Wake Forest is headed into a tricky road test this weekend, and NC State has already shown enough volatility this season to keep the matchup interesting. The Wolfpack have moved from early-season frustration to a more dangerous version of themselves, and the biggest reason is simple: the offense has found its footing.
CJ Bailey has been at the center of that turnaround. A rough moment against Vanderbilt did not linger, because Bailey has kept his poise and played with a calm that stands out.
Even with pressure closing in, he rarely looks sped up. Last week’s conditions did not make life easy, but he still delivered a career-high 373 passing yards and two touchdowns.
Against Louisville, he kept drives alive and repeatedly put NC State in position to score. Heading into Saturday, the Wolfpack are expected to lean on their two-time captain to steer the offense again.
Bailey is not the only threat Wake Forest has to account for. Will Wilson has carved out a clear role, especially in third-down and red-zone situations.
He has also been productive on the ground, ranking third on the team with 166 rushing yards while leading the Wolfpack with six touchdowns. That kind of production gives NC State another way to stress a defense when the field gets tight.
Defensively, the Wolfpack are built around a four-man front designed to pressure the quarterback and create disruption behind the line. Harvey Dyson III has emerged as a player worth watching in that structure.
His performance against Louisville included three tackles, a sack, 1.5 tackles for loss, and what was described as one of the most impressive forced fumbles ever recorded on film. That strip came at a huge moment and kept Louisville from grabbing the lead.
The bigger picture for NC State is a team that has come a long way since the first two games. The opener against Virginia was a slog, with the offense managing only 168 total yards.
Vanderbilt was another missed opportunity, especially with CJ Bailey’s untimely fumble. But since then, the Wolfpack have averaged 533 yards of total offense, and the rushing attack has become a major strength.
If NC State wants to keep that progress rolling against Wake Forest, the biggest key is cleaning up the tackling. The Wolfpack missed 23 tackles against Louisville, and those mistakes opened the door to explosive plays. Wake Forest has its own playmakers, including quarterback Gio Lopez, and NC State cannot afford to give him extra room to operate if it wants to leave Saturday with a win.
In Other News...
Wake Forest Just Sent A Strong Message Before NC State
Wake Forests latest surge showed up where it mattered most, in the weekly ACC Football Power Rankings, after the Demon Deacons rolled past Stanford and stayed put at No. 2. The rankings are compiled each week by an editorial staff voting on recent performance, and the Deacs made a clear impression with one of the conferences most lopsided wins of the season.
Miami remains the unanimous No. 1, but Wake Forest has firmly separated itself from the rest of the league for now. With NC State next on the schedule, the Deacons have a chance to turn that strong showing into something even more meaningful, and their place near the top of the ACC gives that matchup a little extra edge. [Read more 🡒]
NC State Faces A Pressure Test After Its Early Season Collapse
Wake Forests next ACC test comes with a familiar kind of intrigue, the sort that tends to follow NC State when expectations have already started to wobble. The matchup has plenty of attention around it because the Wolfpack are trying to steady themselves after an uneven opening stretch, and this one arrives as part of a wider weekend slate built around bold predictions and possible surprises across the country.
For Wake Forest, it is the kind of game that can reveal a lot about where the Deacons really stand in the league pecking order. NC State brings the pressure of needing a response, while Wake Forest gets a chance to poke at that urgency and make the contest uncomfortable. The preview leaves the result hanging, but the setup suggests this is exactly the kind of meeting where one teams early-season problems could become the others opportunity. [Read more 🡒]