North Carolina State University Athletics
From the Field: Record-Setting Response
9/12/2026 4:28:00 PM | Football
Long before an 88-minute weather delay, the NC State offense struck like lightning to set the tone.
The Wolfpack's first five plays resulted in positive yards, explosive plays and a 14-0 lead over Richmond. Davion Gause started the scoring with a 19-yard run to the left.
Duke Scott took the first play of the second drive for a 65-yard touchdown run. His second score in the first quarter put the Pack up 21-0. Scott, who wouldn't play much after that fruitful first quarter, averaged 14.2 yards on 9 carries for 128 yards for the night.
"Big shout-out to those guys up front because no matter who was back there, they all went to work," Scott said of the offensive line. "I don't think they get enough credit sometimes, but they did an uber job today."
The big fellas up front carved paths for 10 different rushers to combine for 428 yards on the ground and eight touchdowns on the ground - both program records. Will Wilson led the way with three rushing scores, followed by Scott with a pair and CJ Bailey and Gause with one. Even freshman Dylan McCoy joined the touchdown parade, adding the final TD on the scoreboard with a 51-yard sprint to the end zone.
When the weather delay hit just before 8 pm, the Pack had a 28-0 lead, but there was plenty of football left to be played and head coach Dave Doeren wanted his team as sharp after the delay as they were before.
"I was very clear during that break about what I expected when we came back," Doeren said. "Again, it's not about who you play; it's about how you play, and I wanted to see them execute for four quarters and continue to play with that energy and level of fun that we played with."
Message delivered, message received. The Pack scored 45 points after the weather delay.
Jackson Vick immediately had a pick that the offense turned into points. Yardage continued to pile up in bunches and at the end of the night, offensive records were broken.
73 points, the most scored at Carter-Finley Stadium. 734 yards of total offense, a program record.
What a way to open the 2026 home season at Carter-Finley. What an answer to the disappointing season-opening performance at Virginia.
"I think everybody sat in there after underachieving two weeks ago and had a tough pill to swallow," Doeren explained. "We had 14 days to have to eat it, and we did a great job, and that's what you want. You want a response."
Boy did they get one! Loud and clear.
