3 Most Important Plays in NC State's Week 3 Win

RALEIGH, N.C. -- The Wolfpack put together another impressive second half in the Week Three win over Wake Forest. Throughout the 34-24 win, NC State's offense and defense showed their ceilings and floors.

Winning in Winston-Salem hasn't been easy for the Wolfpack over the last 25 years. Before Thursday's win, NC State had won just three games at Allegacy Stadium since 2000. Now, the Wolfpack has won the last two matchups against the Demon Deacons on their home turf.

There were three critical plays in the game that influenced both the result and NC State's next game against Duke. What were they?

Touchdown through the Smoke

Before the 2025 season, the expectation around Raleigh was that tight end Justin Joly would break out in a big way as sophomore quarterback CJ Bailey's top target. The first two weeks were slower for Joly, but he showed improved blocking ability and caught some key passes. He just couldn't get a touchdown.

The #Vikings have solid representation at tonight’s NC State-Wake Forest game. NC State TE Justin Joly among the intriguing prospects. Vikings have ass’t director of personnel Chisom Opara there + scouts Sean Gustus and Steve Sabo. pic.twitter.com/OaMlJtRcBD
— Darren Wolfson (@DWolfsonKSTP) September 12, 2025

Trailing 14-0 in the first quarter, Bailey marched the Wolfpack down the field. The air was filled with smoke after a food truck outside the stadium caught fire. On a fourth-and-1 inside the Wake Forest five-yard line, offensive coordinator Kurt Roper called a play-action pass play for Bailey. Joly snuck by the blitzing Demon Deacon defenders and found himself wide open for his first touchdown of the season.

The touchdown both eased nerves for the Wolfpack early in the game and provided Joly with a nice confidence boost, even though he claimed touchdowns aren't that important to him after the game.

Big Man Touchdown

While Joly's touchdown certainly helped swing the momentum back toward NC State, a defensive play put the Wolfpack right back in the mix. Wake Forest quarterback Robby Ashford dropped back looking for a receiver over the middle.

Veteran defensive tackle Isaiah Shirley looked up after getting caught behind his own teammate and the ball landed right in his hands. The former tight end took off for a 41-yard touchdown return after the interception.

The pick six helped the Wolfpack tie the game up in the first quarter. Even though NC State fell behind by 10 at the half, it still felt like the team gained significant momentum in large part due to Shirley's massive play.

BIG MAN PICK 6️⃣

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
— ACC Football (@ACCFootball) September 12, 2025

"I guess I’d say it’s always good when you can make a momentum shift. I feel like that play did that, and I’m thankful for the guys supporting me through practice and helping that play come to life," Shirley said after the game.

A Harsh Reality

Already up 10, the Wolfpack looked to close the game out with a fourth-down stop deep in Wake Forest territory in the fourth quarter. First-year defensive coordinator DJ Eliot dialed up the pressure and sent five at Ashford. JACK linebacker Cian Slone made the initial play on the Demon Deacon quarterback, but defensive end Sabastian Harsh came in to clean things up for a sack.

#NCState DE #54 Sabastian Harsh was ejected for targeting for this hit on Ashford pic.twitter.com/KJVzWdtY2u
— Im not a fan of your favorite team (@fsh733) September 12, 2025

The officials ended up reviewing the play and decided Harsh led with the crown of his helmet on the hit against Ashford. Because of the ruling and when it occurred, Harsh was ejected and will miss the first half of next week's game against Duke. Without its top pass rusher for a half, the Wolfpack could have problems against the Blue Devils early in the game in Durham.

"I was really disappointed in the targeting call. I'm going to tell you, I thought that that was not a good call," Doeren said. "... I thought that was about as clean as you could do, what he did, when the guy was running the football. Now, we lose Sabastian (Harsh) for the first half the next game. I’ve got to stick up for my guys; that doesn't make sense to me."

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