NC State’s trip to Wake Forest brings a defense that will have its hands full with a handful of Demon Deacons who are rolling right now.
At the center of it all is senior quarterback Gio Lopez, who looks like a perfect fit in Winston-Salem after stops at South Alabama and North Carolina. He torched Stanford in Wake Forest’s 57-3 win last week, finishing 20-of-27 for 265 yards and two touchdowns while adding 12 carries for 88 yards and three more scores.
Against NC State last fall, Lopez was 11-of-16 for 118 yards and a touchdown. This season, he’s up to 98 completions on 151 attempts for 1,377 yards, 10 touchdowns and just one interception, plus 192 rushing yards and five scores.
His 275.4 passing yards per game rank fifth in the ACC.
Senior wideout Carlos Hernandez has become another major problem for defenses. He came over with head coach Jake Dickert from Washington State ahead of the 2025 season and has already pushed well beyond what he did a year ago, when he finished with a little more than 600 yards and three touchdowns.
Through five games, Hernandez has 37 catches for 607 yards and three touchdowns. In ACC receiving yards, he’s one yard behind Malachi Toney and sits sixth nationally.
Wake Forest also has impact players on the defensive side, starting with linebacker Hunter Firenze. After piling up 85 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, a sack, seven pass breakups and three interceptions at Dayton last season, Firenze transferred in January and has adjusted quickly to the step up in competition.
He leads the team with 38 tackles, good for seventh in the ACC, along with four tackles for loss and a sack. The first-team All-PFL All-Conference selection in 2025 was especially active against Stanford, finishing with eight tackles, two tackles for loss and a sack.
Fifth-year defensive end Langston Hardy remains one of the ACC’s most disruptive linemen. The former UConn transfer put together a breakout 2025 season with 67 tackles, an ACC-best 17 tackles for loss, seven sacks and a fumble recovery, earning honorable mention All-ACC recognition.
He also had a strong showing against NC State in last season’s meeting, posting a career-high three tackles for loss. This fall, Hardy has kept it going with 25 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, which ranks third in the ACC, and three sacks.
Senior safety Davaughn Patterson rounds out the list as another proven piece for Wake Forest. He was an honorable-mention all-conference pick last season after recording 80 tackles, four tackles for loss, a team-high nine pass breakups and a forced fumble. This year, Patterson has 36 tackles, second on the team, and he matched a season high with 10 tackles for the second time last weekend against Stanford.
In Other News...
Harvey Dyson Is Becoming A Defensive Spark NC State Fans Needed
Harvey Dysons arrival has given NC States defense a jolt at a time when it could use one. The former Tulane transfer made his presence felt in a recent game against Louisville, finishing with three tackles, a sack, 1.5 tackles for loss and the kind of forceful play that can swing momentum in a hurry. It was the sort of outing that stood out not just on the stat sheet, but in the eyes of head coach Dave Doeren and captain Popo Aguirre, who both pointed to Dysons impact and leadership.
Through five games, Dyson has already become one of the more noticeable additions to the Wolfpack front. For a defense looking for reliable energy and timely disruption, he has offered both, and then some. The bigger question now is how far his role can grow as NC State moves deeper into the season, especially with his knack for showing up in the middle of game-changing moments. [Read more 🡒]
NC State Has A Defensive Problem Wake Forest Could Expose
NC State got the result it needed against Louisville, finally picking up its first ACC win of the season, but the film left a lot to sort through. The Wolfpack survived a 31-28 finish in part because they forced three turnovers, yet the defense also missed 23 tackles, the most in a game this season, and Louisville made them pay on the ground with 231 rushing yards on just 25 carries.
That kind of breakdown is hard to ignore with Wake Forest next on the schedule. The Deacons will look at the same tape and see opportunities, especially if NC States tackling remains uneven at the second level and in space, where Louisville repeatedly found extra yardage from Isaac Brown and Keyjuan Brown. The win bought the Wolfpack some breathing room, but it did not erase a defensive issue that could become much more dangerous if it lingers another week. [Read more 🡒]
NC State Faces A Real Test Against Wake Forest's Hottest Threat
Wake Forest heads into its rivalry matchup with NC State riding a stretch that has put quarterback Gio Lopez squarely in the spotlight. He was a key factor in the Demon Deacons recent success, including a strong outing against Stanford, and his play has helped give Wake Forest a steadier offensive identity as it works through the ups and downs that usually define this stage of the season.
For the Wolfpack, that makes this game a meaningful early measuring stick. Both programs have shown strengths and weaknesses, and coaches on each side have already pointed to the competitiveness of the matchup as the central theme. With Lopez playing at a high level and NC State trying to sort out its own answers, this rivalry has the feel of a game where every possession could matter. [Read more 🡒]