Two NC State Players Drawing Extra Attention From Virginia Tech
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RALEIGH — NC State faces a very different opponent than it has so far in 2025 on Saturday. Virginia Tech is set to travel to Raleigh with an interim head coach, Philip Montgomery, three losses and potentially a limited roster depending on how many players opt out of the program in the coming days.
The Wolfpack is looking to bounce back from a disappointing trip to Durham, where they fell 45-33 to Duke after a complete collapse by the defense in the second half. Virginia Tech should offer some respite in terms of competition, but teams led by interim coaches after major changes can be dangerous.
NC State head coach Dave Doeren admitted as much Monday, as he recalled the team's loss to East Carolina in the 2024 Military Bowl when the Pirates were led by Blake Harrell, who took over during the season.
While Montgomery has been honest about the difficulties of his situation, inheriting the job from Brent Pry, he's maintained a competitive spirit and he tried to spark some fire within his team after Saturday's win over Wofford. NC State is a much stiffer challenge than Wofford and Montgomery immediately pointed attention to a pair of members of the Wolfpack that his defense needs to be ready to contain: Hollywood Smothers and CJ Bailey.
High Praise for Hollywood
NC State's star sophomore running back is coming off his third straight 100-plus yard rushing effort. The Hokies enter the matchup allowing 210.7 rushing yards per game, good for 116th in the country. Smothers averaged 6.3 yards per carry through the first four games of the season, making him a nightmare matchup for Montgomery's defense.
"If he's not the best back in the country, he's one of them and they're doing a good job of finding different ways of getting him the ball," Montgomery said. "We've got to do a good job of gang tackling, getting a lot of bodies around and keeping eyes on him and making sure that we can get him on the ground."
Daylan “Hollywood” Smothers is making NC State his stage 🎬🐺
— ACC Digital Network (@theACCDN) September 23, 2025
▪️ 503 yards (4th in FBS)
▪️ 80 carries (most in ACC)
▪️ 6.3 YPC (ACC leader)
▪️ 4 TDs (t-3rd in ACC)
A budding star is shining bright back in his home state of North Carolina 🌟@PackFootball | @PackAthletics |… pic.twitter.com/tnlN1w5qUd
Opponents are running the ball at a ridiculous rate against Virginia Tech. Through four games, opponents ran the ball 63.48% of plays against the Hokie defense and averaged 5.6 yards per rush. However, those numbers might be more indicative of a changing strategy for Montgomery and the Virginia Tech coaching staff.
"He's going to get his yards. That's going to happen. We've got to limit the explosiveness off of those and do a good job of trying to get them behind the chains and put them in adverse situations," Montgomery said.
It appears Virginia Tech will attempt a bend-don't-break strategy against Smothers and the Wolfpack offense. The sophomore running back might simply be too talented for such a strategy, as he's proven he can produce big numbers and explosive plays on poor days from his offensive line.
Containing Bailey
NC State's sophomore quarterback enters the Virginia Tech matchup after his worst performance of the 2025 season. Bailey threw three interceptions and fumbled the ball once, but still threw for over 300 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Even after the poor performance, Montgomery remained impressed by the early-season performance of the young quarterback.
"I think, has really improved. He's athletic, he's long and he can do all of these things. He's got a big arm. He gets out of the pocket and he can be explosive," Montgomery said.
While some of his statements might've been gamesmanship in an attempt to throw NC State off in its preparation for the Hokie defense, Montgomery did provide a basic outline of how his staff plans to attack Bailey.
"We've got to do a good job of giving him some different looks, trying to give him an opportunity to not throw it to his first target. Make him get through his progressions, maybe try to get him off the spot when we have the opportunity to do that," the Hokie coach said, "You can't let him just sit back there and take a deep shot. They've got really good skill guys on the outside with their receivers... You've got to play the give and take in that part of it, but he's vastly improved."
Bailey, Smothers and offensive coordinator Kurt Roper will use the Virginia Tech matchup as a major opportunity to get things working again. After the turnover-filled performance, Bailey will look to start a new streak of consecutive games without an interception, as he went three straight without throwing it to the other team.
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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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