Critical Observations From NC State's Week 3 Win
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WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- North Carolina State head coach Dave Doeren walked into a small room in the bowels of Allegacy Stadium just minutes after his Wolfpack team took down the Wake Forest Demon Deacons 34-24 to move to 3-0 on the season.
The coach answered several questions until he was asked how satisfying it was to walk off the field in Winston-Salem as a winner. After 13 years of playing against Wake Forest in a bitter in-state rivalry, the coach grinned before he answered the question.
"Look, man, I love winning," Doeren said. "To quote Bull Durham, 'It's like better than losing.' It's a great feeling. It's what we do this for."
The Wolfpack's first road win answered a lot of questions about the team's identity and ability. It also left Doeren with some frustrations and questions moving forward, despite his happiness about the win.
Losing a Key Piece
NC State's defense shut out Wake Forest throughout the second half of the game. Demon Deacon quarterback Robby Ashford struggled mightily throughout the later portions of the half. Trailing by 10 with just over five minutes to play, Wake Forest head coach Jake Dickert sent his offense on the field for a fourth down deep in his own territory. Wolfpack defensive end Sabastian Harsh combined with linebacker Cian Slone for a sack to ice the game... Until the officials ejected Harsh for targeting.
NC State vs Wake Forest
— CFB Depth - RCoacher (@CoacherRyan) September 12, 2025
WOW! 4th and 8. Cian Slone and Sabastian Harsh get to Robby Ashford for a sack.
But they call Harsh for targeting and kick him out of the game. Wake still has life. #1Pack1Goal | #GoDeacs pic.twitter.com/olQbgKggMe
Because he used the crown of his helmet to hit Ashford, Harsh will now miss the first half of the next game, another road trip, this time to Durham to face the Duke Blue Devils. Doeren took the opportunity to express his disappointment in the decision following the game.
“I was really disappointed in the targeting call,” Doeren said. “I thought that was not a good call. Last year, we lost Grayson McCall to a play that wasn’t targeting, but that was today? I’d love an explanation on that.”
Harsh had been a massive contributor through the first two weeks of the season alongside his running mate, Slone. His loss will be felt, even if just for a half, against a much stronger opponent in Duke.
State's Superstars
Part of Doeren's delight likely came from another impressive performance by sophomore quarterback CJ Bailey and sophomore running back Hollywood Smothers. The signal caller continued to show his growth and helped his team get back into the game with some critical throws on key drives. He tossed three touchdown passes and finished with 201 yards.
Smothers continued to dominate on the ground for the Wolfpack. He carried the ball 24 times and rushed for 164 yards in the game, a new career high. His ability to break tackles and explode into open space takes the NC State offense to another level.
"I congratulated on him on his career best day rushing and he said 'I don't care about that. We won.' That's what he said," Doeren said postgame. "To have a guy like who's about the team, again, it's refreshing."
Pitching a Shutout
The trend with first-year defensive coordinator DJ Eliot and his first Wolfpack group is second-half adjustments. After Wake Forest jumped out to a 14-0 lead, the defense did some soul searching for the second week in a row.
The goal going into the game focused on stopping dynamic Wake Forest running back Demond Claiborne. Eliot and his defense neutralized Claiborne almost entirely, holding him to just 35 yards and a touchdown in the game. Trailing 24-14, the defense forced five straight three-and-outs from the later stages of the second quarter to the early stages of the fourth.
BIG MAN PICK 6️⃣
— ACC Football (@ACCFootball) September 12, 2025
Isaiah Shirley picks off Robby Ashford and sprints 41 yards into the end zone to tie it up!
📺 @espn x @packfootball pic.twitter.com/6I7GvEechS
The Demon Deacons didn't score in the second half, just a week after Virginia scored just one touchdown in the second half. Wake Forest gained just 13 yards in the third quarter. The defense also won the turnover battle for Doeren, intercepting Ashford twice, including defensive tackle Isaiah Shirley's 41-yard pick-six in the first half. If Eliot's defense can clean up some of the penalties and explosive plays allowed, the improvement will only continue.
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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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