Goebbel Wins Interim Debut as NC State Blanks Cal in Second Half on way to 31-10 Victory

Saturday, October 31

Raleigh, NC

12 PM

NC State

4-4 , 2-3

California

3-6 , 2-4

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Final F
California	0	10	0	0	10
NC State	7	3	14	7	31

Game Book

10/31/2026 5:03:00 PM | Football

Box Score

Raleigh, NC – NC State scored 21 unanswered points in the second half, while the Pack defense held Cal scoreless over the final two quarters, to win 31-10 and power interim head coach Todd Goebbel past the Golden Bears at Carter-Finley on Saturday afternoon.

"We have about 12-13 guys on the leadership council," Goebbel said. "Each unit has a very strong leader; they stepped up early in the week. They set the standard and carried our message throughout the week. The game ball is special. For those guys to believe in me, in a very adverse time, to go out and perform the way they did, and then to receive the game ball, I'd be remiss not to say it wasn't special. I got a little choked up when I was given it."

Tied at 10 at halftime, the Wolfpack offense exploded, scoring touchdowns on three straight drives to open the second half. The second-half shutout was in part due to the Wolfpack defense holding Cal to just 121 total yards. The Golden Bears rushed for just 11 total yards in the second half.

The last time NC State held a conference opponent scoreless in the second half was in a comeback victory over Wake Forest in September 2025 in Winston-Salem.

"Man, it was great. We were very, very mad about those 10 points they put up," Linebacker Popo Aguirre said. "It's one day at a time, a one-day-at-a-time mentality. Before we stepped on the field, we had the mindset that we had already won the game. We executed, we felt good, we played for each other. We had each other's backs no matter what happened. We stuck together and got the win."

Quarterback CJ Bailey finished 13-25 for 192 yards with two touchdowns. His favorite target was Junior receiver Chance Robinson, coming away with 76 yards and a score on four receptions.

"It was one of those halftimes with not even a lot of emotion," Bailey said. "Sometimes we get emotional, and things start happening. We were level-headed in that locker room, and I'm so thankful to have a team like that. No coaches or players were screaming or panicking. I appreciate that. Just trusting that we were going to get it done. We've been here before; we know how to adjust. Going into the second, we knew we were going to kick the doors off them."

Junior running back Davion Gause broke the century mark for the first time since his first collegiate game at UNC. He finished with 19 carries for 104 yards and a touchdown, just a yard shy of his personal high watermark and the most against a power-conference opponent.

"This win shows that, as a team, no matter what's going on in the building or outside with the media, we're just going to keep doing what we do, keep executing, keep swinging, keep fighting as a team, and keep playing for one another," Gause said.

Sophomore running back Deandre Desinor scored the second touchdown of his career on the opening drive, breaking the ice for the Wolfpack offense in consecutive weeks by making a contested catch along the sideline before running it in for a 49-yard touchdown.

Senior running back Darius Johnson accounted for the final Pack rushing score, earning his first career touchdown from five yards out and marking the second time this season that three different NC State running backs have scored a touchdown in the same game.

Senior linebacker Popo Aguirre, coming into today with the third most tackles in the ACC, finished with a game-leading 16 tackles, two TFLs, and a quarterback hit. Cornerback Michael Tate finished second on the team with a career-best seven takedowns. He also broke up a pass on a second-quarter fourth-down attempt.

The Pack defense finished with three sacks accounted for by Ziggy Moore, Josh Warren Jr., and a shared quarterback takedown from Chase Bond and Isaiah Shirley.

Junior cornerback Jaren Sensabaugh picked off the Bears as the fourth quarter wound down for his second interception of the season.

The Pack jumped out to an early lead, with Desinor's first-drive touchdown coming on just the fourth play from scrimmage before a 20-minute deadlock brought the scoring to a halt. The sides traded eight consecutive punts, with the first five being three-and-outs, before Cal broke the streak by failing a fourth-down attempt on the NC State 47-yard line.

The offenses found some life with Kanoah Vinesett staying perfect on the season from 43 yards out, and the Golden Bears scoring their first points of the afternoon on a 30-yard circus catch in the endzone.

The Pack made the first blunder of the game with an errant exchange, putting the ball on the ground, and Cal falling on it at the NC State 19-yard line. The Wolfpack defense left unscathed, however, pushing the Bears back before a 40-yard field-goal attempt pushed just wide of the right upright preserved the three-point Pack advantage.

The Golden Bears' kicker redeemed himself on their next possession, converting on a 38-yard try as time expired to even the halftime score at 10-10.

The last time NC State went into a half tied was in August 2024 against Western Carolina, when the Pack went on to win by 17.

The Wolfpack defense continued to smother the Bears coming out of the half, forcing a three-and-out before Bailey found Robinson from 38 yards away to take a seven-point lead.

Scoring on consecutive possessions for the first time today, the Pack marched back down the field in 10 plays, with Johnson capping the drive on a two-yard run.

The Wolfpack offense stayed hot, scoring three touchdowns in as many drives to start the second half and take a 21-point lead. This time, it was a five-yard run for Gause's second score of the season, set up by a 38-yard reception from Victor Snow on the previous play.

In desperation, the Golden Bears attempted a fourth-down try in their own half midway through the fourth quarter. Moore met the receiver in the flat and tackled him behind the line to gain at the Cal 38-yard line.

The Wolfpack defense continued to stun the Bears' offense with Sensabaugh coming down with an interception before the game ended.

The NC State win moves the all-time series to 2-0 in the Pack's favor. The Wolfpack will next face Duke at home on Saturday, November 7th, with kickoff set for 12:30 p.m. on the CW Network.