NC State didn’t just survive Louisville in the rain at Carter-Finley. It leaned on its defense, got enough from CJ Bailey, and walked out with a 31-28 win that felt earned all the way down to the final kneel.
The Wolfpack had every reason to be on edge after a surprisingly tight win over Appalachian State, and Louisville arrived with its own chance to make things uncomfortable. Instead, NC State steadied itself when it mattered most, improved to 3-2 overall and 1-1 in the ACC, and turned a tense finish into a statement of sorts.
The opening quarter was mostly a feeling-out process, but NC State still drew first blood. Fifth-year kicker Kanoah Vinesett drilled a 46-yard field goal to put the Wolfpack up 3-0. The defense then added the first real jolt of the day when senior defensive tackle Isaiah Shirley forced Keyjaun Brown to fumble, and senior inside linebacker Popo Aguirre came up with the loose ball for NC State’s first turnover forced.
Things picked up in the second quarter, and Bailey started to settle in. He hit junior wide receiver Keenan Jackson for a 19-yard touchdown, pushing NC State ahead 10-0. Louisville answered on its next drive, but Vinesett kept the Wolfpack in front with another field goal before halftime, making it 13-7.
NC State came out firing to start the third quarter. Bailey launched a 34-yard strike down the middle to senior wide receiver Tyran Warren, stretching the lead to 20-7.
Warren celebrated after the score, and Louisville made sure the moment wasn’t forgotten. The Cardinals responded on their first drive of the half, as Lincoln Kienholz connected with Tre Richardson on a 38-yard touchdown to cut it to 20-14.
The Pack’s defense kept forcing the issue, though. Sophomore outside linebacker Ke’Von Carter sacked Kienholz and jarred the ball loose, and Aguirre was there again for his second fumble recovery of the game.
“Everybody’s out there straining,” senior outside linebacker Harvey Dyson III said. “Every play, that’s all I can ask for.
We just got a bunch of guys that want to play hard and want to make plays, and it’s easy to cause a fumble, and nobody else jumps on it, but we got guys that’s around the football, and straining, and that’s what it’s all about. I’m proud of how we played on defense today.”
NC State then cashed in. Bailey found junior wide receiver Joshisa “Jojo” Trader for 13 yards to the Louisville 3, and sophomore quarterback Will Wilson punched in a one-yard touchdown run. Bailey followed with a two-yard pass to junior running back Davion Gause on the two-point conversion, opening the margin to 28-14.
Louisville wasn’t done. Keyjuan Brown scored on a one-yard run with 20 seconds left in the third quarter to trim the gap to 28-21, and the fourth quarter quickly turned into a grinder.
Early in the period, NC State had a chance to create some breathing room at the Louisville 8, but Bailey threw an interception in the end zone to Kaleb Beasley, resulting in a touchback. The Cardinals seized on the mistake. Isaac Brown ripped off a 70-yard touchdown run to tie the game at 28.
Louisville had another shot after Keyjuan Brown broke free for a 44-yard gain to the NC State 18, but Dyson chased him down and forced another fumble. Aguirre recovered it, his third of the game, which marked the most fumble recoveries by a player since 2019.
“I thought Harvey Dyson’s play, the pursuit, the force fumble, one of the best plays I’ve seen as a coach in my career.” head coach Dave Doeren said.
That stop set up the finish. Vinesett knocked through a 28-yard field goal to put NC State back on top 31-28, and when Louisville got one last chance, Dyson ended that too. He sacked Kienholz on third down for an 11-yard loss, forcing a punt and clearing the way for Bailey to kneel out the clock.
Bailey took two knees to finish it, then held onto the game ball afterward and made clear what the win meant to him.
“This is the game ball, I’m carrying this one with me,” Bailey said. “I never took a game ball, but this is gonna be the first one I’ll take.
And the reason is because a lot of people don’t believe in us. And this was to show this bar right here, to show that we’re that team.
We are a group of guys that if we put our minds to it, we can do it.”
In Other News...
Dave Doeren Loved How NC State Answered In Winning Time
Dave Doeren came away impressed with the way NC State handled the most important stretch of its 31-28 win over Louisville, pointing first to the teams focus and effort when the game tightened. After meeting with the media, the Wolfpack coach singled out CJ Bailey, Harvey Dyson III and the offensive line as central to the outcome, while also making sure to credit the home crowd for the energy it brought throughout the game.
Even with the victory in hand, Doeren did not sound ready to let the Wolfpack settle in too comfortably. He acknowledged there are still areas on defense that need to improve, a reminder that winning close games can expose as much as it rewards. For NC State, the challenge now is carrying over the poise it showed in winning time while cleaning up the details that nearly turned a good night into a tense one. [Read more 🡒]
NC State May Be Underselling Its Most Efficient Red Zone Weapon
Will Wilson has already carved out a very specific role for NC State, and it has been a productive one. The backup quarterback has turned limited offensive snaps into six rushing touchdowns, tying him for the ACC lead, while averaging around five yards per carry in short-yardage situations that have become his calling card.
NC State has clearly found a dependable red zone piece in Wilson, but the bigger question is whether the Wolfpack are using him to his full value. His effectiveness in tight spaces suggests there may be more room to expand how he is deployed, and for an offense that could use every edge near the goal line, that feels like a storyline worth watching. [Read more 🡒]
Harvey Dyson May Have Just Saved NC States Season
NC States season has had a familiar feel at times lately, with strong starts giving way to uneasy finishes, and Saturdays game against Louisville looked headed in that same direction after the Wolfpack faded after a sharp first half. But the defense found a defining moment when Harvey Dyson forced a fumble that NC State recovered, setting up the go-ahead field goal in a 31-28 win.
Dave Doeren made sure to single out Dyson after the game, praising the play in his postgame press conference, and it was easy to see why. In a stretch where NC State needed something to steady it, Dyson delivered the kind of snap that can change more than one result, giving the Wolfpack a win that could loom large as the season goes on. [Read more 🡒]