NC State’s weekend got messy in a hurry, and now the Wolfpack have a new reality to sort through as they head into the next stretch of ACC play. After the Friday night loss to Stanford and the firing of the head coach within hours, the focus shifts to what’s coming next: Cal, Duke and Syracuse.
Cal’s latest result suggests the Wolfpack may catch the Golden Bears at a useful time. On Saturday, Cal led #23 SMU 20-17 at halftime, but the second half belonged entirely to the Mustangs. SMU blanked the Golden Bears after the break and rolled to a 42-0 second-half edge.
The Mustangs got production from both Kevin Jennings and Kendrick Raphael. Jennings threw for 223 yards and two touchdowns, while Raphael ran for 104 yards and two more scores.
That result matters for NC State because the Wolfpack have only met Cal once, and State won that game 24-23 on October 19, 2024. With CJ Bailey’s offense heading into a matchup against an SMU defense allowing 399.4 yards and 31.6 points per game, the opportunity is there for NC State to make noise.
Duke, though, is a different problem. The Blue Devils escaped Virginia with a 19-16 win that came down to a trick play, with running back Nate Sheppard finding Brody Keefe on a 28-yard touchdown pass with 1:14 left to put Duke in front.
That program has also been a thorn in NC State’s side. Manny Diaz is 4-0 against the Wolfpack, including his previous head-coaching run at Miami, and NC State has dropped its last three games against Duke.
The Wolfpack are still chasing their first home win over the Blue Devils since the 2020 season. Duke hosts Boston College on October 31st.
Syracuse also comes into the picture after a dramatic finish of its own. The Orange outlasted Bill Belichick and his Tar Heels in overtime, 31-30, to snap a two-game skid. Fran Brown’s team is sitting in last place in the conference standings, but NC State can’t afford to overlook them.
The numbers lean toward State in that matchup. The Wolfpack are 13-4 all time against Syracuse, though they’ve lost the last two meetings.
Their last win over the Orange came in 2021. Syracuse hosts #23 SMU on October 31st.
Todd Goebbel will serve as interim head coach, and a 2-1 run across these three games would count as a strong showing in the middle of a rough stretch. Duke looks like the toughest ask, mainly because Diaz has had NC State’s number.
Cal and Syracuse, on the other hand, look like games the Wolfpack can win if the roster gets healthier and the offense keeps carrying the load. If those pieces fall into place, State can still come out of the next few weeks in decent shape.
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He has worn multiple hats during his time in Raleigh, including special teams coordinator and running backs coach, which gave him broad contact across the roster and the staff. In a search that included other coaches with more prominent rsums, NC State clearly valued that steady familiarity and day-to-day experience, leaving the next step of the transition tied to how Goebbel handles the team in the stretch ahead. [Read more 🡒]