Tag: NC State Wolfpack

NC State QB still confident about beating UNC football after Bill Belichick hire

NC State quarterback CJ Bailey really doesn’t like the UNC football program.

Ahead of the North Carolina Tar Heels’ 2024 regular season finale, NC State quarterback CJ Bailey made headlines when he guaranteed a Wolfpack victory.

Bailey struggled in the first half against UNC, but eventually backed up his talk, leading NC State to a come-from-behind, 35-30 victory that clinched bowl eligibility.

On Wednesday, December 11, North Carolina made headlines by hiring Bill Belichick as its head football coach. Belichick’s hiring will undoubtedly spurn a ripple of positive effects, as he is arguably the greatest coach across all levels.

Despite Belichick’s ability to turn the Tar Heels into a national powerhouse, Bailey still feels confident in the Wolfpack’s ability to beat UNC in 2025.

“Bill Belichick can get it, too,” Bailey said during an NC State pre-Military Bowl interview. “No matter who the coach is for UNC, we’re going to kick them. That means a lot I could play against Bill Belichick and meet him. But if he comes to play, we’re going to kill them.”

I admire Bailey’s confidence – and Belichick has yet to coach at the college level – but Bailey hasn’t played against Belichick. If you recall Belichick’s 24 years as the New England Patriots‘ head coach, he won six Super Bowls and only missed the playoffs six times.

North Carolina’s last victory over NC State came in 2020, during the infamous COVID-altered season, when North Carolina dominated the Wolfpack by a 48-21 mark. Three of the Wolfpack’s last four victories against UNC included comebacks, most recently Thanksgiving Weekend, when UNC entered the fourth quarter with a 20-13 advantage.

I really hope Belichick and the Tar Heels make Bailey eat his words. How bittersweet would it be for North Carolina, under the greatest coach of all time, to march into Raleigh and leave with a victory?

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UNC’s defense falls apart in the second half against NC State

North Carolina’s defense looked completely different in the second half of Saturday’s loss against NC State.

After three consecutive years of gut-wrenching defeats against NC State on the football field, the North Carolina Tar Heels were just two minutes away from one of their most exciting victories in recent years.

Instead, UNC’s defense collapsed yet again and allowed the Wolfpack to walk out of Kenan Stadium victorious – this time with a 35-50 win – in Mack Brown’s final game as UNC’s (6-6, 3-5 ACC) head coach.

NC State (6-6, 3-5) gained just 89 yards and scored one touchdown in the first half, when Oklahoma transfer Hollywood Smothers found the end zone with 2:50 left in the first quarter. North Carolina got into the backfield at ease, limiting CJ Bailey‘s effectiveness and limiting him to just three completions.

Dave Doeren must’ve given the Wolfpack an electric halftime speech, because they came out firing against the Tar Heels. NC State scored on all SIX on their second-half possessions – three field goals, three touchdowns – and generated 373 yards in the process.

Bailey broke out of his first-half struggles, as the Wolfpack quarterback finished his evening with 242 passing yards and two fourth-quarter touchdowns: a 14-yarder to Dante Daniels and a 13-yarder to Kevin Concepcion. Bailey also showcased his ability as a dual-threat QB, running for 54 yards on a team-high 14 carries.

Smothers led the NC State rushing attack with 83 yards and two touchdowns, the second of which proved to be the game-winning score. The Wolfpack totaled 220 yards on the ground – and every second-half carry seemed to go for a first down.

UNC actually out-gained NC State in total yardage, 468-462, but Saturday’s game came down to which team had the ball last. In a game where both defenses struggled, North Carolina’s cost it the game.

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UNC loses fourth-straight to NC State behind another defensive collapse

A defensive collapse sealed UNC’s fate in its fourth-straight football loss to NC State on Saturday.

It wouldn’t be another UNC-NC State football game unless North Carolina had a fourth-quarter lead – only to blow it in dramatic fashion.

On Saturday night, the Tar Heels entered the fourth quarter with a 20-13 advantage.

When the final seconds ticked off the Kenan Stadium clock, North Carolina left the field with a 35-30 loss, its fourth-straight to the Wolfpack (6-6, 3-5 ACC).

UNC’s defense played well in the first half, limiting NC State quarterback CJ Bailey to just three completions and the entire Wolfpack offense to just one touchdown. NC State only had 89 yards of offense in the ENTIRE first half.

No matter what plays the Wolfpack ran in the second half, no matter who was carrying or catching the football, the Tar Heels couldn’t stop ANYONE in the second half. NC State scored on all six of its second-half possessions, gaining 373 yards in doing so.

Wolfpack kicker Kanoah Vinesett converted a pair of 40-yard field goals in the third quarter and added another in the fourth. Bailey, who finished his night with 242 passing yards, threw touchdown passes to Dante Daniels and Kevin Concepcion (a name UNC fans know all too well). Oklahoma transfer Hollywood Smothers scored the game-winning touchdown with 25 seconds left, finishing his night with 83 yards and two touchdowns.

North Carolina’s second-half offense was phenomenal, too, highlighted by another huge day from Omarion Hampton. The Tar Heels’ star junior back carried the football 22 times for 185 yards and a touchdown, plus he added 65 yards and a receiving touchdown – on a shovel-pass from Jacolby Criswell – we all hoped would be the game-winner.

UNC actually outgained NC State, 468-462, in total yardage.

It would’ve been great for North Carolina to send Mack Brown out with a victory, but like so many times in recent years, another disappointing loss resulted instead.

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Duke football sweeps the state of North Carolina for the first time in more than a decade

Duke’s 23-17 win over Wake Forest on Saturday meant that, for the first time in more than a decade, the Blue Devils swept the state.

For the first time since 2013, the Duke Blue Devils run the state of North Carolina.

Quarterback [autotag]Maalik Murphy[/autotag] and wide receiver[autotag] Jordan Moore[/autotag] teamed up for a 39-yard touchdown on the final play of the game in Winston-Salem on Saturday, handing Duke a 23-17 victory over the Wake Forest Demon Deacons.

The win, Duke’s ninth of the season, cemented a sweep of the other three ACC schools from the state. The Blue Devils mounted a 20-point comeback against the North Carolina Tar Heels in Week 5 and handed the NC State Wolfpack a 29-19 win in Raleigh in Week 11, completing a trifecta they haven’t achieved since that fateful 10-win season under David Cutcliffe.

In a similar fashion to the Tar Heels game, Duke needed three late touchdowns to beat the Demon Deacons. Murph completed 16 of his 20 second-half passes for 153 yards and ran for another score after the break, ending the regular season with a school-record 26 touchdown passes.

None of the other three teams entered Week 14 with more than six wins for the year, either, so the Blue Devils will finish multiple games above the rest of the state.

UNC football to wear throwbacks for Saturday’s finale against NC State

We think you’ll enjoy the Tar Heels’ football uniform combination for Saturday.

It’s been a tumultuous Thanksgiving week for the North Carolina Tar Heels, who fired longtime head football coach Mack Brown.

Despite Brown’s firing, UNC (6-5, 3-4 ACC) has one last opponent to prepare for under Brown: in-state rival NC State.

North Carolina owns a massive advantage (60-39-4) in its all-time series against the Wolfpack (5-6, 2-5 ACC), but the rivalry has become one-sided in recent years. NC State won 2021’s matchup via a late-game comeback in Raleigh, 2022’s edition in double-overtime, then in 2023 by a 39-20 mark.

A Tar Heels victory would ensure them bragging rights for years to come, as it would deny State bowl eligibility.

Regardless of what happens Saturday in Chapel Hill, we know UNC will be playing in some fresh, all-Carolina Blue uniforms against its hated rivals.

2023’s edition of UNC-NC State wasn’t much of a battle, with State jumping out to a 23-0 advantage. Afterwards, Wolfpack head coach Dave Doeren had some choice words about the Tar Heels.

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North Carolina’s season started with three straight wins, but a 70-50 home loss against James Madison started the fall-off. UNC then allowed 21 unanswered points in a road loss at Duke, over 500 yards to a now-bad Pitt team and allowed Georgia Tech to win in the final seconds.

The Tar Heels countered that 4-game losing streak with three consecutive wins: at Virginia, Florida State and against Wake Forest, the final of which clinched bowl eligibility.

North Carolina was then embarrassed at Boston College last weekend, falling behind 41-7 without scoring a single offensive touchdown, until freshman running back Davion Gause scored twice in garbage time.

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Manny Diaz calls a potential sweep of in-state rivals ‘a big deal’ for Duke football

If the Duke Blue Devils can beat Wake Forest on Saturday, they’d be 3-0 against North Carolina teams, something not lost on Manny Diaz.

The Duke Blue Devils could cement their second nine-win season in three years on Saturday in Winston-Salem, but there’s something much more personal on the line for the team: a sweep of the state.

Under new head coach [autotag]Manny Diaz[/autotag], the Blue Devils erased a 20-point deficit against the North Carolina Tar Heels in Week 5 before handing NC State a 29-19 loss in Raleigh in Week 11. The two results gave Duke its first single-season sweep of those schools since 2013, and one more win over Wake Forest would let the Blue Devils stay undefeated within North Carolina.

“It has been discussed,” Diaz said on Monday. “The state championship is a goal of ours. Without divisions in the league and the way the schedule works, we’ll play those teams every year. We cannot pretend to go make a run at the ACC without making run at our state. That’s a big deal to us.”

“We are the only team that has a chance to win the state this year,” he continued. “Our guys are aware of that.”

The Demon Deacons have lost three straight games to fall to 4-7 on the season, and they’ve only won two of their seven ACC games to this point. However, in Miami on Saturday, Wake Forest remained within six points of the Hurricanes through three quarters, so Duke clearly cannot sleepwalk to another win.

Diaz also specified the difference between his team’s goals and their weekly preparation.

“We don’t really talk about goals,” Diaz said. “We talk about standards. Our goal wasn’t to win nine in the regular season. We didn’t set out as a goal to win 10. It was about having a standard. Usually, when you play to the standard, it’s funny how suddenly goals will become in reach.”

The Blue Devils kick off their final regular-season game at noon Eastern time on Saturday on ACC Network.

Duke football rises one spot in latest USA TODAY Sports ACC power rankings

Following their bye week, Duke moved up one spot in the latest USA TODAY Sports ACC power rankings.

Duke was inactive for Week 12 of the college football season, letting the Blue Devils rest up on their bye week. However, that didn’t mean they couldn’t move in the Week 13 edition of the USA TODAY Sports ACC power rankings.

Ehsan Kassim put the Blue Devils sixth out of the conference’s 17 teams, one spot higher than last week this week.

Following a 5-0 start, Duke had lost three of four before their 29-19 victory over the NC State Wolfpack in Raleigh. Simply put, they needed the bye.

The teams ranked ahead of the Blue Devils are, in order, the SMU Mustangs, Miami Hurricanes, Clemson Tigers, Syracuse Orange, and Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. Louisville, who was ranked No. 4 last week, dropped below Duke after a stunning road loss to Stanford.

The Blue Devils will host Virginia Tech on Saturday. It will be a big-time test for Duke, as the Hokies bring one of the ACC’s top rushing offenses.

Duke’s strength lies in their passing defense, but their rushing defense can be a weakness at times. It is worth noting, though, that Duke led the country in tackles for loss for most of the season.

Start time announced for UNC-NC State football regular season finale

You can now start planning for the UNC-NC State football regular-season finale.

No matter who the North Carolina Tar Heels beat in any given football season, there’s one opponent in recent years who they can’t seem to get past: NC State, their in-state rivals from just 30 minutes down the road in Raleigh.

Last year, UNC (6-3, 3-3 ACC) started 6-0 before its epic collapse put it back in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl. The Wolfpack (5-5, 2-4 ACC) were part of North Carolina’s late-season slide, stomping the boys in Carolina Blue by a 39-20 mark in Raleigh.

It’s now State’s turn to play in Chapel Hill this season – and you can bet it’ll be a loud, chippy game.

Earlier on Monday, we learned that the Tar Heels and Wolfpack will kick their regular-season finale off at 3:30 p.m. ET.

This is just late enough to have a nighttime atmosphere (it starts getting dark at 5:30 p.m.), but early enough as to where fans – and players – can celebrate afterwards.

If you remember NC State coach Dave Doeren’s infamous words about UNC after last year’s game, he said, “those pieces of **** haven’t beaten us in 1,460 days.” I have no issue with Doeren firing his players up and taking friendly jabs at North Carolina, but saying this about kids is crossing the line.

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The Tar Heels are playing their best football of 2024, winning their past three games behind a combination of Omarion Hampton and strong defense, to climb back into bowl contention. This comes after UNC’s coldest stretch, in which four consecutive losses had fans questioning how much longer Mack Brown would be coaching.

The Wolfpack, ranked in the preseason, are sitting at .500 overall after a quarterback switch and inconsistent play. They will travel to Georgia Tech on Saturday, Nov. 21 before heading up to Kenan.

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Duke Blue Devils don’t move in latest USA TODAY Sports ACC football power rankings

After taking down the NC State Wolfpack, Duke did not move in the latest ACC power rankings from USA TODAY Sports.

The Duke Blue Devils took down the NC State Wolfpack in their own stadium on Saturday to earn their seventh win of the season with two more games to go. In the latest ACC power rankings from USA TODAY Sports, however, Duke did not move.

Heading into Week 12, Craig Meyer considers Duke the seventh-best team in the ACC. After the school’s first 5-0 start in three decades, the Blue Devils had lost three of their last four entering Saturday’s in-state rivalry game, but the Wolfpack win can give them some forward momentum.

Miami, who entered the week undefeated, shook up the top of the rankings with an upset loss at the hands of Georgia Tech. The SMU Mustangs took over the top spot as the last team without a conference loss, and the Hurricanes and Clemson Tigers followed suit in second and third.

For their final two games, Duke will face Virginia Tech and Wake Forest, two teams that Meyer ranked 11th and 15th in the conference. If the Blue Devils want to move up, they’ll have to handle business and hope the teams ahead of them lose as well.

Duke football moves back within top 30 of the USA TODAY Sports re-rank after NC State win

The Duke Blue Devils moved back within the top 30 of the USA TODAY Sports college football re-rank after their 29-19 win over NC State.

The Duke Blue Devils snapped their small losing skid on Saturday in Raleigh, beating the Wolfpack 29-19, and USA TODAY Sports writer Paul Myerberg regained faith in head coach [autotag]Manny Diaz[/autotag] and his roster.

Myerberg updated his ranking of all 134 FBS programs on Monday, and the Blue Devils jumped back within his top 30 after a one-week absence. He moved Duke, now 7-3 for the season, up three spots to 29th.

Diaz won his first five games, the school’s first 5-0 start this century, but three losses in their previous four games had the Blue Devils slipping. However, with Saturday’s win, Duke has now taken down North Carolina and NC State in the same season for the first time since 2013.

While the Blue Devils are in a good spot, the ACC’s playoff chances took a hit when the undefeated Miami Hurricanes lost to Georgia Tech. Myerberg only dropped Miami to ninth, two spots ahead of SMU for the top team in the conference.

Duke gets a bye week in Week 12, and their final two opponents sit outside the top 50 in Myerberg’s rankings (No. 51 Virginia Tech and No. 82 Wake Forest).