NC State finally got the kind of second half it has been chasing all season, and it turned a messy week into a 31-10 win over Cal.
The Wolfpack opened the game with its best offensive snap of the day, then spent much of the first half grinding through the same uneven play that has defined too many of its Saturdays. But after halftime, the game flipped. NC State scored touchdowns on its first three possessions of the third quarter, controlled the ball for more than nine minutes in that period and steadily pushed the Bears out of the picture.
The first big strike came early, when NC State’s opening drive ended with a 49-yard touchdown pass to Deandre Desinor, who won a matchup with a linebacker down the sideline. After that, the passing game went cold for a while. CJ Bailey finished the first half 5-14 and also turned the ball over, giving Cal a short field that led to a field goal.
That was about the only opening the Bears could create. Their offense never found a rhythm, with the ground game struggling and JKS unable to stretch the field through the air. Cal’s rough first half carried into the second, and NC State’s defense made sure there was no easy way back in.
The Wolfpack did a strong job all game of keeping everything in front of it and finishing tackles. Outside of Cal’s touchdown, the Bears had to fight for every yard.
They went just 5-18 on third down, and NC State added a fourth-down stop in the second half. Against an FBS opponent, it was as sharp as the defense has looked this season.
JKS averaged only 4.4 yards per pass attempt, and that pressure-free, disciplined effort was a major reason the Bears never threatened.
Bailey settled in after halftime and looked far more comfortable. He went 8-11 in the second half and averaged more than 10 yards per attempt, including a 38-yard touchdown to Chance Robinson that put NC State ahead for good. From there, the Wolfpack kept finding chunk plays and kept Cal on its heels.
Given the week NC State had just been through, this was the response it needed. The team stayed locked in, put the Stanford mess behind it and walked away with a much-needed win.
In Other News...
NC State Just Gave Fans A New Reason To Debate This Team
The first game after a coaching change can tell you plenty about a team, and NC State offered a pretty clear snapshot in Raleigh. With Todd Goebbel taking over on an interim basis, the Wolfpack handled Cal 31-10 behind two touchdown passes from CJ Bailey and a defense that kept the Bears in check for most of the afternoon.
The game was tied 10-10 at halftime before NC State seized control with 21 unanswered points after the break, turning a tense spot into a comfortable finish. Cal managed just 269 total yards and dropped its third straight, while the Wolfpack left fans with a fresh argument about what this team might look like now that the reset has begun. [Read more 🡒]
NC States Coaching Search Just Became A Risky Fan Dream
Philip Rivers has quickly become one of the most intriguing names in NC States coaching search, and for good reason. The former Wolfpack quarterback already has deep ties to the program, and his current role at St. Michael Catholic High School gives him a coaching rsum that feels familiar enough to spark real conversation while still leaving plenty of questions about how it would translate to the college game.
The appeal is obvious for a fan base that knows Rivers well, but the leap from high school sidelines to an FBS job is a massive one. NC State is weighing a search that could bring sentiment, familiarity and a built-in connection to the program into the mix, even as the risks of handing a major rebuild to someone without college head-coaching experience remain part of the conversation. [Read more 🡒]
NC State Enters Cal Week With One Huge Question Hanging Over It
NC State heads into Cal week still sorting through the fallout from a midseason coaching change, with Todd Goebbel stepping in as the interim leader while the Wolfpack try to steady a season already marked by injuries and defensive problems. The timing makes the next stretch especially tricky, because the focus has to stay on the field even as the program works through a transition at the top.
One of the louder side conversations around the job has centered on Philip Rivers, but he pushed back on the idea that anything is brewing, saying there is nothing there at this point and nothing imminent. For a team already trying to regroup before facing Cal, the uncertainty is part of the backdrop now, even as the Wolfpack and Golden Bears both arrive with their own injury concerns and offensive line issues to manage. [Read more 🡒]