Hollywood Smothers powered North Carolina State past Virginia with two rushing touchdowns and 140 yards on the ground, leading the Wolfpack to a 35-31 victory Saturday afternoon in Raleigh, N.C.
Quarterback CJ Bailey added balance to the offense, throwing for 200 yards and a touchdown on 16-of-23 passing while also rushing for two scores. Noah Rogers, returning from an injury in the season opener, caught Bailey’s lone touchdown pass.
Virginia (1-1) nearly pulled off a late rally. After a Wolfpack punt, the Cavaliers took over at their own 19 with 2:12 left. They advanced quickly to the NC State 12, but quarterback Chandler Morris’ pass into the end zone was intercepted by Cian Slone to seal the win.
It was a non-conference matchup between ACC rivals.
J’Mari Taylor fueled the Cavaliers’ attack with 150 rushing yards and three touchdowns, while Morris completed 30 of 43 passes for 257 yards and one score. Despite outgaining NC State 514-416 in total yardage, Virginia was shut out in the final quarter.
The Wolfpack (2-0) used a 21-point outburst in the third quarter to swing momentum. Smothers broke the deadlock with a 9-yard touchdown run in the final minute of the period, giving NC State the lead for good.
Smothers also opened the second half with a 14-yard scoring run, and Bailey followed with a 12-yard keeper that put NC State in front. Taylor briefly reclaimed the lead for Virginia on a 66-yard burst before Smothers’ second touchdown closed the scoring.
The game began with fireworks, as the teams traded four touchdowns in the opening 16 minutes. Virginia built a 24-14 halftime lead behind a Will Bettridge 29-yard field goal and a late 3-yard touchdown toss from Morris to Sage Ennis.
Before Saturday, Virginia had scored exactly 21 points in each of its three meetings with NC State under coach Dave Doeren. This time, the Cavaliers topped that mark by halftime—but it wasn’t enough to prevent the Wolfpack from holding serve at home.
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