Last Minute Interception Secures 35-31 Victory for Wolfpack
9/6/2025 4:38:00 PM | Football
RALEIGH, NC – NC State Linebacker Cian Slone's end-zone interception with a minute to go in the game secured a 35-31 Wolfpack win over Virginia on Saturday afternoon from Carter-Finley Stadium.
The contest was heavily fueled by the run game, with 457 of the game's 930 total yards coming on the ground with seven rushing touchdowns. The Wolfpack's CJ Bailey and Hollywood Smothers each accounted for two rushing scores.
Smothers became the first NC State player to rush for 130+ yards and score two rushing touchdowns in a game since Reggie Gallaspy II against ECU in 2018. His 140 ground yards came on only 17 attempts, averaging just over eight yards per carry.
Bailey also got it done through the air, passing for 200 yards to seven different receivers, completing 70 percent of his passes with a score.
Both offenses came out of the gate hot, resulting in four straight touchdown drives between the two sides to start the game. The Cavaliers ripped off a 39-yard touchdown run on a 4th and 1 play to open up the scoring, with Bailey scurrying in the end zone for a 30-yard run of his own on the following possession.
The Wolfpack's second score came on a 27-yard strike from Bailey to Noah Rogers. This marked the first touchdown of the season for Rogers, who had missed much of the second half last week against ECU due to an injury.
Virginia's offense was efficient on third down, converting 10 of 13 attempts in the first half, 1 of 1 on fourth down, and going 3 for 3 on their trips to the red zone. On the other side of the ball, NC State was 0-6 on third downs until the fourth quarter, when the Wolfpack converted its first third down with 5:20 left in the game.
The Pack entered the half trailing 14-24 after the Cavaliers scored a late second-half touchdown, sparked by a 48-yard punt return to extend their lead.
The Wolfpack offense came out in the second half much like it started the game, scoring touchdowns on its first three drives to take its first lead of the game, and it never gave it back.
The defense stepped up in big moments in the second half, allowing the offense to outscore Virginia 21-10 during the final two periods.
The Cavaliers' field goal try with 13:20 left to go in the 4th hit off the left upright, keeping their deficit at four and forcing them to unsuccessfully push for a touchdown on their final drive.
The Wolfpack's win moves the all-time series to 38-22-1 and 4-0 under Dave Doeren. NC State will next face off against Wake Forest at Winston-Salem on Thursday, September 11th, at 7:30 and broadcast on ESPN.
Quotable: NC State Head Coach Dave Doeren
Super proud of the comeback win. I'm proud of the guys for their grit and resiliency. I just want to thank our fans who came today. It was hot, and for you guys to sit in that sun and cheer for us the way you did means a lot to our players and staff, so thank you.
Offensively played really well, zero turnovers on offense, one penalty the whole game, 100% in the redzone, had explosive plays, rushed for over 200 yards, TE's and OL did a good job blocking. We got things to work on, I was proud of them (defense) in the 2nd half, only giving up one score.
On O-line in 2nd half and Yousef Mugharbil: I think his story is amazing. It was awesome to see us run the football the way we did. Coach Roper and his staff made some adjustments and said, 'look, let's just hand the ball to #3 and get downhill. Yousef's story is one for the books. One of the highest recruited O-linemen in CFB coming out of high school. Goes to Florida and has a tragic accident, hit by a semi-truck on a scooter, and lost football for a while and couldn't play. Really had to go through a real intensive recovery process. He came here and has worked really hard, and I'm proud of him. He came in and gave us some really good energy today.
On Hollywood Smothers: He had a great offseason, great camp. He brings energy, holds people accountable, and he plays hard as hell. He wants the football, but if you don't give it to him, he won't complain. He's going to block, he's going to run routes. He doesn't care; he just wants to win. Anytime he touches the ball, it's a potential explosive play.
I think this team understands who NC State is: grit. This team has grit. It's in our DNA. We train in chaos, you know, we look forward to tough situations here. We've practiced a lot of stuff that you're seeing at the end of games. They're tough kids, they want to win, and they know how to dig deep.
Quotable: Virginia Head Coach Tony Elliott
The difference was they made a fourth and one, and we didn't. They made a critical play when we didn't.
We came down here to win, nonconference or not, we came down here to win, and we came up short. Hats off to Coach Doeren and his guys for finding a way to win the game.
That was a good football game against two good football teams that were battling, that got good offensive personnel.
We didn't have any sacks either. We didn't give a sack, and we made one critical play. That's two good football teams going at it. To be honest with you, that offensive line right there is really good, and they've got a ton of experience, and our offensive line is down a right tackle playing a guy that's a backup guy for us, and we didn't give any sacks up either.
