North Carolina State University Athletics
NC State
Notre Dame
Wolfpack and Fighting Irish Clash on the Gridiron
10/10/2025 12:00:00 PM | Football
RALEIGH, N.C. – For the first time this season, NC State Football will travel outside of the state as it prepares to take on Notre Dame on Saturday, Oct. 11, at 3:30 p.m. from South Bend, Indiana. The game will be broadcast on Peacock.
Saturday's game will mark the fifth time that NC State and Notre Dame have met on the gridiron and the fourth regular-season meeting between the two teams. The teams faced off following the 2002 campaign in the Toyota Gator Bowl, when the Wolfpack capped off the winningest season in school history (11-3) with a 28-6 victory over the 11th-ranked Irish. That was the only time NC State has won a game involving two teams that had 10 wins entering the game.
On the day that NC State celebrated the 50th anniversary of the first game in Carter-Finley Stadium, the two teams slugged it out in the torrential rain caused by the outer bands of Hurricane Matthew. A blocked punt return by FS Dexter Wright early in the fourth quarter was the game's lone touchdown and gave the Pack a 10-3 victory.
The No. 14 Pack traveled to South Bend to take on the ninth-ranked Irish on Oct. 28, 2017. Notre Dame won that contest handily: 35-14.
NC State and Notre Dame also have some common ties in their respective histories. The most obvious is Lou Holtz, who coached the Pack from 1972-75, posting a 33-12-3 record, three top-20 final rankings, and an ACC title. Holtz served as head coach of the Irish from 1986 to 96.
Holtz isn't the only former Wolfpack head coach with Notre Dame connections. John "Clipper" Smith played at Notre Dame under the legendary Knute Rockne, where he was a consensus All-American in 1927. Just a few years later, he took the head coaching job at NC State, leading the Pack to a 10-11-5 record from 1931 to 1933. Smith, who was inducted into the NFF Hall of Fame, was honored in August on AP's All-Time All-America team (second team)
In the Wolfpack's 56-10 win over Campbell, the offense gained 607 yards of total offense. That was the seventh-highest total in school history and the highest since 2018. The Wolfpack gained those yards on just 60 total plays - an average of 10.1 yards per play. That's the highest mark in school history. The only game that came even close was way back in 2003, when the Wolfpack gained 9.6 yards per play against Kansas in the Citrus Bowl (incidentally, the Jayhawks' line-backer coach that season was none other than Dave Doeren).
The 371 yards passing in the contest were the most since 408 yards vs. Wake Forest in 2021. The Wolfpack is averaging 447.7 yards of total offense this season - a mark that would rank fourth in school history if the season ended today.
The win over Campbell marked the 56th time under Dave Doeren that the Wolfpack has held the opponent to less than 100 yards rushing. It was the third time in 2025 that the opponent failed to reach 100 yards rushing. ECU's 30 total rushing yards in the season opener tied as the 14th-lowest for a Pack opponent in the Doeren era. It was the lowest rushing total for an opponent since 2023. Wake Forest rushed for just 59 yards.
Running Back Hollywood Smothers took home ACC Running Back of the Week honors after his performance against Campbell. Smothers rushed for 123 yards in just four carries, including a career-long 59-yard touchdown scamper. That 30.8 yards per carry average upped his season mark to 6.9 - the ninth-best mark in the P4 for the season. That average is second in the FBS among players with 100 or more carries in 2025. Incidentally, he also caught two passes for another 30 yards, including a 16-yard TD. The Charlotte native has posted four games of 100 yards this season and is one of four players to have four 100+ rushing games this year.
Smothers has escaped the opponent defender 34 times this season. That number of missed tackles forced ranks second in the country in 2025, according to PFF. Smothers also ranks second nationally with 481 yards after contact.
Four players have started every game this season on the offensive line for the Wolfpack: center Jalen Grant, left guard Anthony Carter, Jr., left tackle Jacarrius Peak, and right tackle Teague Andersen. Those four players have combined to play in 171 career games and start 126 contests. In game 5, true freshman Spike Sowells entered the starting lineup. Sowells got the nod at right. guard (he has also seen limited time at center this season). He became the first true freshman to start a game on the offensive line since Ickey Ekwonu in 2019 (Ekwonu would go on to be a first-round NFL draft pick).
Many of the Wolfpack's special teams' units are being manned by young players in 2025. True or redshirt freshmen have played 548 total snaps on special teams for the Wolfpack so far this season, with 184 snaps coming from true freshmen.
