When N.C. State and Notre Dame went to the locker room at halftime with the Irish leading by three Saturday, it looked like the Wolfpack was going to have a chance at an upset.
The first two quarters were a defensive rock fight, the teams combining for 387 yards of total offense and just 83 rushing yards. While N.C. State’s defense did what it could in that opening half, it ran out of gas in the second, and the Pack’s offense lacked the firepower it showed in previous outings. No. 16 Notre Dame then ran away with a 36-7 victory over N.C. State in South Bend.
“We just didn’t get it done. It’s simple,” said linebacker Caden Fordham. “We’ve got to play complementary football. We haven’t done that yet all year, in my opinion.”
Fordham added that he’s not blaming the offense, which has bailed out the defense on several occasions. The team is merely disappointed that it still hasn’t put together a full game.
“It’s tough,” Fordham said. “All of us love to play ball, so we’re going to fight for them just like they fight for us. We’re a team at the end of the day, so we’re going to play together, and we’re going to keep going back out there and giving everything we got for those guys.”
Pack quarterback CJ Bailey is a budding star, but he finished with his worst performance of the season. Bailey completed just 17 of 30 passes for 186 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions.
The Irish held the Wolfpack to a season-low 223 yards overall, and 51 rushing yards.
Freshman quarterback Will Wilson was one of the bright spots during the team’s rough day. He entered the lineup in the first quarter and converted on the fourth-and-1 play. Wilson is now 10 of 13 on the plays he’s used for, either converting for a first down or scoring a touchdown.
Following Wilson’s conversion, Bailey connected with wide receiver Terrell Anderson for a 45-yard touchdown.
The offense, or lack of it, overshadowed the effort N.C. State showed on defense, where the team has struggled this season. It finished with a goal-line stop and forced a pair of turnovers.
Fordham and defensive back Ronnie Royal led the team with 10 tackles each. Defensive back Asaad Brown followed close behind at nine.
Travali Price and Jackson Vick made a couple of highlight-worthy contributions as well. Price jumped up to bat down one of CJ Carr’s passes and later sacked the Irish quarterback. Vick returned to the lineup for the first time since Week 3, adding a near-interception in the second half and provided coverage on a third-down stop.
Carr finished 19 of 31 for 342 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.
“I applaud defense for today, because they played ball today,” Bailey said. “That was big for us.”
O-line struggles for second game in three weeks
N.C. State’s offensive line has done a decent job this season in pass protection, limiting the amount of contact CJ Bailey has taken in the backfield. Of the nine sacks allowed this fall, five took place in the Week 5 loss to Virginia Tech. In the remaining games, N.C. State allowed one sack in two games and zero against Virginia and Campbell. As a team, it has finished with a pass blocking grade above 63 in five matchups and above 75 in three, according to Pro Football Focus.
The Wolfpack struggled to control the line of scrimmage again, giving up three sacks in the first half. Two sacks came on back-to-back plays in the second quarter. Even when he wasn’t on the ground, the offensive line could not consistently handle the Fighting Irish’s defensive front and forced Bailey to scramble on two other first-half plays as the pocket collapsed.
Notre Dame defensive lineman Boubacar Traore sacks NC State quarterback CJ Bailey during their game at Notre Dame Stadium on Oct. 11, 2025, in South Bend. MICHAEL CLUBB SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
He was sacked for a loss of 12 yards late in the third quarter, erasing half of the yardage gained on the previous two plays.
The ability to maintain leverage at the line of scrimmage and protect whoever was in the backfield had been a point of pride for the Wolfpack.
“That’s what we block for,” offensive lineman Jacarrius Peak said this week. “Us five up front block for the other six on the field, so they can do their job and make plays.”
N.C. State’s challenges in South Bend can be partially attributed to an undisclosed injury to offensive lineman Anthony Carter in the first quarter. He was ruled out for the remainder of the game. Carter, a graduate student from Charlotte, is one of the more experienced players in the Wolfpack’s front five. He’s also one of the more efficient players in the pass-blocking scheme, entering the game with a grade of 70.7 on PFF.
Kamen Smith replaced Carter at guard. Smith has been used at guard in five games. He came into the contest with a 67.3 pass blocking average, though he was unable to get off the block on one play and allowed an opening for the Irish defense to swarm Bailey.
Notre Dame tight end Eli Raridon, center, is brought down in the first half of a game against NC State at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025. MICHAEL CLUBB SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Pack defense starts hot on third, fourth down
Third-down defense is one of N.C. State’s pain points this season, as it has allowed opponents to convert on 41 of 93 opportunities (44%). It is ranked No. 110 out of 134 FBS teams. Its fourth-down defense ranked No. 50, giving up six conversions on 13 opportunities (46.2%)
On Saturday, N.C. State showed improvement — at least in the first half — in its ability to pick up third- and fourth-down stops.
The Wolfpack held the Fighting Irish to 2 of 7 on third-down opportunities (28.6%) in the first half, even though Notre Dame had, on average, 5.1 yards to go. On first-half third-down opportunities with 4 yards or fewer, N.C. State did not allow a conversion on the Irish’s four tries.
Its success extended to fourth-down chances as well. Notre Dame decided against punting on two first-half drives, and it came back to hurt the team.
The Wolfpack forced a turnover on downs with inches to the first-down marker after Fordham and Tra Thomas got around their respective opponents to push CJ Carr out of bounds for a sack of 10 yards and offensive possession.
Later in the second quarter, Brown picked off Carr in the end zone. He had an assist from Devon Marshall, who was blocking the intended receiver.
The Irish, however, finished 6 of 14 (42.8%) on third down after a long day for the Wolfpack defense.
Penalties keep Irish in the game
N.C. State committed 33 penalties in its first six games and averaged 50 penalty yards per game. It lacked discipline at times during its trip to Notre Dame.
The Wolfpack was called for five total penalties for 60 yards lost, with three committed by the defense. Midway through the third quarter, N.C. State had surpassed its average penalty yardage after an offensive holding penalty and three pass interference calls on three different players. Those calls extended drives during a game where the team couldn’t really afford mistakes.
NC State Wolfpack defensive back Asaad Brown Jr. intercepts a pass in the end zone during a game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Notre Dame Stadium. Michael Caterina Imagn Images
Turnover battle: Lost
Head coach Dave Doeren and the players talked about the importance of winning the turnover battle. This is always a point of emphasis, but the Fighting Irish were the best team in the nation in the turnover game, and it was a specific area where N.C. State wanted to have success.
“If you want to win a game, that’s the first thing we have to do,” Doeren said. “That takes everybody.”
Its game plan did not come to fruition.
In addition to Brown’s end-zone interception, Royal forced a fumble. Their contributions could have been the difference in the game, but they were overshadowed by the offensive collapse. N.C. State committed three turnovers in the loss.
Prior to the outing, Notre Dame’s defense led the nation in turnovers gained (9) — eight on interceptions — and averaged a plus-1 turnover margin. It added three more turnovers to its season statistics and, as expected, won the game with a positive turnover margin.
This story was originally published October 11, 2025 at 7:23 PM.
