Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1540095
BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM OCT. 11, 2025 37 GAME PREVIEW: NORTH CAROLINA STATE NORTH CAROLINA STATE RUNNING GAME VS. NOTRE DAME RUN DEFENSE The success of North Carolina State's rushing attack relies on the legs of red- shirt sophomore running back Hol- lywood Smothers. Prior to hosting FCS-level Campbell Oct. 4, Smothers accounted for 75 percent of his team's rushing total. He turned 96 carries into 570 yards and 4 touchdowns in the first five games for the Wolfpack. Sophomore quarterback CJ Bailey provides a running threat for North Carolina State as well, but he's not as elusive as Smothers. The Wolfpack's leading rusher forced 28 missed tack- les, which ranked sixth in the country through Week 5, according to Pro Foot- ball Focus. North Carolina State doesn't have a particularly consistent offensive line, and Smothers too frequently has to make plays happen with his elusiveness. That's also why the Wolfpack managed runs of 20 or more yards on just five oc- casions in its first five games. Notre Dame's run defense has been the most consistent aspect of its de- fense, so it should be able to account for Smothers. As the Irish pass defense has shown improvement, the run defense can be even more balanced. If Bailey can break free for a couple long runs like Arkansas quarterback Taylen Green did against Notre Dame, the Irish may need to recalibrate their plan. Notre Dame should be able to rely on redshirt senior defensive tackle Gabriel Rubio in helping stop the run. Junior defensive tackle Elijah Hughes has given the interior a lift while others in the ro- tation haven't been as productive. Sophomore linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa has been Notre Dame's best run defender. He's willing to take on lead blockers and plays with aggres- sion in diagnosing the play. The North Carolina State game would be a good time for junior linebacker Drayk Bowen, a captain, to give his best performance of the season while the Irish try to smother Smothers. Advantage: Notre Dame NORTH CAROLINA STATE PASSING GAME VS. NOTRE DAME PASS DEFENSE CJ Bailey took over as the Wolfpack's starting quarterback as a freshman last season while Grayson McCall, a graduate transfer from Coastal Carolina, dealt with injuries. Bailey ended the season 196-of- 302 passing (64.9 percent) for 2,413 yards with 17 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in nine starts and 12 games played. The 6-foot-6, 213-pound Bailey showed improved efficiency at the start of his sophomore season. By the end of September, Bailey completed 72.8 per- cent of his passes for 1,323 yards with 9 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. His passing efficiency rating of 154.8 through Week 5 ranked No. 39 — just one spot be- hind Taylen Green of Arkansas and four spots behind Texas A&M's Marcel Reed. Notre Dame shut down Green but struggled to contain Reed. That's in large part due to A&M having better and faster wide receivers than the Razor- backs. North Carolina State's receiving corps doesn't have the top-end talent of A&M either. Bailey likes to spread the ball around in North Carolina State's offense, which is why tight end Justin Joly led the Wolf- pack in receptions (24) through the first five games. The Wolfpack's best wide receiver, Terrell Anderson, was tied with Smothers for the second-most recep- tions at 19. Anderson provides the big- play ability with 338 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns. He accounted for six of the Pack's 20 passing plays of 20 or more yards in the first five games. Notre Dame's pass defense had too many struggles to start the season to re- ceive the benefit of doubt against a ca- pable quarterback. The Irish secondary needed to settle into some personnel and technique tweaks to put itself in a bet- ter spot in recent weeks. Time will tell if Notre Dame's pass defense can get by with its current bandages or if it will need a surgical overhaul in the near future. On PaPer Redshirt sophomore running back Hollywood Smothers led the ACC and ranked fourth nationally in rush- ing yards (570) heading into Week 6. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE ATHLETICS