NC State Sweeps Weekly Awards After Georgia Tech Upset
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RALEIGH — Beating a top-10 team did wonders for a struggling NC State football program. The Wolfpack stunned then No. 8 Georgia Tech in a 48-36 shootout at Carter-Finley Stadium, capturing the attention of the nation with an impressive offensive performance.
Several members of the program were recognized for various awards in the days following the big win. Head coach Dave Doeren and several players earned the respect of analysts and pundits for the impressive effort.
While the 5-4 record isn't what many Wolfpack fans wanted, the win provided a signature moment in an otherwise underwhelming 2025 season for the program.
The Awards
Dave Doeren
- The Dodd Trophy Coach of the Week
- Bear Bryant National Coach of the Week
- CBS Sports ACC Head Coach of the Week
On a week when he was asked what his future held with NC State, Doeren wanted nothing more than to pull off the massive upset. The veteran head coach trusted his depth with two of his most important players out of the game and coached his way to a victory that silenced much of the doubt about the program and his job security.
After two straight losses, Doeren's confidence in his team never wavered. Loyalty was the theme of the week in the facility and the staff continually pushed the team to believe in itself as a collective rather than let individual goals and aspirations get in the way of a win. It was enough and Doeren walked away with one of the best wins of his 13-year tenure in Raleigh. Offensive coordinator Kurt Roper also won the CBS ACC Assistant of the Week title.
CJ Bailey
- Manning Award Star of the Week (One of eight)
- Davey O'Brien National QB of the Week
- Maxwell Award Player of the Week
- Walter Camp Offensive Player of the Week
Bailey was the key in the Wolfpack's massive upset. The sophomore bounced back from a pair of rough performances in the two losses and found his stride once again. Bailey threw for 340 yards and a pair of touchdowns and added another score on the ground.
He became the seventh player in program history to win the Walter Camp Offensive Player of the Week. The last player to win the award was cornerback Aydan White in 2022 and the last offensive player was Devin Leary the year before that. He also became the second ACC quarterback to win the Davey O'Brien award in the 2025 season.
Duke Scott
- Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Week
- AP National Player of the Week Runner-Up
- ACC Running Back of the Week
- ACC Freshman of the Week
Scott stepped in for an injured Hollywood Smothers and put together his breakout performance against a school 25 miles from his hometown. The redshirt freshman tallied 196 rushing yards and broke free for a big touchdown run to effectively ice the game and put the Wolfpack over the top. He joined Smothers as the Wolfpack's second ACC Running Back of the Week in the 2025 season.
His rushing total was the most since program legend Nyheim Hines posted the same yardage against North Carolina in 2017. He came up short in the AP award category because of a monster performance from Arizona State quarterback Jeff Sims, who led his team to victory in a start for the first time since 2022.
Teague Andersen
Keep Going 5️⃣4️⃣
— NC State Football (@PackFootball) November 3, 2025
Teague Andersen has been named ACC Offensive Lineman of the Week!#1Pack1Goal pic.twitter.com/LIB2JNyRf1
- ACC Offensive Lineman of the Week
Andersen was the other member of the team to earn ACC honors for his performance against the Yellow Jackets. 118 of NC State's rushing yards came on the right side of the Wolfpack offensive line, in large part due to Andersen's blocking.
He did not allow a sack and recorded three knockdowns, six pancake blocks and a 'Raleigh Railroad' in the win. With both guards out of the game, Andersen, Jalen Grant and Jacarrius Peak helped young players Rico Jackson and Kamen Smith put together one of the strongest blocking performances of the season for the group.
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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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