NC State probably expected Richmond to be the soft landing spot after that rough 168-yard showing at Virginia. A chance to clean things up, find some rhythm and put the opener behind it. But that plan just got a lot less comfortable.
Richmond is no longer looking like a routine FCS tune-up. After opening the season with a 35-14 win over Bucknell, the Spiders moved into the AFCA FCS Coaches Poll at No.
- And they earned it the hard way.
Richmond rolled up 393 total yards, held Bucknell to 187, jumped out to a 28-0 halftime lead, limited the Bison to 32 rushing yards and piled up four sacks.
That’s not a team stumbling into Raleigh quietly. That’s a team arriving with confidence and a ranking.
The Spiders still have one more game before they visit NC State, too. Richmond plays Howard on September 5th, and if it handles that one the way it handled Bucknell, the Wolfpack won’t just be facing an FCS opponent. They’ll be facing a ranked FCS opponent with momentum, while NC State is still trying to make sense of what happened at Virginia.
That’s why this matchup matters more now than it did a week ago. It still has to be the Wolfpack’s get-right game.
NC State needs a strong response before turning to another tough test at Vanderbilt. The Wolfpack should be a clear favorite, but after one of the worst offensive outings in recent memory, they can’t afford to treat this like a formality.
The running game has to be the starting point. Saturday made that plain. NC State has to take pressure off CJ Bailey, and that means the offensive line needs to create space, Duke Scott needs to find room, and the entire offense has to look nothing like the group that was exposed at Virginia.
Richmond’s run defense gives this a real edge. Bucknell managed only 32 rushing yards against the Spiders, so if NC State can’t run the ball against an FCS defense that just shut down a ground game, that’s a major red flag. If the Pack can control the line of scrimmage and pound the ball, that’s the kind of answer Wolfpack Nation is waiting for.
There’s still danger on the other side, too. Richmond quarterback Ashten Snelsire threw three touchdown passes against Bucknell, and freshman wideout Bryce Allen caught two of them in his debut. The Spiders’ front also showed up with four sacks.
So the questions are simple for NC State: can the line protect Bailey, can the offense establish the run and can the defense keep Richmond from hanging around?
That’s what makes this game feel different now. It started as the matchup plenty of fans were ready to overlook.
Now it’s under the microscope. NC State still needs to win it, but it needs to win it convincingly.
If the Wolfpack can’t do that before heading to Nashville to face Vandy, the situation gets a lot more uneasy in a hurry.
In Other News...
NC State Just Hit A Recruiting Setback It Cant Ignore
NC States 2027 recruiting board took a hit when Jaydn Jenkins, a four-star center, moved on from the Wolfpack as he trimmed his list to Michigan State, Xavier, Ohio State and Georgetown. Jenkins had been one of the more important names tied to NC States early work in the class, so his decision to leave the Wolfpack off the final group changes the picture around a key frontcourt target.
The timing makes it sting a little more because Jenkins has already been on campus at Xavier and is lining up visits to the other schools still in the mix. NC State, meanwhile, has one commit in the 2027 class and is still working other options such as Ian Condon and Mekhi Allen, which means the staff has room to keep building, but also another position group to address after losing ground with Jenkins. [Read more 🡒]
NC States Opener Exposed One Troubling Split On Offense
NC States season opener offered an early look at where the offense looked steady and where it still needs work, and the PFF grades told a pretty clear story. Will Wilson earned the top overall mark even with limited snaps, which at least gives the Wolfpack something encouraging to build around, while the offensive line held up well in pass protection and gave the quarterback a cleaner night than the run game got.
The more troubling part was the split elsewhere on the field. The receivers and tight ends did not grade out nearly as well, and the tight end group in particular showed a sharp drop from last seasons level. For an offense that wants balance, that kind of divide matters, because the protection looked usable but the supporting cast in the passing game did not consistently match it. [Read more 🡒]
NC States Virginia Loss Revealed Which Newcomers Could Actually Matter
NC States loss at Virginia still offered a useful early look at some newcomers who may end up meaning something down the line. Jackson Waller handled the punting duties and showed enough leg strength to change field position, while Victor Snow and King Mack were involved on the back end and in the passing game, giving the staff a first chance to see how those pieces fit when the pace gets real.
The defensive side of the debut list was just as encouraging for a team trying to sort out its depth. Mack, Dyson III and Aguirre all showed up in the tackle column, and Aguirre left with a strong impression after speaking afterward about his trust in the coaching staff despite the outcome. For a Wolfpack team looking for answers beyond the headline result, the trip to Charlottesville at least revealed a few players who might deserve a longer look. [Read more 🡒]