Under head coach Dave Doeren, NC State football has a consistent annual profile — conservative, gritty and defense-first. However, this year’s squad is bucking that trend with a dramatically different identity. For the first time in Doeren’s tenure, NC State appears to be a high-flying, even flashy offense. Defensively, though, the Wolfpack appears to be a five-alarm fire. NC State’s 35-31 win over Virginia is a clear illustration of the change of style in Raleigh.
Offensively, the Pack appears to be much improved. Under Doeren, the Pack has enjoyed success from individual offensive stars, but never truly pieced together an elite offense. While it is early, the Wolfpack is showing signs of fantastic offensive play. With stars at quarterback, running back and receiver, the Wolfpack offense is dynamic and explosive, showcasing its firepower on the Cavaliers.
The catalyst for NC State’s identity change is sophomore quarterback CJ Bailey. The Miami native had a brilliant showing against Virginia. Proving to be a threat both through the air and on the ground, Bailey consistently picked apart the Cavaliers. While Bailey was dynamic last year, his consistency in this early-season showing against Virginia is a sign of his growth into a true star that can lead a great offense.
“Of course, we’ve got a lot of things to work on, but you’ve seen a lot of explosive plays the last two weeks,” Bailey said. “It’s gonna get better and I’m excited to see it. Keep spreading the ball to everyone, finding the open guys.”
Not to be outdone, redshirt sophomore Hollywood Smothers is almost as critical to the red-and-white’s success as Bailey. Smothers is a Swiss Army Knife for the Wolfpack, helping the offense with his wide variety of skills. Smothers is always a threat to score with his speed, but his ability to make defenders miss elevates him into a true superstar. Spinning, juking and muscling through defenders all day, Smothers showed the value of a dynamic running back today as the Pack star totalled 140 yards on the ground with a pair of touchdowns.
“It was awesome to see us run the football the way we did,” Doeren said. “Coach Roper and the offensive staff made some adjustments and said, ‘Look, let’s just hand the ball to No. 3 and get downhill.’”
For NC State, the offense’s evolution into a dynamic unit couldn’t have come at a more important time. The Cavaliers exposed issues galore in the Wolfpack defense, tearing NC State up for 514 yards of total offense using a combination of inside runs, slants and mesh plays.
The issue for NC State most often today was being out of position. Whether it was missing run fits or getting overly aggressive against the mesh, NC State must play more disciplined to make stops. However, thanks to the offense, the Pack survived to fight another day.
Whether or not NC State’s new style of play is sustainable is still to be determined. However, NC State must have a chance to have a successful season. With a defense that can’t stop a nosebleed, the only way to win for this NC State squad appears to be through shootouts. The Pack recognized this and embraced its newfound strengths for a comeback win. Despite trailing by 10 at halftime with little reason to expect optimism from the defense, the offense emerged from halftime ready to drag the team to victory. Scoring three touchdowns in the third quarter alone, NC State’s offense truly showcased its dynamic scoring ability, potentially a sign of how the red-and-white will have to win the rest of the season.
“This was our first time being down as a team,” Bailey said. “We were ready to change the trajectory as a team, we were ready to fight and we were not lying down. Our team battled back.”
Next up, NC State will take its new-look squad to Winston-Salem for a Thursday night battle at Wake Forest. The Wolfpack will look to improve to get redemption after suffering a 34-30 heartbreaker to the Demon Deacons last season. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. with coverage available on ESPN.
