Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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36 OCT. 11, 2025 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED GAME PREVIEW: NORTH CAROLINA STATE "All of that is a test. And for us, it's about standing up to this test and stick- ing together in the face of adversity. And as a fan base, we understand how pas- sionate you are and how much you want us to win. And just know that you've got a coach and a staff and a bunch of young men that are trying their butts off, and they're not going to quit. "And that's what we're about. We're about sticking together and fighting as we go through this. We ask that you do the same, that you stick with us and fight." North Carolina State and Notre Dame have met just four times in football, with three of those being regular-season games after the ACC agreement was put in place a little more than a decade ago. The initial clash came in the Gator Bowl at the end of the 2002 season, with the Wolfpack prevailing over Tyrone Will- ingham's Irish, 28-6. Two of the three games since involved two of the only five weather delays in Irish football history, including the most recent matchup in 2023 in Raleigh. The Irish won that lightning-delayed game, 45-24. Under Doeren, North Carolina State has been good but has never cozied up to greatness. The Pack has never won an ACC title under him or even a division crown when those existed, and has only finished in the final Associated Press Top 25 three times in the Doeren era. In his two seasons as head coach at Northern Illinois (2011-12), before taking the Wolfpack job, Doeren had one top-25 team and almost a second. Now North Carolina State needs a redemptive run to end this season to reboot the program, beginning Oct. 11 in South Bend. "You control what you can, and you surround yourself with people that want to do the same," Doeren said. "My advice to anybody — not just our players — is to be in a circle of friends that promote your growth. You don't listen to things that people tell you that you don't ask for advice from. And I'm sure they're not getting on social media asking for advice. Why pay attention to what people are saying? "It's one thing to say you want us to win when we're winning and when we lose, to say that you want us to leave. That's not loyalty. We're going to be loyal to the people that are loyal to us — and that's these players, that's these coaches. And we're going to fight together and we're going to fight hard. "That's the message, and these kids are going to do the same." ✦ 1. Pick-Your-Poison Corps Of Pass Catchers Through Week 5, North Carolina State had seven players that had caught at least 10 passes. For reference, at the same point in the season, Notre Dame had four. Sure, the Wolfpack had played one more game than the Irish, five to four, but there was only one more Irish player even within 5 receptions of the double-digit plateau at that time. And this is an improved array of pass catchers at Notre Dame we're talking about, too. The Wolfpack has a very diverse group of receivers, even more so than Notre Dame. The numbers don't lie. Tight end Justin Joly is a surehanded target with 24 catches for 213 yards and 2 touchdowns through five games. Wide receivers Terrell Anderson, Wesley Grimes and Noah Rogers are break- away home-run threats who average between 14 and 18 yards per catch through five games. Even running back Hollywood Smothers ranked second on the team in receptions with 19 in five games. Everywhere you look, someone is catching a pass — or 12 — for North Carolina State. 2. Quarterback CJ Bailey Is Taking The Next Steps Pass catchers aren't anything without someone to distribute them the ball. North Carolina State has someone who's coming into his own in that regard in sophomore CJ Bailey, a Hollywood, Fla., native and a three-star prospect. Part of the reason why the Wolfpack's receivers have such gaudy statistics is it's been throw, throw, throw for Bailey in his second season as the starter. He attempted 32.4 passes per game in the Pack's first five games. Impres- sively, he completed 72.8 percent of them for 264.6 yards per game with 9 TD tosses and 4 interceptions. Three of the picks came in a 45-33 loss at Duke. Bailey's good is really good. Bailey's bad is, well, bad. The objective for the Irish should be to rattle him and make him more prone to the latter. 3. Watch Out For Linebacker Duo Senior linebackers Caden Fordham and Sean Brown had 52 and 44 total tackles, respectively, through North Carolina State's first five games. The next closest Wolfpack players to them in that important statistical category, defensive back Brody Barnhardt and defensive end Cian Stone, were tied with 23 each at that time. North Carolina State has far from a formidable defense, but Fordham and Brown are exceptions to the generally accepted claim that the Wolfpack isn't working with much on that side of the ball. Notre Dame will need to be aware of where they are at all times. Obviously, as linebackers, they will be patrolling the middle of the field. But Fordham had 4 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks through five games, and Brown had 3.5 tackles for loss as well. The Wolfpack is going to utilize the pair as defensive players who can make a dif- ference against a good Notre Dame offense, and the Irish need to be aware of that and game-plan around them. — Tyler Horka Junior tight end Justin Joly was the Wolfpack's leading pass catcher through five games, reeling in 24 receptions for 213 yards and 2 scores. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE ATHLETICS Three Things To Know About North Carolina State