After a 45-33 loss to Duke, NC State football returns to Raleigh looking to rebound and clean up some errors. The opponent: Virginia Tech.
“This is a team that will respond,” said NC State head coach Dave Doeren. “This is a coachable team. We have good team leadership in all three areas: offense, defense, special teams. I trust that these guys will do what’s necessary to get us back to playing better than we did on Saturday.”
The game between the Wolfpack (3-1, 1-1 ACC) and the Hokies (1-3) often feels like a rivalry between schools with both academic and cultural similarities. Virginia Tech is the blue-collar, STEM school of Virginia, similar to how NC State is for North Carolina.
NC State goes into Saturday after a tough outing against the Blue Devils, turning the ball over four times, including three interceptions. The defense gave up explosive plays, and the special teams had multiple costly errors, including a miscued shift resulting in a blocked field goal.
“When you have unforced errors in any sport, you have to be able to overcome them,” Doeren said. “When you have too many unforced errors, which in football, penalties, turnovers, costly penalties, it gets hard to overcome your mistakes.”
These two teams first played each other in 1900 and played several games before Virginia Tech joined the ACC in 2004. The Hokies lead the all-time series 28-20-4 and won four straight games against the Pack after joining the conference, but NC State currently has a two-game win streak after winning in Raleigh and in Blacksburg in back-to-back years.
The 2022 game is remembered for the Pack clawing back after being down 21-3 in the second half to win 22-21. A high-scoring affair in 2023 saw the Pack maintain a lead throughout and win 35-28.
While this is the Hokies’ ACC opener, they enter this game with a new head coach. Brent Pry entered his fourth season as the Hokies’ head coach in what was projected to be a make-or-break year. After two sluggish performances against SEC teams, the final nail in the coffin was a 45-26 home loss to Old Dominion, in which they were down 31-0 at one point. The next day, Pry was relieved of his duties.
Virginia Tech’s interim coach, Phillip Montgomery, who has coached in a total of one game before this week, led the Hokies to a 38-6 victory over the Wofford Terriers. Virginia Tech’s offense is led by senior quarterback Kyron Drones. In 2025, Drones has thrown for 928 yards, six touchdowns and three interceptions.
“Offensively, it starts with their quarterback,” Doeren said. “Drones is a big athletic guy, he’s got a big arm. He’s 235 pounds, they run him a lot. You gotta tackle him, he’s not gonna go down easy. He’s quick, he’s fast, he’s a tough kid.”
What has been a strong suit for the Hokies is the run game. Only totaling 550 yards rushing through four games may seem unimpressive at first glance, but remember, they have played two SEC opponents. The top rusher is senior running back Marcellous Hawkins with 187 yards, and Drones is not far behind at 144.
The Hokies have two main playmakers out wide to watch out for: senior wide receiver Donavon Greene and junior wide receiver Ayden Greene. The duo has combined for 403 yards and three touchdowns.
Defensively, the Hokies’ strength is at the linebacker position. The top two tacklers, junior linebackers Caleb Woodson and Michael Short, have combined for 45 total tackles on the season so far.
These two teams are set to battle on Sept. 27 at 7 p.m. at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh.
