NC State didn’t just beat Richmond on Friday night. It ran the Spiders out of Carter-Finley.
After a rough opener against Virginia, the Wolfpack used the bye week to clean things up, and the result was a 73-0 home-opening demolition that came with a history-making ground attack. NC State (1-1) piled up a program-record eight rushing touchdowns, with five different players getting into the end zone on the ground.
Junior running back Jayden “Duke” Scott was the engine. The captain wearing the No. 1 jersey looked every bit like the kind of player that number is meant for, slicing through space, breaking tackles and turning one crease after another into chunk plays. Scott finished with 128 yards on just nine carries and scored twice, including a 65-yard touchdown that broke the game open.
“Whenever I play, I don’t really think. I let God take control of the weight,” Scott said when asked what went through his mind on a 65-yard touchdown run. “I had seen the hole, I hit it, I happened to break a tackle and then it was off to the races from there”
Scott wasn’t alone. Junior running back Davion Gause got NC State on the board with a 19-yard touchdown run after Scott had already ripped off a 45-yard gain, and the home crowd erupted for the first touchdown inside Carter-Finley in 286 days. Later, freshman Dylan McCoy added his own splash play, bursting 51 yards for a score in the fourth quarter and pushing the Wolfpack past its previous single-game rushing touchdown mark of seven.
The quarterback run game mattered too. Junior CJ Bailey and sophomore Will Wilson both added rushing scores, and Wilson was especially effective in the goal-line package.
He went 2-2 in goal-line situations, added a third rushing touchdown in the third quarter and then threw his lone passing touchdown on the next drive. Wilson ended with 87 total yards and four total touchdowns.
The front line set the tone throughout. Richmond had little answer for NC State’s push up front, and the Spiders managed only two sacks all night as Bailey and Wilson got plenty of time to work.
“The running backs played extremely hard, we got a lot of yards after contact today,” head coach Dave Doeren said. “That was really great to see”
“When you win the line of scrimmage, everything on offense works,” Doeren said. “The quarterback has more time, the running backs have bigger holes, it gives the tight ends and the wideouts more time to get open. You are going to score more points when you dominate up front, and we did that today”
NC State’s ground game looked unstoppable against Richmond, but the next test comes on the road. The Wolfpack will travel to Nashville to face Vanderbilt on Saturday, Sept 19, with kickoff set for 12:45 on SEC Network.
In Other News...
NC States Rout Revealed An Offensive Standout Nobody Saw Coming
NC States 73-0 rout of Richmond was the kind of game that can hide as much as it reveals, but the PFF grades from Saturday told a louder story about just how many Wolfpack offensive pieces were involved. Seven offensive players landed at 90.0 or better, with quarterback CJ Bailey turning in a career-best 92.6 and running back Duke Scott not far behind at 92.2, while freshman Dylan McCoy made a strong first impression with a 90.9 in his offensive debut.
The most eye-catching number, though, belonged to Isaiah Shirley, who somehow topped the offenses grading with a 97.3 overall mark while lining up as an extra blocking tight end. It was the sort of unexpected wrinkle that stood out even in a blowout, a reminder that NC States biggest advantages on Saturday came not just from the obvious skill players but from the unusual ways it found to keep piling on. [Read more 🡒]
Gophers Just Triggered An Early Warning Sign In ESPNs Ratings
A second week of college football always shakes up the numbers a little, but ESPNs updated FPI ratings brought a clearer picture of who is moving in the right direction and who is already backing up. Ohio States surge after its upset of Oregon drew the biggest attention, while Arkansas and Minnesota took some of the sharpest hits after losses, a reminder that early-season results can change a teams outlook in a hurry.
For NC State, the update was more encouraging. The Wolfpack saw its projection improve, joining a group of teams whose postseason path looks a bit better after the first two weeks. With bowl chances and even the broader playoff picture still taking shape, the early ratings suggest there is still room for a climb, but also plenty of time for the numbers to swing again once conference play settles in. [Read more 🡒]
RJ Keene Could Give NC State A Bench Weapon It Needs
RJ Keene is the sort of addition that can quietly change the shape of a rotation. Looking ahead to the 2026-27 season, NC State looks like it could have a backcourt option who does not need a heavy workload to matter, because his value projects to come in the details - defending, spacing the floor and giving the staff a reliable wing body off the bench. The appeal is obvious for a team that will want someone who can fit around the starters without needing the ball to find his way.
The real question is how much more there is beyond the clean fit. Keenes profile points to a limited-minute role behind the starting wings, but the next step is whether that defense and perimeter shooting can hold up consistently enough to make him more than just a situational piece. For NC State, those are the kinds of players who can end up mattering a lot by March, even if their role never gets much bigger on paper. [Read more 🡒]