NC State Looks To Take Major Step Forward vs Wake Forest

NC State can make a statement with a win against Wake Forest on Saturday, but it’ll take more than a miraculous play to pull this off.

Sep 26, 2026; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; NC State Wolfpack defensive back Tristan Teasdell (3), linebacker Popo Aguirre (0), linebacker Harvey Dyson III (5) and safety King Mack (4) celebrate during the first half of the game against App State Mountaineers at Carter-Finley Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Wolfpack’s season hung in the balance prior to their dramatic 31-28 victory over Louisville last weekend. 

When it appeared NC State was headed for another fourth-quarter collapse, Harvey Dyson’s well-timed hustle play to strip the ball from the Cardinals’ running back likely preserved the victory for the Wolfpack.

 “[Dyson] played like a guy that just won’t let the team lose,” NC State Head Coach Dave Doeren said. “You run a kid down like that as a defensive edge player and rip the football out; I mean, what an unbelievable play by Harvey Dyson.”

The Best Wake Team Yet 

It was a game State desperately needed to win to keep its hope alive.

But now, a win against Wake Forest would set the direction for the rest of NC State’s season. 

The Deacs are a formidable opponent. They are 4-1 and ride into Raleigh on a 2-game conference win streak.

Wake has a quarterback who performs at a high level, with an attacking defense that only allowed 3 points last week.  

“They're an experienced, talented group, and they're healthy,” Doeren said. “We've had a lot of tight games with Wake in my tenure here; 13 of the 14 were one-possession games. And this might be the best Wake team we've played.” 

The Deacons' dual-threat quarterback, Gio Lopez, is a player Doeren’s defense needs to really gameplan for. He transferred in from UNC and has already thrown for 1,377 yards, 10 touchdowns, and only 1 interception. 

Lopez has also gained 192 rushing yards with 5 touchdowns. Lopez accounted for five touchdowns against Stanford last week. 

“He's a gifted runner,” Doeren said. “He's strong, really strong lower body. And playing at a high level as a passer, a scrambler, and as a runner. He's their third leading rusher.” 

Oct 3, 2026; Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA; Wake Forest Demon Deacons quarterback Gio Lopez (3) looks for a receiver during the first half against the Stanford Cardinal at Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Cleaning Up The Tackling 

The Wolfpack has to clean up the tackling issues that plagued this team against Louisville if they expect to win this weekend. 

“Obviously missed way too many tackles, and those led to a lot of explosive plays that let Louisville get back in the football game and tie us up,” Doeren said. “A lot of that's fundamental; some of it's the talent that they have, some of it's the fundamentals that we didn't play with.”

“In that game, we missed 23 tackles, and that's more than we've missed in four games combined,” Doeren said. “I don't know what led to it because we had a really good week of practice, but we'll get that fixed.

NC State also missed out on capitalizing on some big plays that would’ve held Louisville back further, including at least one dropped interception..

CJ Bailey’s (QB) offense has masked some of the defense's deficiencies by finding creative ways to score when needed, but State can’t expect the offense to keep bailing them out of trouble.

However, Coach Doeren believes his team will be up to the challenge this week.  

“I know it's going to be a great challenge. I know our players look forward to the opportunity to improve. And we have done that,” Doeren said. “We've gotten better each game this season. And we need to do that again.”