When the Lights Go On, NC State's Hollywood Smothers Delivers
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Bright lights shine down on Carter-Finley Stadium. Lights on? Ready, action! Cameras are rolling, fans cheering. It’s time for Hollywood. Not Hollywood, where the lights are brightest and cameras roll. But redshirt sophomore running back Hollywood Smothers made sure the camera stayed on him every time he had the ball in his hands.
Establishing a physical mindset
With new offensive coordinator Kurt Roper calling the shots, it was clear from the jump that running the ball would be important to the Wolfpack offense. Handing the ball off to Smothers worked months ago when ECU and NC State met; in that outing, Smothers ran the ball 15 times for 139 yards.
On Thursday night, Roper followed the same mental routine. Let Smothers shine when the cameras are on. He carried the rock 22 times for 76 yards and one touchdown. The numbers may not be as efficient as they were this past December. But the electric running style was still evident.
According to Pro Football Focus, Smothers forced seven missed tackles. The seven missed tackles tied for first among backs who played on Thursday night in the country. Among the backs who forced seven missed tackles, Smothers was last in terms of yardage.
This feeling >>#1Pack1Goal pic.twitter.com/3eWMf1Xk41
— NC State Football (@PackFootball) August 29, 2025
Running lanes were hard to come by for the entirety of the NC State offense. In Smothers' carries, he only averaged 3.5, but the team as a whole averaged 2.9 on 36 total attempts.
Fast start, tight running lanes
NC State played a sound offensive half. The team’s offense was humming early, putting up a quick 17-0 lead in the second quarter. Smothers wasn’t much of a factor on the three scoring drives, but he had an explosive 19-yard run that went back due to an offensive holding on receiver Noah Rogers.
Outside of it, Smothers did his best to make explosives happen. He carried the ball 15 times for just 50 yards.
The team averaged 5.9 yards a carry after the first offensive drive, but after that, the Pirates made adjustments, and lanes were hard to come by all night long. Penetration up the field was a constant from ECU’s defensive line; there wasn’t much push from the Wolfpack's offensive line, causing Smothers to have to work for his yardage.
66 of his 76 yards came after contact. Only six of his first-half runs went for over five yards.
How halftime adjustments fared
The Wolfpack made a change in the middle of the third quarter, by benching redshirt sophomore Kamen Smith, and opting for true freshman Spike Sowells Jr. Smothers felt the impact as he ran behind Sowells, for his two-yard touchdown score to put the Wolfpack up 24-7.
.@PackFootball’s Hollywood Smothers made his mark running and receiving — 106 all-purpose yards and a touchdown in the Pack’s win over ECU. 🐺@DrPepper pic.twitter.com/jli21Bfvkm
— ACC Digital Network (@theACCDN) August 29, 2025
Outside of it, there wasn’t much success for Smothers. He did have a 10 and 12-yard carry, but outside of that, it was a limited second half. The passing game for NC State started to click, putting Smothers on hold.
He only totaled 26 yards for the entirety of the second half.
Overall Outlook
It was a promising first game for Smothers. He showcased his ability to make tacklers miss and was able to create lanes for himself by bouncing runs towards the outside.
For the overall run game of the Wolfpack, the outing could cause concern. The amount of penetration the Pirates were able to create raises questions about how the Wolfpack's run game will be able to operate against the tougher competition they're slated to face.
NCSU 24, ECU 7 | 3:43 | Q3
— NC State Football (@PackFootball) August 29, 2025
Drive Summary ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/007NIjuXxB
Roper made it clear in game one that Smothers is the feature back, and going deeper into this season, Smothers will only get better. So when the lights go on and the TV cameras start rolling, Wolfpack fans know who will take center stage.
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Daniel Rios graduated from the esteemed Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University. His deep passion for sports has taken him to positions at ESPN and Cronkite News. Currently, he serves as the Assistant Beat Writer for the North Carolina State Wolfpack On SI.
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