Bailey, Wolfpack Offense Must Watch Out for These Tar Heels

RALEIGH — The North Carolina - NC State rivalry game will take center stage Saturday, as the Tar Heels are set to face off against the Wolfpack in Carter-Finley Stadium on a brisk fall night. The Wolfpack is looking for a fifth straight win over the Tar Heels, a victory that would give head coach Dave Doeren nine in the series and a first over NFL legend Bill Belichick.

Both teams have experienced highs and lows on both sides of the field all year long. The Wolfpack's offense scored 48 points on a ranked Georgia Tech team before scoring just seven in Hard Rock Stadium against the Miami Hurricanes just two weeks later. Belichick's group won two games in a row twice, looking like an improved team, but immediately faltered in the weeks after.

NC State's offense has gone through a Jekyll & Hyde-type season, looking unstoppable at home and very vulnerable on the road. Luckily for that group, the regular season finale against the rival school comes under the lights at the Carter, a building the Wolfpack lost just one game in during the rest of the year.

Even so, Belichick has his Tar Heel defense looking like a massively improved group over the last four weeks of the season. Which defenders will quarterback CJ Bailey and the Wolfpack offense need to look out for?

Tar Heel defenders to watch

Defensive end Melkart Abou-Jaoude

The junior defensive end has been a menace for the Tar Heel defense throughout most of the 2025 season. In the three week stretch in which North Carolina played Virginia, Syracuse and Stanford, Abou-Jaoude racked up nine sacks, three in each game.

The edge rusher has racked up 41 total tackles, 22 of which have been solo tackles, in the Tar Heels' 11 games. Forcing him into coverage could be a solution for the Wolfpack, as he has not been strong in that area. His position and job mirrors the role of Cian Slone for NC State.

Safety Greg Smith

Smith has been the steadiest member of North Carolina's secondary. While he has just 22 tackles, the freshman has steadily worked his way into the defensive rotation after performing well against Syracuse and Virginia.

He has proven to be a ball hawk already as well, coming up with an interception in North Carolina's win over the Charlotte 49ers. He's worked as a box safety and drop-back safety, often rotating in and out in key moments for the Tar Heels.

Defensive end Tyler Thompson

Thompson has been the other stalwart of North Carolina's defensive line opposite Abou-Jaoude. The sophomore racked up seven sacks in the first 11 games, working as a hybrid linebacker and edge rusher.

The sophomore is the highest-graded defender for the Tar Heels according to Pro Football Focus, grading out with an 82.9 overall defensive score. His 20 total pressures rank fourth on the North Carolina roster. NC State's offensive line should be as close to full-strength as it's been in a few weeks, so the competition for Thompson and Abou-Jaoude will be stiff.

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