Coming in on a five-game losing streak, Stanford’s defensive struggles reached new lows on Saturday. NC State football exhibited prodigious offensive firepower, pinning 59 points on the Cardinal’s reeling defense through a running game that carried the team from start to finish. The Wolfpack’s 281 yards on the ground was a season-high and a monumental improvement from its porous 29-yard outing against Cal two weeks ago.
When the starters were in the game, the offense scored on every drive — eight out of nine possessions ending in touchdowns. The onslaught signifies the best of the season and the team’s highest-scoring output since 2015. Here’s an analysis of each offensive position group from Saturday’s performance.
Quarterback
True freshman quarterback CJ Bailey showed immense precision against Stanford, completing 90% of his passes — with his only two incompletions being a throwaway and a throw through contact — for 234 yards and three touchdowns in just over three quarters. His 237.8 passer rating was the best of his young career, a milestone for a signal caller developing every week.
“CJ is a worker,” said head coach Dave Doeren. “You see this smiling young kid running around making plays, but behind the scenes, he’s a grinder. He’s in there watching film and he practices really hard.”
One particularly mature play from Bailey came in the first quarter on a 30-yard completion to junior receiver Wesley Grimes. With Grimes’ route developing, Bailey kept his eyes down the middle of the field, holding the free safety with his glance before launching a beauty to the Wake Forest transfer at the break of his corner route. Such progression is a rarity for a freshman making his fifth career start.
The dual-threat 18-year-old also created offense with his legs, breaking off a 17-yard run on the first drive and forcing Stanford to respect another dimension of the offense. Multiple times throughout the game, the threat of Bailey getting outside the pocket froze defenders, allowing for openings in the second level. Offensive coordinator Robert Anae also designed opportunities for Bailey off play-action, primarily from the pistol, to roll out on bootlegs and misdirections, creating space outside the numbers for playmakers.
Redshirt freshman quarterback Lex Thomas saw action as well, leading three fourth-quarter possessions. Thomas finished 1-2 for 12 yards and an interception, NC State’s lone turnover.
Running backs
Redshirt freshman running back Hollywood Smothers continues to find ways to make plays, finishing Saturday with over 100 all-purpose yards for the third straight week, marking his first solely on the ground. The Wolfpack has leaned on Smothers increasingly every game, as this week the Oklahoma transfer had a team-high 16 carries — more than all other backs combined. The highlight of his day came in the third quarter, breaking the grasp of three would-be tacklers and outrunning the rest en route to a 52-yard score.
“He’s so consistent,” said graduate running back Jordan Waters. “He comes in with a mindset of ‘[I] want this,’ and if you’re around Hollywood, he makes everybody around him better. That’s why he’s continued to get better every day. He’s going to be a great one for NC State.”
After missing the previous game against Cal, Waters returned to action with a splash, finishing with 115 yards on just five carries and two touchdowns, including a 94-yarder that salted the game away. After today, Waters reclaimed his title as the team’s leading rusher.
Three new faces played a role in the running game, with redshirt senior Demarcus Jones II, redshirt freshman Coleson Fields and true freshman Jayden Scott taking three carries a piece. Jones II is the only one with in-game experience this season.
Anae’s utilization of the pistol formation, primarily on downhill runs, opened running lanes that hadn’t developed all season, hurting the Cardinal in both the running game and the play-fake. The group played inspired football, averaging 7.9 yards per carry and causing problems all afternoon for Stanford’s defense, who came into the game last in ACC scoring defense.
Receivers
Targets were spread relatively evenly among the receivers, with four players catching at least three passes for over 30 yards. Junior tight end Justin Joly led the way with 66 yards plus a touchdown on a Bailey scramble drill. Joly’s athleticism was displayed on a 40-yard screen pass in the first quarter, using blockers and space to get out of the goalpost’s shadow. Grimes was close behind Joly with a season-high 65 yards.
True freshman Keenan Jackson put in all his work on a second-quarter touchdown drive where he caught three passes for 48 yards, including a 25-yard third down conversion and the drive’s capping touchdown.
Sophomore receiver Kevin Concepcion continued to struggle with explosive plays, but the reigning ACC Freshman of the Year remains a focal part of the game plan. Anae made a point of manufacturing touches for KC, aligning him in wildcat formation twice, reps at tailback and employing the same screen pass that opened space for Joly. Despite averaging just 6.6 yards a touch, Concepcion scored twice — once on a wildcat run and once on a toe-tapping reception.
Offensive line
The pinnacle storyline was NC State’s ground performance, led by the big men up front. After averaging 3.5 yards per carry through eight games, the line stepped up by doubling the mark to seven yards against Stanford. Zone and counter runs out of the pistol gave the lineman time to set up double teams and post to the second level, an adjustment from previous weeks.
“Those guys did a great job today,” Doeren said. “They’re a good defensive front, and statistically, one of the better rushing defenses in the ACC. You wouldn’t know that watching that game. Our guys controlled the line of scrimmage and we had big holes for guys to run through and then you love seeing the backs finish runs like that.”
Bailey took only two sacks on the day, a continuation of a solid campaign for a squad that has given up 19 on the season. On the Joly screen pass, graduate center and team captain Zeke Correll could be seen 45 yards beyond the line of scrimmage, laying waste to defensive backs and clearing a path for a chunk play. The effort from Correll captured the essence of the offensive line’s play and the team.
