Most Surprising Parts of the Season for NC State in 2025
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RALEIGH — With NC State's season over after a win over Memphis in the Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl, the time to reflect on the year has arrived before the Wolfpack embarks on a battle within the transfer portal and in retaining key members of its own roster.
There were many memorable moments from the 2025 season, ranging from exciting plays to shocking results coming out of bye weeks. The Wolfpack overcame extreme adversity on and off the field and ended up finishing the year with a strong November push, something head coach Dave Doeren's teams have done well during his 13-year tenure. What were the most surprising moments?
Joly and Co. take the field in Tampa
With programs all around the country choosing to opt out of bowl season entirely or having key players sit out, there were some questions about several major contributors for the Wolfpack potentially choosing to skip the team's bid to the Gasparilla Bowl. Doeren's programmatic philosophy doesn't fit with opting out and he made his appeal in the weeks before the game known to the media.
"You come here to play football, and I've always looked at bowl games as a reward that you earn," Doeren said. "It's a life experience for these guys, you know, getting to go somewhere and have the Bowl experience... togetherness, team camaraderie, all of that."
While star running back Hollywood Smothers announced his intention to enter the transfer portal just before the bowl game, other players like Justin Joly, Jacarrius Peak and Brandon Cleveland all decided to participate in the event, helping the Wolfpack beat the Tigers 31-7 and hoist a bowl trophy for the first time since 2017.
Knocking off College Football Playoff contenders
By the end of the season, NC State proved to have one of the most surprising records in the country, given the schedule it faced throughout the year. According to ESPN's David Hale, NC State joined a group of nine other teams in the last 10 years to win eight or more games when facing nine or more teams that also won eight-plus games. Within that group, five teams made the National Championship.
The Wolfpack knocked off two teams that appeared to be favorites coming out of the ACC for the College Football Playoff at different points of the season. For several weeks, the Wolfpack had the nation's only win over the Virginia Cavaliers and ended Georgia Tech's undefeated start when the Yellow Jackets reached No. 8 in the latest AP rankings.
A major defensive turnaround
Between the season-opening 24-17 win over East Carolina and the penultimate regular season matchup against the Florida State Seminoles, the Wolfpack defense failed to allow fewer than 23 points against an FBS opponent, even giving up lopsided numbers in losses like 41, 45 and 53.
In the final three wins, NC State allowed just 11 points to the Seminoles, 19 points to North Carolina, most of which came near the end without consequence, and seven points to Memphis. The defensive turnaround was remarkable to say the least.
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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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