The Tar Heels NC State's Defense Must Contain

RALEIGH — The final week of the regular season has arrived for NC State football and it is a massive game. The Wolfpack will take on its crosstown nemesis, the North Carolina Tar Heels, in Carter-Finley Stadium under the lights Saturday night.

While NC State already earned bowl eligibility, North Carolina fell to 4-7 in head coach Bill Belichick's first season at the helm with a loss to the Duke Blue Devils, missing out on a postseason bowl game. To say it's been a disappointing first season for Belichick in Chapel Hill would be an understatement.

However, NC State head coach Dave Doeren and the Wolfpack are still expecting a spirited effort in the latest chapter of one of the most storied rivalries in the ACC. The Tar Heels are trying to snap a lengthy losing streak of four games, while Doeren is looking for his ninth win over Carolina since taking over 13 seasons ago.

While North Carolina's defense has improved immensely over the middle and later part of the season, the offense has been far from elite. The group possesses some talented players that the weaker, although newly confident Wolfpack defense must be on high alert for come Saturday.

Who does NC State need to watch out for?

Quarterback Gio Lopez

Belichick and general manager Michael Lombardi reportedly paid $4 million for the services of former South Alabama quarterback Gio Lopez. He has been a massive disappointment for the Tar Heels in his first season in Chapel Hill. He enters Saturday's game with just 1,629 yards, nine passing touchdowns and five interceptions in 10 games for the Tar Heels.

Lopez can get out and run, something NC State's defense has struggled without throughout the season. He racked up 141 rushing yards and three touchdowns on the ground. The quarterback does not pose much threat as a downfield passer, so the Wolfpack will likely be on the attack with a more aggressive pass rush than usual, assuming it can stop the run.

Wide receiver Jordan Shipp

The sophomore has been the most reliable target for Lopez throughout the 2025 season. While he didn't get much action for the Tar Heels as a freshman, the Charlotte native opted to stick around for another season and has proven himself as the top dog in the Tar Heel receiver corps, despite the struggles at the quarterback position.

Shipp tallied 52 receptions for 581 yards and five touchdowns in the first 11 games of the season. He enters the matchup against the Wolfpack coming off one of his best performances of the year, as he caught a season-high eight passes for 83 yards and a touchdown. Unfortunately for Shipp, ACC Defensive Back of the Week Devon Marshall will more than likely be waiting for him.

Running back Demon June

North Carolina's leading rusher has been hot and cold through much of his freshman year. He peaked early in the season against lowly Richmond, toting the ball 14 times for 148 yards and a touchdown. However, he carried the ball just six times for nine yards against the Blue Devils in his last time out for the Tar Heels.

At 5-foot-11 and 215 pounds, June can make defenses pay with his physicality. However, NC State just did a fairly impressive job against a stable of running backs for Florida State, proving it can stand up to a physical running back when it needs to. If the Tar Heels, can't get June going early, they will likely move away from him in the playbook, which benefits the Wolfpack in a major way.

Running back Davion Gause

If June doesn't have success early, the Tar Heels won't hesitate to feed Gause consistently, depending on the flow of the game of course. He proved himself to be more effective in the loss to Duke, carrying the ball eight times for 63 yards while June watched from the sideline. Gause, in his second year with the Tar Heels, has been equally inconsistent with even fewer reps.

In the first 11 games, Gause carried the ball 60 times for 254 yards, scoring three times on the ground. The Tar Heels got him more involved in the passing game, where he caught 14 passes for 123 yards and three scores.

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