3 Critical Offensive Players NC State's Win Over Virginia

RALEIGH, N.C. -- The Wolfpack offense showed up when it needed to in Saturday's 35-31 shootout against Virginia. After scoring just 24 points and relying on the defense in the season opener, the script flipped in Week Two, with the offense carrying the burden for NC State.

In the aftermath of the East Carolina victory, NC State coach Dave Doeren stated that the team's goal is to be around 31 points every week when the clock hits zero. Behind improved red zone statistics and a more effective rushing attack in Week Two, the Wolfpack achieved that goal.

The team relied on some key playmakers and a steady road grader to carry the offense throughout the game.

Sep 6, 2025; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina State Wolfpack running back Hollywood Smothers (3), and offensive lineman Jacarrius Peak (65) celebrate a touchdown during the second half of the game against Virginia Cavaliers at Carter-Finley Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images | Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images

Peak Paves the Way

A major part of the Wolfpack's ability to put more points on the scoreboard in the second week was the team's newly discovered ability to run the ball. It took a half to get settled, but the offensive line finally busted some holes open for running back Hollywood Smothers.

Oct 19, 2024; Berkeley, California, USA; North Carolina State Wolfpack offensive tackle Jacarrius Peak (65) before the game against the California Golden Bears at California Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Jacarrius Peak, the team's left tackle, stood out throughout the game in both run blocking and pass protection. With a weaker right side to the line, both Smothers and quarterback CJ Bailey leaned on Peak and left guard Anthony Carter Jr. to hold on against the Cavalier front seven. Peak's athleticism enabled him to get upfield on several plays, smashing Virginia defenders in space with his blocks. Look out for No. 65 in the video below.

Hollywood Smothers is up to 13 carries for 131 yards and 2 touchdowns. NC State's offense has a potential 1st round quarterback and fun skill players with a balanced offense. ACC should be on notice. pic.twitter.com/bv3NXZjfXF https://t.co/ANzzGVA8Mg
— Anthony Russo (@Anthony_Russo97) September 6, 2025

In large part due to Peak and the offensive line's efforts, the Wolfpack finished with 216 rushing yards and averaged 6.2 yards per carry on the day. The team also punched in three rushing touchdowns in the red zone, a massive improvement compared to the Week One win over ECU. Peak finished with the third-highest overall Pro Football Focus grade on the offense, finishing with a 73.5 in 58 snaps.

Hollywood's Big Day

Running back Hollywood Smothers cashed in on some of the success his offensive line had, particularly in the second half. In just the third quarter, Smothers rushed for 105 yards and two touchdowns.

Smothers finished with 140 yards on 17 carries, averaging 8.2 yards per carry on the day. Looking deeper at his stats, the running back tallied 121 of his yards after contact and produced six missed tackles with his elusiveness. However, Smothers was honest about how he believes his performance came to be.

"I think the offensive line got more comfortable," Smothers said. "... Them guys up front just got the job done and opened up holes for me and gave me some space to work in. I just took off from there."

Can't Stop CJ

Sophomore quarterback CJ Bailey's development continues to impress analysts and fans alike. He's even impressing his coaching staff early in the season, but his coaches expected this sort of leap from him to come at some point.

Bailey threw for 200 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 44 yards and a pair of scores as well. It was another efficient day throwing the ball for the sophomore, as he completed 70% of his passes and moved the offense down the field with his arm relatively easily on a couple of the team's drives.

"You’ve got a lot of things to work on, but we’ve seen a lot of explosive plays in the last two weeks, and it’s going to get better throughout the year," Bailey said. "I’m very excited to see it, and I’m going to keep spreading the ball around to everybody, finding the open guys, getting the run game going more."

With the sophomore's budding confidence also comes more confidence in the offense around him. First-year offensive coordinator Kurt Roper clearly feels more comfortable pushing the ball down the field than Robert Anae did a season ago. However, the most dynamic change to Bailey's game has been on the ground rather than through the air.

"When you can throw the football the way that he can and have the skill guys around him, but then also make them have to defend his legs, that's tough on defense. It's really hard," Doeren said.

The three top offensive performers for NC State are probably the three best players on the team on that side of the ball. If the Wolfpack wants to have a successful season, performances like the one against Virginia need to become the norm.

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