NC State, Wake Forest Atlantic Coast Conference Opponents, Teams That Have Records Of 2-0 Are Facing, Opposing Each Other Thursday Night In Winston-Salem
NC State, Wake Forest Atlantic Coast Conference opponents, teams that have records of 2-0 are facing, opposing each other Thursday night in Winston -Salem.
Where?
On the gridiron!
Though,
Unfortunately either NC State or Wake Forest is going to sustain their first loss of the season on Thursday night in Winston- Salem.
NC State comes into the game with Wake Forest with record of 2-0 because they kicked off Atlantic Coast Conference play on Saturday September 6, 2025 with 35-31 win over Virginia in North Carolina’s state capital.
Though,
NC State was behind Virginia 31-28 in 3rd quarter NC State would top Virginia because of Hollywood Smothers rushing touchdown, Kanoah Vinesett made extra point.
Following NC State topping Virginia 31-28 quarterback CJ Bailey had this to say about Hollywood Smothers It was great to see Hollywood get in the mix and do a lot for this team,”
“Hollywood’s been a guy that’s been grinding hard all camp, and he’s showed this game and last game, he’s one of our important players on offense. We need him for the rest of the year.”
Following NC State topping Virginia 31-28 Head Coach Dave Doeren had this to say about his team running the football about Hollywood Smother’s about the energy he brings!
“It was awesome to see us run the football the way we did,
I thought Coach [Kurt] Roper and the offensive staff made some adjustments and said, ‘Look, let’s just hand the ball to No. 3 and get downhill. That first drive of the second half, that’s what we did, and the offense did a great job of being physical; tight ends, running backs, receivers, tailbacks making plays.”
He brings energy, holds people accountable. He plays hard as hell,”
He wants the football, but if you don’t give it to him, he’s not going to complain. He’s going to block, he’s going to run routes. He doesn’t care. He just wants to win. Guys like that tend to make plays; unselfish, tough guys that work hard. He’s got a lot of talent, so anytime he touches the ball, it’s a potential explosive play.”
According to Jadyn Watson Fisher News & Observer article https://www.newsobserver.com/sports/college/acc/nc-state/article311901932.html
Wake Forest like NC State comes into the game with record of 2-0 because they beat Western Carolina 42-10 Saturday in Winston -Salem because their offense included six touchdowns There first touchdown was a 41 yard rushing touchdown by Robby Ashford in the 1st quarter that gave Wake Forest a 7-0 lead before Demond Claiborne extended the lead with a rushing touchdown of his own a 33 yard touchdown where the two point conversion failed extending Wake Forest lead over Western Carolina 13-0 before Demond Claiborne would run for 27 yard touchdown though 2 point conversion would fail extending Wake Forest lead over Western Carolina this time 19-0. In the 3rd quarter Demond Claiborne would run for 85 yard touchdown , Connor Calvert would kick, make extra extending Wake Forest lead over Western Carolina this time 28-3 before Sterling Berkhalter would catch 51 yard pass from Robby Ashford, Connor Calvert would kick, make extra point extending Wake Forest lead yet again over Western Carolina this time, 35-3 before Jeremiah Melvin would catch 27 yard pass from Deshawn Purdie extending Wake Forest lead yet again this time 42-3. Though, the final score would be 42-10 because Western Carolina would get the last laugh as Markel Townsend would run for 1 yard Marcus Trout would kick, make extra point.
Following Wake Forest 42-10 win over Western Carolina Saturday in Winston Salem Head Coach Jake Dickert had this to say!
First of all, I want to thank any and all fans who lasted that marathon. That was a first for me; I've never been in this type of situation. I told the team this game was a credit to their focus, attention to detail and willingness to want to go out there and get better. Overall, there were some really good things today. There was so much to clean up and we wanted to improve from Week 1 to Week 2. We can't keep coming in here week after week and saying, 'We have to get rid of the missed assignments, we have to take care of the football.' We have to make sure we're going out and applying those things, and it starts in practice, so I'm proud of our team. Everybody knows what's going to happen here in five days, so we'll get back in this locker room and get back at it. Next week we have a Big Four opponent coming here, which is a big deal for ourselves, our institution and our league."
According to Grant Keith’s article https://godeacs.com/news/2025/9/6/football-deacs-grab-42-10-victory-over-western-carolina
Kickoff is set for 7:30pm from Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium!
The game is going to be televised on ESPN with Matt Barrie , Tom Luginbill , Harry Lyles Jr. commentating!
Former collegiate and Arena football star Tom Luginbill joined Scouts Inc. in 2002. When the NFL-based company was purchased by ESPN in 2005, Luginbill was promoted to national recruiting director. He provides in-depth recruiting analysis for top collegiate football prospects on ESPN.com as well as on air analysis across ESPN platforms for high school football recruiting and college football, including sidelines for an ESPN or ABC Saturday game and contributes to ESPN’s UFL game coverage as an analyst. In addition, Luginbill is a regular host/analyst on SiriusXM. He has an extensive background in professional football as well as talent evaluation and has served in various scouting capacities since 1996.
In 2024, Luginbill was named as the lead analyst for ACC Network Primetime football games alongside play-by-play voice Wes Durham and reporter Dana Boyle.
As a player, Luginbill set the all-time national junior college record for passing while playing for Palomar Junior College in San Diego in 1992 and ’93 when Palomar won the JUCO National Championship with an 11-0 record. He became one of the most highly recruited junior college players in the nation before transferring to Georgia Tech. After one season as the starter for the Yellow Jackets and the firing of Georgia Tech coach Bill Lewis, Luginbill transferred to Division I-AA Eastern Kentucky.
Luginbill was named the ACC newcomer of the year in 1994 and was graduated from Eastern Kentucky with a bachelor’s degree in sociology. He also received a master’s degree in physical education from Marshall University in 1999.
Luginbill then signed with the Texas Terror of the Arena Football League (AFL) for the 1996 season and played for the Florida Bobcats in 1997. After two seasons playing quarterback in the AFL, he turned to coaching.
In 1996 and 1997, Luginbill was an assistant coach/player personnel for the Amsterdam Admirals of NFL Europe. In 1998, he came back to the AFL. He was quarterback coach and offensive coordinator with the New York City Hawks for one season, before going to Nashville to coach special teams for the Kats in ‘99. For the 2000 season, Luginbill got his first head coaching position in the Arena Football League 2 at the age of 25, where he coached the Tennessee Valley Vipers to the Arena Cup Finals in their Inaugural season.
Luginbill took a chance and signed on as the offensive coordinator and quarterback coach of the Los Angeles Xtreme in 2001. The Xtreme went on to win the championship in the XFL’s only season. Luginbill coached league MVP Tommy Maddox, who went on the following year to become the NFL Comeback Player of the Year with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Luginbill returned to the AFL with the Dallas Cowboys as the offensive coordinator for the Dallas Desperados in 2002. He would then coach the Detroit Fury of the Arena2 league for his final two seasons of coaching. He began as the offensive coordinator in ’03, and became head coach and head of player personnel in 2004. As head coach, Luginbill rebuilt the team from the ground up and turned around the team from a 1-13 season to 8-8. He also led the Fury to their first-ever playoff victory. Luginbill has also worked with the like of Kurt Warner and Jack Dehlomme.
Beginning in 2002, during the off season in Dallas and Detroit Luginbill began scouting part time as a pro evaluator for the NFL free agency, NFL Europe, CFL and Arena Football League. After his last season with the Detroit Fury in ’04 he became a full-time scout before joining Scouts Inc.
Harry Lyles Jr. joined ESPN in March of 2020, serving as both a staff writer for ESPN.com, a host/commentator across ESPN studio and digital programming, and a sideline reporter for ESPN college sports. For ESPN.com, Lyles Jr. reports on college football and the intersection of culture and college sports.
Lyles Jr. is the longtime co-host of Countdown to GameDay on all ESPN digital platforms. The show, airing Saturdays throughout the fall and winter, serves as the pregame coverage to College GameDay Built by The Home Depot. He is a mainstay on all ESPN digital programming across the ESPN App, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and more. Additionally, he is the sideline reporter for ESPN Thursday Night Football with play-by-play commentator Matt Barrie and analyst Dan Mullen. Lyles Jr. appears regularly on Around The Horn, SportsCenter and more.
Prior to his time at ESPN, Lyles Jr. spent four years at SB Nation as a reporter and columnist, with additional stops at various outlets including The Comeback. A proud Georgia State alum, he resides in his hometown of Atlanta, Ga.
According to https://espnpressroom.com/us/bios/luginbill_tom/
https://espnpressroom.com/us/bios/harry-lyles-jr/