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NC State

NC State’s ‘grit’ appears after back-to-back one-possession wins to open 2025 campaign

image_6483441 (3)by: Noah Fleischman4 hours agofleischman_noah
CJ Bailey
Sep 6, 2025; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina State Wolfpack quarterback CJ Bailey (11) celebrates a touchdown with wide receiver Wesley Grimes (6) during the first half of the game against Virginia Cavaliers at Carter-Finley Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images

A year ago, Dave Doeren sat in his padded office chair inside his Murphy Center fourth-floor office with high expectations surrounding his team. It didn’t mean much to the veteran coach. He knew his team needed to go out and prove it, but the hype around the program was real.  At the time, nearly every national outlet ranked NC State as a preseason top-25 team with some calling the Wolfpack a dark horse for the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff.  That, however, didn’t happen.  The Pack, instead, went 6-6 with a Military Bowl loss to East Carolina in a turbulent season that featured several injuries, including a pair of concussions that ended graduate quarterback Grayson McCall’s playing career. While Doeren downplayed his team’s external expectations ahead of last season, calling it “preseason hoopla,” he had a new focus this past offseason: righting the ship in 2025 after four one-possession losses a year ago.