Instant Reactions To NC State's Season Opening Win Over ECU

RALEIGH -- Not a single college football coach in America would complain about starting the season with a win. However, NC State head coach Dave Doeren spoke about the team's performance in the opener being an indicator of the team's progress in the days before kick off.

Doeren's Wolfpack ultimately escaped ECU's furious second-half comeback with a 24-17 win in front of a sold-out Carter-Finley Stadium. There were moments of brilliance for NC State, but there were also many areas the Wolfpack needs to improve upon in the coming weeks.

Here are some instant reactions and takeaways hours after the Wolfpack snatched a victory from the jaws of defeat.

CJ Bailey's Arm Talent

The sophomore quarterback will be the key if NC State wants to take a step in 2025. His first start of the season was much like his freshman season: a rollercoaster. He showed flashes of a potentially elite dual-threat quarterback, especially early. Bailey scored the first touchdown of the season for NC State with an 11-yard designed run. He darted through traffic and worked well with his blockers before stampeding into the end zone for six.

Nice QB Counter here with the guard and back being the lead blockers. Great run here from CJ Bailey pic.twitter.com/9mZhkigzVn
— Daniel Rios (@daniel_rios72) August 28, 2025

Bailey completed 14 of his first 16 passes, including one 48-yard touchdown pass to the game's star wide receiver, Wesley Grimes. After that, he began to show some happy feet in the pocket, particularly under pressure. His vision failed him late in the first half when he fired an interception to ECU defensive back Teagan Wilk.

The arm talent is there, but Bailey will need to clean up some of the mental mistakes when he faces his pressure if he wants to take another step forward as a quarterback in his sophomore season.

Aug 28, 2025; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina State Wolfpack defensive end Sabastian Harsh (54) celebrates a sack during the first half of the game against East Carolina Pirates at Carter-Finley Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images | Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images

Front Seven Madness

First-year defensive coordinator DJ Eliot and Doeren made a conscious effort to improve the pass rush during the offseason. It seemed to pay off in a big way in the win over ECU.

Wyoming transfer Sabastian Harsh got the start at defensive end for the Wolfpack. The decision to slot him in that role paid off. While he didn't get home for a sack, Harsh besieged ECU quarterback Katin Houser all night. He finished with seven total tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss.

Hybrid linebacker and pass rusher Cian Slone, who came over from Utah State, also made a major impact defensively. He flew around the field in Eliot's multiple-scheme defense. Mixing up the fronts allowed Slone to wreak havoc from different areas all night. He finished with seven tackles as well.

Changes Need to Happen at Kicker

One of the major issues for NC State was the kicking game. Doeren made the surprising decision to start redshirt freshman kicker Nick Konieczynski over graduate senior Kanoah Vinesett.

Konieczynski nearly cost NC State the game with his two misses in the fourth quarter. He struggled mightily as a kicker in high school, but somehow emerged as the starter after a strong fall camp, according to Doeren.

Against stronger opponents, points can't be left on the board the way they were tonight. Expect Doeren and the special teams staff to explore other options at the position depending on health as the season moves along.

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