NC State’s latest loss followed a script that’s getting harder to explain away.
The Wolfpack built a 14-7 lead against Wake Forest on Saturday, then watched the Demon Deacons rip off 31 straight points in a 38-14 rout at Carter-Finley Stadium. What looked manageable at halftime turned ugly fast, and the second half was where the game really disappeared from NC State’s hands.
Wake Forest, which entered the day at 4-1 and was favored by 3.5 points, took control after the break in every way that mattered. In the third quarter alone, the Demon Deacons rolled up 195 yards of total offense while NC State managed just 18. That kind of gap in one quarter tells the whole story.
This wasn’t a one-off, either. Outside of the 73-0 win over Richmond, NC State has been outscored 115-53 in the second half this season. That leaves the Wolfpack staring at a 62-point deficit after halftime across five games.
After the game, Dave Doeren was asked whether the recurring issues had more to do with adjustments than execution. His answer was straightforward: he pointed to “execution.”
There’s no denying that part of it. But when the same thing keeps happening week after week, the explanation starts to feel incomplete. If opponents keep finding ways to attack NC State after halftime and the Wolfpack keeps failing to answer, that’s bigger than a single bad snap or one missed assignment.
Wake Forest had no such problem making plays.
Quarterback Gio Lopez was sharp all afternoon, completing 26 of 33 passes for 303 yards and three touchdowns. Carlos Hernandez did what everyone expected him to do, finishing with 12 catches for 117 yards and a touchdown.
Jack Foley added the kind of breakout performance NC State couldn’t afford, hauling in eight passes for 156 yards and a score. Those two receivers combined for 273 of Wake Forest’s 303 passing yards.
NC State’s offense, meanwhile, fell apart after halftime. The Wolfpack moved the ball with some success early, but once the break arrived, the unit looked stuck. The injuries along NC State’s offensive line didn’t help, and Wake Forest took full advantage by spending plenty of time in the backfield.
Doeren also fielded questions about Wake Forest coach Jake Dickert and the rapid turnaround in Winston-Salem. He said he doesn’t know the specifics of Wake Forest’s athletic budget.
Still, the contrast is difficult to miss. Wake Forest had gone 4-8 in back-to-back seasons before Dickert arrived. He went 9-4 in his first year and now has the Demon Deacons at 5-1 in his second season, with a chance to be ranked in the Top 25 next week.
NC State fans have every reason to look at that and wonder why their own program isn’t moving with the same kind of urgency. Doeren has been at NC State for more than a decade.
Dickert has been at Wake Forest for less than two seasons. On Saturday, it was Dickert’s team that looked better prepared, more adaptable, and more in control once the game turned.
That’s the uncomfortable part for the Wolfpack. These aren’t just random stumbles anymore. NC State is 3-3, coming off another second-half collapse, and still looking for answers that haven’t shown up yet.
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NC State Let Another ACC Opportunity Slip Away In Painful Fashion
NC State had the kind of halftime cushion that should have made the second half manageable, but instead the Wolfpack watched a winnable ACC road game turn into a long, frustrating setback. Wake Forest steadily flipped the script after the break, and the Demons Deacons offense put the pressure on NC State in a way the Wolfpack never answered.
Gio Lopez controlled the game for Wake Forest, completing 26 of 33 passes for 303 yards and accounting for four touchdowns, while NC States offense went quiet after halftime. The Wolfpack struggled to generate much of anything on the ground as the game slipped away, and the inability to respond after the break left a painful result in a conference race where every missed chance matters. [Read more 🡒]