NC State football’s season through the first eight games has been far from ideal. A high-scoring loss to a Tobacco Road rival. A massive upset loss against a coachless Virginia Tech. A blowout loss to then-No. 16 Notre Dame after a three-point deficit at halftime. And most recently, a defensive collapse that allowed 53 points to Pittsburgh.
To make matters worse, heading into its Saturday night matchup against undefeated No. 8 Georgia Tech, NC State’s two biggest playmakers — senior tight end Justin Joly and redshirt sophomore running back Hollywood Smothers — were questionable all week. When they emerged from the tunnel for pregame warmups without pads or helmets, it seemed as though the Wolfpack’s fate was sealed. Hope was a scarcity.
But the Wolfpack didn’t blink in the face of adversity. Since head coach Dave Doeren took over the headset, he and his team have preached a next man up mentality, and it’s never been clearer than tonight.
“Kids come to this program with the hope of having an opportunity to play,” Doeren said. “When it’s our opportunity, you have to seize it.”
With an opportunity finally granted, the backups-turned-starters seized every single moment. Those men who were “next up” played a massive part in NC State’s improbable 48-36 victory over the ACC-leading Yellow Jackets.
The players that replaced Joly and Smothers accounted for 274 of NC State’s 583 yards — the most it’s had against a Power Four school this season — and three touchdowns.
Leading the charge was redshirt freshman running back Duke Scott, who tallied a career-high 207 all-purpose yards, including 196 on the ground. Facing one of the worst rushing defenses in the ACC, Scott earned every single yard, putting the team on his back when they needed him most and sparking the Wolfpack offense.
On the Wolfpack’s first drive of the second half, Scott burst for a monster 69-yard rush down the sideline. But no play was more notable than his game-sealing 30-yard touchdown to put the nail in Georgia Tech’s coffin.
Duke Scott Caps it Off
Duke Scott secures NC State’s upset dub with a 30-YD touchdown run late in the fourth quarter@PackFootball | @PackAthletics | #1Pack1Goal | @cpisecurity pic.twitter.com/oNjst1HPc4
— ACC Digital Network (@theACCDN) November 2, 2025
“It was a bend, don’t break mentality,” Scott said. “When [Georgia Tech] would bend a little bit and not break, we were going to make them pay. We knew we were going to strike back even harder.”
Every time he touched the ball, Scott fought for as many yards as he could, running with a passion and anger against the Yellow Jackets. Even when defenders broke through the backfield for what looked like a tackle-for-loss, Scott trudged through multiple players, sometimes even carrying them with him to make sure his team was always in a position to win.
“I knew I had to come in with a different mindset,” Scott said. “I was going to be physical, I was going to run as hard as I possibly could. I had a chip on my shoulder. I was doing it for Hollywood.”
In lieu of Joly, senior tight end Cody Hardy stepped up to make some of the Pack’s biggest plays. After NC State won the coin toss and elected to receive the ball, sophomore quarterback CJ Bailey led a methodical six-minute, 10-play drive — including a 26-yard strike to Hardy — into the red zone. On a play-action pass at the goal line, Bailey found Hardy all by his lonesome for the Wolfpack to draw first blood.
“I trusted those guys,” Bailey said. “I trusted everybody out there. They all came in with a good mindset. These guys stepped in and made plays for us.”
But Hardy’s impact didn’t stop there. On a designed quarterback run by freshman Will Wilson at the goalline, Wilson dove for the endzone in an attempt to score. It looked as though he crossed the plain, but fumbled at the same time. In a panicked frenzy, Hardy dove on top of the ball to ensure a Wolfpack touchdown, marking his second of the game. No matter where he was, Hardy was reliable and always looking to find the ball.
Though Bailey wasn’t hurt, Wilson still made impact plays when called upon, including his fourth rushing touchdown of the season to push the Wolfpack’s lead to double digits. It didn’t matter what position or what player — the next man up was always ready to make a play when needed.
“That’s big around here,” said graduate linebacker Caden Fordham. “We know anyone can play at any time, and that’s why Coach Doeren always says that to us, preaches it. Those guys were completely ready, and they went out there and played their tails off tonight.”
