Wolfpack Unable to Keep Pace with Pitt, Falls 53-34

Pittsburgh, P.A. – Pitt put up over 500 yards of offense as the Wolfpack (4-4, 1-3) was unable to keep pace with the Panthers, falling 53-28 Saturday afternoon from Acrisure Stadium.

Despite 375 yards of offense from the Wolfpack, NC State was just 4-13 on third down and 0-3 on fourth downs, with just one red zone opportunity late in the game, which the Wolfpack converted through a Noah Rogers (Raleigh, N.C./Rolesville) touchdown. The Panthers converted their opportunities, going 7-8 in the red zone before a late interception in the fourth quarter by NC State denied them.

Quarterback CJ Bailey finished the day 24-40 with three touchdowns and 225 yards. Hollywood Smothers had a career-long 65-yard rushing touchdown, finishing with eight carries for eight yards.

Tight end Justin Joly had a career day, amassing over 100 receiving yards on six receptions and two touchdowns. One of those touchdowns came from wide receiver Teddy Hoffman, who also brought in his first career receiving touchdown.

Joly would leave the game following an injury on his 59-yard touchdown catch and would not return.

Hoffman became the first NC State wide receiver to both throw and catch a touchdown pass in the same game since Thayer Thomas did it against Miami in 2020, where he both received and threw a 31-yard score to quarterback Bailey Hockman.

Kenny Soares, Jr. led the Wolfpack with a season-best 12 tackles – seven of which were solo – and one tackle for loss. Freshman safety Tristan Teasdell also notched the first interception of his young career in the contest.

Following a Wolfpack three-and-out to open the game, the Panthers opened up the scoring on their first drive of the game with a one-yard touchdown after being set up nicely by a 26-yard punt return into Wolfpack territory. That marks the fifth time this season that the Pack has allowed a touchdown on the opposing team's opening possession.

Pitt extended their lead to 10 with a 34-yard field goal, taking advantage of a second NC State three-and-out in as many possessions.

The Wolfpack offense responded, gaining traction with a six-play 74-yard touchdown drive capped off with a 25-yard passing score to Joly – the fourth of the season for the Pack's receptions leader.

The Panthers quickly regained their 10-point advantage with another rushing score, this time from two yards out. The NC State offense continued its momentum with a one-play touchdown drive courtesy of a 65-yard touchdown dash from Hollywood Smothers – the longest run of his career and sixth touchdown of the campaign.

It was Smothers' fourth rush of 50 yards or more this season and also his fourth explosive touchdown of the season.

The high-scoring first half continued with Pitt completing a seven-yard touchdown in the back corner of the endzone off a tipped ball to make it 24-14.

The NC State offense responded once again with a 59-yard touchdown pass from Hoffmann to Joly on a trick play to once again bring the deficit back to three. Joly got injured on the play, however, stumbling and hopping the last 25 yards on the way to his second score of the half – the play brought him over 100 receiving yards for the first time in his career.

The half closed with a Panthers passing score from 10 yards out — set up by a 4th-and-2 in NC State territory — with 12 seconds left before the break to bring the Pitt advantage to 31-21. The action-packed half featured a combined 576 between the sides – 437 in the air. The 31 points were the most surrendered by the Pack in a half this season.

Pitt continued their prolific scoring into the second half with a 41-yard field goal on their opening drive to extend their lead to 13 for the first time. NC State pinned the Panthers deep after a three-and-out, but Pitt responded with a one-play drive of their own with an 86-yard passing touchdown – they then failed a two-point conversion try.

The Pack offense would then begin to stutter, turning the ball over in their own territory on the next three drives—two turnover-on-downs and a fumble on a Bailey run. The Pack defense responded well, only letting the turnovers turn into six points.

The Wolfpack managed to score their first points of the second half on a 30-yard touchdown pass to Hoffman – his first career receiving touchdown.

The sides traded touchdown scores once more to end the game with a Noah Rodgers touchdown reception from two yards out, followed by a failed two-point try, bringing the final score to 53-34 in favor of the Panthers.

The NC State loss moves the all-time series to 5-6-1, and this was the first loss to Pitt under Dave Doeren, moving his record to 2-1. NC State will next face off against Georgia Tech at home for Homecoming on Saturday, November 1, at a still-to-be-determined time and network.

Wolfpack Unable to Keep Pace with Pitt, Falls 53-34

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Team Stats

CJ Bailey

Teddy Hoffmann

Players Mentioned

CJ Bailey

Justin Joly

Noah Rogers

Hollywood Smothers

Hollywood Smothers

Kenny Soares, Jr.

Tristan Teasdell