Inside the Bizarre First Quarter of NC State - Wake Forest
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WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- Thursday night college football games tend to be ... wacky. The matchup between North Carolina State and Wake Forest at Allegacy Stadium began in truly wild fashion.
The Wolfpack and the Demon Deacons combined for 28 points in just the first quarter, courtesy of a special teams touchdown, a defensive touchdown, and some notable scores from offensive stalwarts.
Chris Barnes returned it 98 yards to start the game 🔥 pic.twitter.com/hwO1LQ2reB
— ESPN (@espn) September 11, 2025
Starting with a Bang
The Wolfpack opted to defer after winning the coin toss, setting up the Wake Forest offense on the opening drive of the game. Redshirt freshman wide receiver Chris Barnes set up in the Wake Forest end zone for the kickoff and fielded the kick at the 2-yard line.
Barnes took off across the field from one side to the other until he found acres of open space. Before the Wolfpack could even react, Barnes was gone for a 98-yard kick return touchdown to put the Demon Deacons up 7-0. A week after missing numerous tackles against Virginia, the Wolfpack continued to struggle to identify the ball carrier and bring him down.
State punted it away quickly on the next drive and Barnes once again struck. The secondary lost him and quarterback Robby Ashford fired a deep ball to him for 70 yards before freshman defensive back Brody Barnhardt brought him down with a horse collar tackle. Star running back Demond Claiborne powered into the end zone for a one-yard touchdown to put Wake Forest up 14-0. Barnes finished the first quarter with 171 all-purpose yards.
CJ Bailey connects with Justin Joly for Joly’s first TD of the season!
— ACC Football (@ACCFootball) September 12, 2025
📺 @espn x @PackFootball pic.twitter.com/oFGl8bBQK9
Wolfpack Answers
Sophomore quarterback CJ Bailey and running back Hollywood Smothers marched NC State right down the field after falling behind by two touchdowns. The Wolfpack worked a 4-plus minute drive before Bailey capped things off with a 5-yard touchdown pass to tight end Justin Joly. It marked Joly's first touchdown catch of the 2025 season.
During the drive, a food truck outside the stadium caught fire. The sky inside the stadium filled with smoke as Bailey led the Wolfpack down the field.
Smoke from a food truck is impacting the NC State vs. Wake Forest game. Only college football, baby.
— Bobby Football (@Rob__Paul) September 12, 2025
Reason No. 1,000 college football is better than NFL. pic.twitter.com/phcJkGx0No
On a critical drive for the Wolfpack defense in terms of momentum, one of the team's veterans stepped up. Defensive tackle Isaiah Shirley looked to loop around on a stunt but fell slightly behind. Ashford looked to fire a pass over the middle, short, but didn't see the big defensive tackle in his way. Shirley made sure to make him pay, intercepting the pass and rumbling for a 41-yard touchdown.
Look what @isaiah_shirley found. https://t.co/PSG8myp1cU pic.twitter.com/laWNX7Zf1D
— NC State Football (@PackFootball) September 12, 2025
When the final whistle sounded for the first quarter, it was a tie game. It felt like an entire game, however.
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Tucker Sennett graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in Sports Journalism from the esteemed Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. A former basketball player, he has gained valuable experience working at Cronkite News and brings a deep passion for sports and reporting to his role as the NC State Wolfpack Beat Writer On SI.
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