demon Deacons to score 24 points, rack up 267 yards of offense, and convert six of eight third-down opportunities.

Déjà vu.

Whatever was said at halftime clearly worked.

In the second half, NC State scored 17 unanswered points, shutting down Wake Forest in mind-boggling fashion. The Demon Deacons failed to score, managed just 44 total yards, and went 0-for-7 on third downs.
After an alarming beginning, the NC State defense played its best half of the year in a place that has haunted them for years. When it was all said and done, the Wolfpack defense allowed just 17 points, 311 total yards, and 59 rushing yards.

Redshirt senior Sean Brown played like a captain, racking up 12 tackles — the second-highest total of his career.

The Wolfpack’s offensive stars shined brightly.

Smothers, who rushed for a career-high 140 yards (24 carries) against UVA last week, topped that performance with 164 yards on the ground tonight, averaging 6.4 yards per carry.

Bailey has now completed over 70% of his passes for the third straight game, finishing 71.9% for 201 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions.

Joly’s four receptions went for just 22 yards, but two of them found the end zone.

The Wolfpack has found a bell cow in Smothers, and the running game is becoming a true force, piling up 205 yards on the ground. According to David Hale of ESPN, NC State has rushed for 200+ yards in five of its last eight games against FBS opponents. Before that, they hit the 200-yard mark just five times in their previous 54 FBS games.

NC State’s offense has now produced 400+ yards in all three games this season. If the Wolfpack defense can play two halves like they did tonight in Winston-Salem, NC State might be even better than most expected heading into the 2025 season.