NC State opened the season with a 24-17 win over East Carolina on Thursday night at Carter-Finley Stadium, avenging its Military Bowl loss to the Pirates. Now, the Wolfpack is ready to turn the page as Virginia visits Raleigh on Saturday.
But while the Cavaliers and Wolfpack are set to clash, it will be the first non-conference meeting between the two programs since 1948. The two teams will meet again for another non-ACC game next fall in Charlottesville, as well.
Virginia will provide the biggest test for NC State to this point. This week’s episode of The Wolfpacker Show previews just the fourth tilt between the two teams in the last 13 years.
In this episode, the hosts discussed:
– Noah opened the show quickly recapping NC State’s 24-17 win over East Carolina from Thursday night. He handed out a pair of game balls to two of the Wolfpack’s top performers from the team’s season-opening victory.
– After moving on from the ECU win, Preston Willett of The Sabre and the Hoos on Podcast joined the show to preview NC State’s next opponent: Virginia. The Cavaliers beat Coastal Carolina with an impressive 48-7 win to begin the 2025 campaign.
– Preston broke down what went well for the Cavaliers in the victory, including a surprise of special teams success. Virginia had a 100-yard kickoff return touchdown, while it also logged a blocked punt, which led to another score. That was a big improvement from the past few years, where the Cavaliers special teams struggled on its coverage and return units, Willett noted.
– In addition to its special teams, Virginia found immediate success with its new-look offense, headlined by North Texas transfer quarterback Chandler Morris. The sixth-year college player threw for 3,774 yards, 31 touchdowns and 12 interceptions on a 63.1 percent completion rate at North Texas last fall. He was able to begin his Cavaliers career on the right foot as he was 19-for-27 passing for 264 yards and two touchdowns against Coastal Carolina.
– Morris wasn’t the only transfer that Willett was impressed with. Former James Madison wide receiver Cam Ross turned heads as he had seven receptions for 124 yards and a touchdown in his Virginia debut. Willett described how Ross shook the drops issue that he had at JMU with eight a year ago.
– Willett also touched on how Virginia’s defense has changed with transfers, including several in the secondary from this offseason.
– After Willett’s segment, Noah finished off the show with his score prediction for NC State and Virginia. He also touched on a few other headlines around campus, including Wolfpack men’s soccer’s highest-ever ranking in program history.
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