NC State Gets Roasted on Social Media Following Loss at Virginia

Things went about as badly as they could for NC State in the opener, and fans were beyond frustrated.

Aug 29, 2026; Charlottesville, Virginia, USA; North Carolina State Wolfpack head coach Dave Doeren before the game against the Virginia Cavaliers at Scott Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Things started slowly for NC State in its 2026 opener at Virginia on Saturday and didn't get a whole lot better as the game went on.

Perhaps the highlight of the day was the slightly different helmets that NC State showed off.

After falling behind 17-0 by halftime and seeing that stretch to 24-0, NC State finally dented the scoreboard midway through the third quarter before ultimately falling, 34-8.

NC State's Schedule Suddenly Looks More Difficult

NC State's easy schedule looking a lot harder right now.

— Tom Fornelli (@TomFornelli) August 29, 2026

And it has nothing to do with because of who is on it. Well, perhaps besides North Carolina, who beat TCU 15-10 on Saturday, despite entering the game as nearly a 10-point underdog.

And you thought Saturday couldn't have gone worse all around for the Wolfpack...

Transfer Portal Losses Catch Up with NC State?

So far, NC State's offense looks like a unit that

*Had to overpay to keep its QB
*Lost its top RB to Texas
*Lost its top OT to South Carolina
*Lost its top WRs to USC + Alabama
*Lost its top TE to the NFL

— Brad Crawford (@BCrawford247) August 29, 2026

It's important to keep CJ Bailey at quarterback, but when he has two first-half turnovers and not a lot going on around him, it's a lost cause. NC State has to turn things around and in a hurry; otherwise, this year is going to get away from it in a hurry.

One Family Can Save NC State Football

Save me.

Please. pic.twitter.com/9HBb3xXuVh

— Pack Racket (@PackRacket) August 29, 2026

Well we're at it, can Phillip Rivers then bring back his old quarterbacks coach at NC State, too? I mean, it's not like Curt Cignetti is busy doing anything else right now.

Defense can't get off the field. Broken record

— Locked On Wolfpack (@LO_Wolfpack) August 29, 2026

Virginia gave NC State plenty of chances to make fourth-down stops on Saturday, going for it on fourth four different times.

The problem was that Virginia was a perfect four-for-four in doing so. That was a dominant offensive line for Virginia against a defensive front from NC State that had no answers.

NC State Football: (NIL) Help Please!

Biggest school in NC and our NIL pockets are empty. Make it make sense

— The Wolf of Hillsborough Street (@Pack_fan1991) August 29, 2026

This goes back to having to invest so much at quarterback in order to keep Bailey around, when needs were evident elsewhere.

Define "Competitive"

Everyone needs to calm down now. This is as good as we can expect with the budget. We should be grateful for just putting a competitive team on the field.

— Ashmoney (@theNCSUman) August 29, 2026

It's a great thought, but NC State isn't competitive whatsoever on Saturday. It started with a couple of early turnovers, and it didn't get any better as the afternoon went on.

NC State Gets Conor McGregor Treatment

NC State “ACC Dark horse” narratives every season pic.twitter.com/OCy2YmOQxs

— MB- Stanley Cup Champs!!! (@MBernauer5) August 29, 2026

NC State as a dark horse contender might have actually lasted a shorter amount of time than Conor McGregor's latest comeback.

Nick Shepkowski's Quick Takeaway

Saturday is one of those games that changed the entire trajectory of the season for NC State. There are season-opening losses, and then there are new realities.

The way Virginia manhandled NC State all afternoon and the lack of ability to do the most basic things scream of a team that might ultimately be lucky just to get to bowl eligibility in 2026.