Wake Forest stays perfect on the road after second-half surge at NC State
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Blowing leads are kind of N.C. State’s thing.
The Wolfpack squandered an advantage, albeit small, in the third quarter of its rivalry game against Wake Forest on Saturday. The Demon Deacons used a third-quarter surge — paired with N.C. State’s own collapse — of three touchdowns and 195 yards to take a three-possession lead, outperforming the entirety of the first half.
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Wake Forest rolled out of Raleigh with a 38-14 win to stay undefeated on the road and hand N.C. State its first loss at Carter-Finley Stadium this season. This is the fourth straight game in which the Pack has failed to maintain a lead for the entire game, and the second time a blown lead has led to a loss.
Maybe everyone should’ve taken the first offensive drive of both halves as a sign.
In fact, it was almost like the Wolfpack didn’t even receive the opening kickoff.
The football went flying when Wake Forest linebacker Vincent Firenze punched the ball out of CJ Bailey’s right arm, landing on the grass to the right of his body. Defensive back Braylon Johnson scooped it up, running toward the end zone. Trent Mitchell leaped onto a moving Johnson, wrapping up the defender’s legs and stopping him at the N.C. State 2-yard line. The Deacs scored two plays later, taking a 7-0 lead.
The Wolfpack went three and out on the first drive of the second half after a pair of incomplete passes and a rush for no gain. It advanced past midfield on the second offensive drive of the day but ultimately turned the ball over on downs.
N.C. State’s lone scoring series came in the opening half, on back-to-back drives. Its first touchdown came on a 24-yard touchdown pass from Bailey to wide receiver Chance Robinson. The team added a second touchdown when backup quarterback Will Wilson threw a bloop pass into the end zone. Tight end Hunter Provience recorded the diving, one-handed catch to cap off a 96-yard drive.
The Pack went to the locker room with a 14-10 lead after Wake Forest’s third-down penalty forced the Deacs to attempt a field goal. The Deacs were held to 122 yards in the first half, and star receiver Carlos Hernandez recorded 23 yards.
Wake Forest pitched a shutout in the second half, with N.C. State gaining a measly 63 yards.
Bailey started the game 15 of 15 passing for 169 yards and 1 TD. He did not throw an incompletion until 4:45 remained in the first half, and it looked like he was on pace for another career-high game, or close to it. The finished the afternoon 28 of 39 for 241 yards.
Wake’s Hernandez entered the game as one of the nation’s best receivers, recording 120.6 yards per game. He also led FBS in yards after the catch, adding nearly 10 yards to each reception. He was still a threat, but Jack Foley emerged as a guy to watch.
Foley surpassed the 100-yard receiving mark midway through the third quarter after hauling in a 52-yard reception, a play that put the Deacs on the N.C. State 11-yard line. He scored the 10-yard touchdown two plays later and set a new career high in receiving yards. Foley finished with 156 receiving yards.
Lopez and Hernandez’s offensive success did not materialize in the first half. N.C. State held Lopez to 85 passing yards in the first half, including only 23 yards to Hernandez. The receiver logged 10 yards after his catches through the opening two quarters after N.C. State defenders brought him down swiftly. However, that changed in the second half.
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Hernandez joined Foley in the 100-yard club, finishing with 117 yards and one touchdown in the Deacs’ win.
Quarterback Gio Lopez went 26-33 for 303 yards and three touchdowns.
The Wolfpack run game was virtually nonexistent this week after losing multiple starters on the offensive line and its starting running back.
N.C. State rushed for a season-low 15 yards, including a -5 yards in the second half alone. Its previous low was 89 yards in the Week 0 loss to Virginia.
The Pack was without starting running back Duke Scott after he left the Louisville game with an undisclosed lower body injury. It’s unclear whether he will return this season. Starting center Spike Sowells was also ruled out for the rest of the season.
Offensive lineman Kamen Smith was unavailable, after being listed as “questionable” on the ACC availability report this week.
Jimarion McCrimon returned to the front line after uncertainty about whether he would play. McCrimon missed the Louisville game with an injury. Overall, the rushers nor the offensive line could get anything going on the ground and made the offense one dimensional.
The Wolfpack defense did a solid job getting into the backfield to pressure Lopez. Unfortunately, its efforts weren’t enough.
N.C. State recorded 11 quarterback hurries, including three by edge rusher Harvey Dyson. The Wolfpack had little issue getting beyond the line of scrimmage for contact. The problem was the timing.
Defenders did not get off blocks quickly enough to turn its hurries into sacks, and Lopez was effective at getting the ball off. And his receivers made plays down field to help him out. Had N.C. State gotten around its blocks, the hurries would’ve turned into losses of yardage. Instead, they were incomplete passes or positive plays.
Freshman Elijah Satchell recorded a drive-ending sack in the second quarter, tackling Lopez for a loss of 11. The lone sack of the game was the third, all unassisted, of his short career. He leads the team in the metric, with Harvey Dyson following the rookie’s efforts (1.5).
This story was originally published October 10, 2026 at 3:38 PM with the headline “Wake Forest stays perfect on the road after second-half surge at NC State.”
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