NC State Fends Off Mountaineers in 41-31 Victory

Saturday, September 26

Raleigh, NC

7:30 pm

NC State

2-2 , 0-1

Appalachian State

3-1 , 0-0

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Final F
App State	0	10	7	14	31
NC State	14	14	3	10	41

Game Book

NC State Fends Off Mountaineers in 41-31 Victory

9/27/2026 12:18:00 AM | Football

Box Score

Raleigh, N.C. – With the game tied at 31-31 in the fourth quarter, a Duke Scott touchdown gave the Pack the lead for good as the Wolfpack fended off the Mountaineers' late push and went on to a 41-31 victory to stay undefeated at Carter-Finley Stadium on Saturday night.

The Pack jumped out to a 21-point lead in the first half and maintained a 14-point advantage going into the final quarter. After a Wolfpack interception and a surprise onside kick from the visitors, the teams found themselves level at 31 in the closing minutes.

The Scott touchdown, followed by the Wolfpack defense forcing a turnover on downs in App State's own half as the clock wound down, was capped off with a Kanoah Vineseet field goal to push the lead to double digits, where it would finish.

Quarterback CJ Bailey went 24-of-33 for 253 yards through the air with two touchdowns and an interception to go along with a rushing score. His favorite target on the night was sophomore tight end Preston Douglas, who brought in five passes for 46 yards on seven targets.

Tonight's game was a family affair for the Douglas clan. The matchup marked the second time that Preston has played and beaten his older brother Luke, also a tight end, in a collegiate contest. Luke played for Florida State, where he fell to his brother in November of last year at Carter-Finley before moving to Boone.

Scott helped power the explosive run game for the Wolfpack offense, rushing for 148 yards and two scores on 25 carries. The 148 rushing yards are the second most in a game of his career, and the second time he has eclipsed the century mark this season.

The Wolfpack passing attack was a team effort, with ten individual pass catchers on the night. Wide receiver Keenan Jackson led the group in receiving, finishing with four catches for 64 yards and a touchdown – his fourth in two games. It was also his third straight game leading the Wolfpack in receiving yards following his consecutive 100-yard outings.

Ashton Locklear claimed the other receiving score for the Pack. It came from 10 yards out for the first touchdown of his collegiate career.

Linebacker Popo Aguirre once again led the Pack in tackles, this time with ten. A trio of defensive backs, Jackson Vick, Jaren Sensabaugh, and Brian Nelson II, all tied for second with five takedowns apiece. Vick also led all players with two pass breakups.

Freshman outside linebacker Elijah Satchell came away with the Wolfpack's lone sack of the night, his second of the season.

The Pack offense came out fast in the hurry-up, moving the ball downfield with chunk plays from Victor Snow and Duke Scott before Baily ran it in for six from five yards out.

The Wolfpack defense forced a pair of punts before the offense got on the board again to close out the first quarter, this time on a nine-yard run from Scott to stretch the lead to 14.

The Mountaineer offense started moving the ball into NC State territory for the first time before Ronnie Royal III and Tristan Teasdell met the App State runner before the line-to-gain on a fourth-and-one attempt, giving the ball back to the Wolfpack offense.

Bailey and company took advantage of the takeaway, kicking off the drive with a 23-yard completion to Jackson to help set up a Locklear touchdown from ten yards out.

App State would respond for the first time with a score of their own. A well-timed screen pass going for 30 yards set up the Mountaineers with a goal-to-go situation, where they would punch it in two plays later for their first points of the night.

Satchell shut down a Mountaineer drive with a sack on third down to force a punt and help give the Pack offense a chance at a two-minute drill before the end of the half. Bailey found Tyran Warren for 23 yards, followed up by a 17-yard catch-and-run score for Jackson with 39 seconds left in the half.

The App State offense made good use of the time given to them, utilizing a 30-yard grab outside of the numbers to knock in a 48-yard field goal as time expired. The last-second score brought their deficit to 28-10 going into the break.

The Mountaineers came out of the locker room firing, hoisting a 54-yard bomb on the first play of the half. They would then convert a fourth-and-one try on the NC State 12-yard line before powering it in from two yards out a couple of plays later.

The Pack got three back on their next drive, going 69 yards on 13 plays to put Vinesett in position to split the uprights from 23 yards out to stay perfect on the season.

Bailey was hit while trying to throw on the Pack's next possession, causing the ball to land in the arms of a Mountaineer lineman to set their offense up on the NC State 42-yard line. They would cash the turnover in for seven on a contested catch near the front pylon from 18 yards out, cutting the lead to seven.

A roughing the passer penalty on the touchdown allowed the Mountaineers to kick off from half field. This opportunity led them to attempt a surprise onside kick with 11 minutes still left in the game, which they recovered at NC State's own 36-yard line.

The App State offense would continue to take advantage of their second-half opportunities, evening up the score at 31 apiece on a nine-yard pass.

The Pack regained the lead four minutes later with Scott bouncing a run outside for his second touchdown of the night, this time from 16 yards out.

The Mountaineers, down seven, tried and failed a fourth-and-two on their own 33-yard line with four minutes left in the game. Vick broke up a pass across the middle to give the Pack the ball and the opportunity to drain the clock and let Vinesett's leg give NC State a ten-point lead.

The App State kicker drew a 42-yarder just wide in the final minute in an attempt to make it a one-score game, allowing the Pack to end the night in victory formation with a final score of 41-31.

The NC State win moves the all-time series against App State to 7-0 in their first meeting since 2006.

The Wolfpack will next face Louisville at home on Saturday, October 3rd, at 3:30 p.m. during Parents & Families Weekend, and the game will be broadcast on ACC Network.