The 2026 NC State Wolfpack football team represents North Carolina State University as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) during the 2026 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Wolfpack are led by Dave Doeren in his 14th season as their head coach. They play their home games at Carter–Finley Stadium located in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Schedule The Week 0 game on August 29 against Virginia was initially scheduled to be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Due to issues with hosting the event in Brazil, the game was moved to Charlottesville, Virginia.
Game summaries at Virginia
Statistics NCSUUVA First downs 10 18 Plays–yards 51–168 68–413 Rushes–yards 24–76 57–258 Passing yards 92 155 Passing: –– 15–27–1 9–11–0 Turnovers 2 0 Time of possession 21:56 38:04 Team Category Player Statistics NC State Passing CJ Bailey 12/23, 84 yards, INT Rushing CJ Bailey 10 carries, 33 yards Receiving Vander Ploog 2 receptions, 25 yards Virginia Passing Beau Pribula 9/11, 155 yards, 2 TD Rushing Beau Pribula 15 carries, 110 yards Receiving Xavier Brown 2 receptions, 58 yards, TD
vs. Richmond (FCS)
Statistics RICHNCSU First downs 6 31 Plays–yards 49–110 69–734 Rushes–yards 22–34 45–448 Passing yards 76 306 Passing: –– 8–27–1 18–24–0 Turnovers 1 0 Time of possession 22:17 37:43 Team Category Player Statistics Richmond Passing Ashten Snelsire 8/23, 76 yards, INT Rushing Warrick Stephenson 14 carries, 58 yards Receiving Michael Creamer 1 reception, 23 yards NC State Passing CJ Bailey 13/17, 281 yards, TD Rushing Jayden Scott 9 carries, 128 yards, 2 TD Receiving Keenan Jackson 4 receptions, 123 yards
at Vanderbilt
The Commodores overcame a 24–7 deficit in the third quarter. After falling behind early, they rallied to make it a three point game late in the fourth and got the ball back with less than a minute to play. However, they threw a pick at the goal line with less than 30 seconds left, giving NC State the ball back. With six seconds left, NC State attempted to take a safety to run out the clock, but CJ Bailey fumbled the ball in the end zone. Vanderbilt recovered in the end zone for a touchdown to complete the comeback and improve to 3–0. The play is known as the "Music City Miracle II" or the "Music City Miscue".
Statistics NCSUVAN First downs 25 20 Plays–yards 79446 58409 Rushes–yards 41166 24132 Passing yards 280 277 Passing: –– 26381 20342 Time of possession 35:49 24:11 Team Category Player Statistics NC State Passing CJ Bailey 25/37, 275 yards, 3 TD Rushing Jayden Scott 16 carries, 51 yards Receiving Keenan Jackson 9 receptions, 102 yards, 3 TD Vanderbilt Passing Jared Curtis 20/34, 277 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT Rushing Jared Curtis 12 carries, 64 yards Receiving Junior Sherrill 6 receptions, 108 yards, 2 TD
vs. Appalachian State
Statistics APPNCSU First downs Plays–yards Rushes–yards Passing yards Passing: –– Time of possession Team Category Player Statistics Appalachian State Passing Rushing Receiving NC State Passing Rushing Receiving
vs. Louisville
Statistics LOUNCSU First downs Plays–yards Rushes–yards Passing yards Passing: –– Time of possession Team Category Player Statistics Louisville Passing Rushing Receiving NC State Passing Rushing Receiving
vs. Wake Forest
Statistics WAKENCSU First downs Plays–yards Rushes–yards Passing yards Passing: –– Time of possession Team Category Player Statistics Wake Forest Passing Rushing Receiving NC State Passing Rushing Receiving
at Stanford
Statistics NCSUSTAN First downs Plays–yards Rushes–yards Passing yards Passing: –– Time of possession Team Category Player Statistics NC State Passing Rushing Receiving Stanford Passing Rushing Receiving
vs. California
Statistics CALNCSU First downs Plays–yards Rushes–yards Passing yards Passing: –– Time of possession Team Category Player Statistics California Passing Rushing Receiving NC State Passing Rushing Receiving
vs. Duke
Statistics DUKENCSU First downs Plays–yards Rushes–yards Passing yards Passing: –– Time of possession Team Category Player Statistics Duke Passing Rushing Receiving NC State Passing Rushing Receiving
vs. Syracuse
Statistics SYRNCSU First downs Plays–yards Rushes–yards Passing yards Passing: –– Time of possession Team Category Player Statistics Syracuse Passing Rushing Receiving NC State Passing Rushing Receiving
at Florida State
Statistics NCSUFSU First downs Plays–yards Rushes–yards Passing yards Passing: –– Time of possession Team Category Player Statistics NC State Passing Rushing Receiving Florida State Passing Rushing Receiving
at North Carolina
Statistics NCSUUNC First downs Plays–yards Rushes–yards Passing yards Passing: –– Time of possession Team Category Player Statistics NC State Passing Rushing Receiving North Carolina Passing Rushing Receiving
References