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The Wolfpacker Show: Reflecting on NC State's win over Cal

On3 imageby: Ethan McDowell10/20/24ethanmmcdowell
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(Noah Fleischman/On3)

NC State football (4-4) scored 14 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to complete a comeback and defeat Cal on the road Saturday afternoon. It was the Wolfpack’s first game on the West Coast since 1960, and the program left the Bay Area with a victory.

The program improved to 1-3 in the ACC after starting the year 0-4 against Power Four opponents. NC State dug itself into a 13-point hole in the third quarter after a couple of turnovers that led to points for California, but the team recovered over the final 15 minutes.

Freshman quarterback CJ Bailey continued to establish himself as the future of this program. He engineered two touchdown drives in the fourth quarter, delivering a pair of scoring passes to redshirt junior wide receiver Dacari Collins and redshirt freshman running back Hollywood Smothers.

Smothers led the team in receptions and rushing yards Saturday and looks like the most explosive back on the team.

Defensively, the Pack struggled in the first half and allowed 247 yards over the first two quarters before buckling down and making plays when it counted. Graduate defensive lineman Davin Vann recorded 2 massive fourth quarter sacks.

To recap NC State’s win on the West Coast, Noah Fleischman and Ethan McDowell recorded another episode of The Wolfpacker Show.

In this episode of The Wolfpacker show…

*** The hosts shared their initial thoughts on the win. It was not pretty, but NC State made the plays needed to pull off the victory. The Pack finished the game strong, and that’s something this team has struggled to do at points this fall.

*** Ethan and Noah both effusively praised Bailey for his continued progress this fall. Yes, he did make a couple of freshman mistakes, but he threw for 306 yards and 2 touchdowns while taking care of the ball. The Wolfpack’s first-year starter was also super clutch down the stretch of this contest.

*** NC State’s running game continues to pose problems for this team. The hosts questioned the decision to lean on designed quarterback runs and talked about the Pack’s struggles on the ground.

*** Defensively, they complimented Vann’s strong finish to the game. It was far from a perfect performance from that unit, but it made plays when it absolutely needed to.

*** To wrap up the show, Noah and Ethan handed out some game balls to Justin Joly, Smothers and others before talking about what the final four games for this team could possibly look like.

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