Wolfpack Goes Quiet in Second Half, Falls to Wake Forest 38-14

Saturday, October 10

Raleigh, NC

12 p.m.

NC State

3-3 , 1-2

Wake Forest

5-1 , 3-1

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Final F
Wake Forest	7	3	21	7	38
NC State	7	7	0	0	14

Game Book

Wolfpack Goes Quiet in Second Half, Falls to Wake Forest 38-14

10/10/2026 4:45:00 PM | Football

Box Score Game Book

Raleigh, N.C. — The Wolfpack went through a tale of two halves, taking a 14-7 lead before Wake Forest scored 31 unanswered points on five straight possessions, and the visitors came away with a 38-14 victory over NC State Saturday afternoon at Carter-Finley. It was the Wolfpack's first home loss of the season.

The Pack defense held the Deacons' explosive offense to just 10 points on 122 yards before giving up 265 yards and 28 points in the final two quarters.

Wake Forest did most of its work through the air, with 303 of its 387 total yards coming through the air. The ACC's leading receiver, Carlos Hernandez, and Jack Foley each scored a touchdown on a combined 20 catches for 273 yards—both exceeding the most a pair of players has had in yards and receptions against NC State this year.

The last time two Wake Forest receivers each had more than 100 yards in the same game was in 2021 against UNC.

Quarterback CJ Bailey finished 28-39 for 241 yards with a touchdown and a fumble. He completed his first 16 passes for 173 yards before the offense lost momentum in the second half.

Bailey now sits at 7,025 career passing yards, passing Devin Leary for the sixth most in NC State history.

Keenan Jackson led the Pack in receiving with 61 yards on five catches. Miami transfer Chance Robinson was right behind him, finishing with 53 yards on three catches, including his first career touchdown.

Short-yardage specialist Will Wilson threw his second passing touchdown of the season on what looked like a quarterback keeper from the two-yard line. A jump pass to Hunter Provience then gave the Wolfpack their final score.

With three starters on the offensive line and lead running back Duke Scott out with injury, the Pack struggled in the ground game, averaging just 0.6 yards per carry on 24 attempts.

Popo Aguirre, coming off ACC linebacker of the week honors, continued his dominant run in the middle of the field, finishing as the game's tackle leader with 12 tackles and a tackle for loss. True freshman Ziggy Moore wasn't far behind, finishing with nine tackles despite entering the game with just two on the season.

Fellow freshman Elijah Satchell recorded the Pack's lone sack of the afternoon, his third of the year.

The Pack got the kickoff to start the contest, but the offense lost the ball on the third play when a fumble set the visitors up at the Wolfpack's two-yard line. Wake Forest found their tight end in the end zone a couple of plays later, scoring the game's first points.

Bailey and the offense bounced back, marching 75 yards downfield before Robinson fought through a defensive holding call to score the touchdown. The 24-yard grab was his longest of his career.

A Demon Deacons punt forced the Wolfpack to start their next possession from their own four-yard line. The Pack answered the call, marching downfield in 13 plays to take a 14-7 lead. The score came on a spectacular one-handed grab in the end zone by Provience from two yards out, slipping through the line of scrimmage and getting behind the defense on what looked to be a signature Wilson quarterback run.

The NC State defense made a goal-line stand, denying entry to the end zone on three plays from within their own ten, forcing the Deacons to kick a chip-shot field goal as time expired to end the half.

The field goal brought the halftime score to 14-10 in favor of the Pack. It marked the fifth time this season the Wolfpack has held a lead going into the break, and they are now 3-2 when doing so.

Wake Forest carried its offensive momentum into the second half as rain began to fall, taking its first lead since the first two minutes with a six-yard touchdown pass, giving it a three-point advantage.

The Demon Deacons quickly extended the lead, forcing the Pack's first three-and-out of the day before going 64 yards in four plays for another passing touchdown—63 of which came from Foley.

NC State's second-half start continued when it failed to convert on fourth-and-five at the Wake Forest 32-yard line. The Deacons took advantage, scoring a touchdown on their third straight possession with a quarterback run on fourth-and-goal from the one-yard line.

Another Wolfpack punt set up the defense, allowing a fifth straight scoring drive, the last four of which were touchdowns. This time, a 17-yard touchdown run made the final score 38-14.

The NC State loss moves the ACC's longest continuous rivalry to 70-44-6 in favor of the Pack. The Wolfpack will next face Stanford on the road Friday, October 23rd, at 10:30 p.m., with ESPN broadcasting the game.