NC State vs Stanford: What To Watch For and What the Wolfpack Have To Do

NC State hopes its California dream materializes into a victory tonight against Stanford. We’ll give you three things to watch out for in its matchup against the Cardinal.

Oct 10, 2026; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; NC State Wolfpack tight end Hunter Provience (86) celebrates a touchdown with teammates during the first half of the game against Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Carter-Finley Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

With the ride the Wolfpack has been on this season, every game feels like it's a must-win for the program. 

Even with State’s two conference losses, the Wolfpack still have a chance to turn their season around. 

“Six games left, one at a time,” NC State Head Coach Dave Doeren said. “Look forward to the opportunity to finish well. That’s something that we take a lot of pride in, and look forward to the opportunity to start that this Friday.

NC State doesn’t have much of a history with Stanford. The Wolfpack has only played Stanford once before, when the Cardinal joined the ACC in the 2024 season. State won that Nov. 2nd meeting 59 to 28. 

NC State has 3 things to watch out for if it expects to come away with a victory today.

Responding After Defeat 

Several issues plagued the Wolfpack during their 38 to 14 loss to Wake Forest in Week 6. Numerous players were ruled out for that game, and the Wolfpack’s lack of execution didn’t help either. 

It will be critically important to watch how NC State responds tonight, coming out of its much-needed bye week. The Wolfpack have bounced back in the week following each of their earlier losses this season. 

We’ll have to wait and see if that trend continues tonight. 

Stopping the Run

Stanford ran the ball exceptionally well in its victory over Elon last week. As a team, the Cardinal rushed for 222 yards. 

The Wolfpack defense, led by captain Popo Aguirre, will have its work cut out for it in stopping Cardinal’s running back Micah Ford. 

Oct 17, 2026; Stanford, California, USA; Stanford Cardinal running back Micah Ford (20) runs with the ball during the second half against the Elon Phoenix at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Marshall-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Ford accumulated 179 yards on 19 carries with 4 touchdowns. His final score came on an explosive 81-yard run in the fourth quarter. His 529 total rushing yards are currently the 6th-best in the ACC. 

Ford was a big reason why Stanford won last week, and he’ll be a major part of the team’s game plan tonight. 

State’s defense has done a decent job at stopping the run overall, but there are some noticeable outliers that have tested this team: Virginia (258 yards), Louisville (231 yards), Vanderbilt (132 yards). 

Battling Through The Time Change

Coach Doeren and the Wolfpack flew to Stanford on Wednesday to help ease into the time change. With the players’ internal clocks set to the Eastern time zone, starting a game at 7:30 pm PT is late for his team. 

This week, Doeren came up with a few ways to fight against the fatigue, including having the players practice at midnight.

“The goal of this being that we understand how to play at that time of the evening,” Doeren said. “Under the lights, It’s been pretty fun being out on the field with them, but to be ready for that 1:30 am fourth quarter.” 

The Wolfpack have seen leads slip away in the fourth quarter of a few games this season, so it’ll be interesting to see if they can play at a high level in the second half so late in the evening. 

Andre Chery’s Prediction: 

NC State: 28, Stanford: 17

The Wolfpack and the Cardinal kick off tonight at 10:30 pm ET on ESPN.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER