Virginia Tech Stuns NC State 23-21 in Defensive Struggle
Virginia Tech escaped Raleigh with a 23-21 upset victory over NC State on Saturday, covering the spread as the away team in a defensive battle that saw 12 lead changes. The Hokies' defense dominated, forcing key stops throughout the contest, particularly in the third quarter when Terion Stewart broke free for an 85-yard run to the NC State 4-yard line that proved pivotal.
NC State's offense, led by quarterback CJ Bailey's 240 passing yards and Wesley Grimes' nine receptions, kept the Wolfpack competitive throughout. Grimes had two critical completions, including a 27-yard gain in the second quarter and a 20-yard reception in the fourth quarter.
Virginia Tech controlled the second quarter, scoring 10 points while holding NC State scoreless. The fourth quarter remained tight, with both teams scoring seven points each. The defensive performance from both sides kept the game well below the over-under line of 57.5, with the final result landing under that projection. Despite the low-scoring affair, the back-and-forth nature made for an exciting contest, with neither team able to establish decisive control.
AI-generated recap · Aug 12, 2026
| Team | 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Virginia Tech | 3 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 23 |
 NC State | 7 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
Scoring Timeline
Drive Chart
Box Score
| Statistic | Virginia Tech | NC State |
|---|---|---|
| Passing | 20-34 | 26-34 |
| Pass Yards | 177 | 240 |
| Rush Yards | 235 | 62 |
| Total Yards | 412 | 302 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 0 |
| 3rd Down | 7-15 | 6-14 |
| Penalties | 7-55 | 2-5 |
| Possession | 29:49 | 30:11 |
Player Leaders
Player Leaders
Play-by-Play
Marcellous Hawkins run for 1 yd to the VT 22
Kyron Drones pass complete to Benji Gosnell for 4 yds to the VT 26
Kyron Drones pass complete to Isaiah Spencer for 19 yds to the VT 45 for a 1ST down
PENALTY VT False Start (Altuner,Kyle) 5 yards from VT45 to VT40. NO PLAY.
Kyron Drones pass incomplete to Donavon Greene
Kyron Drones pass complete to Donavon Greene for 7 yds to the VT 47
Kyron Drones pass incomplete to Braydon Bennett
Nick Veltsistas punt for 43 yds, fair catch by Teddy Hoffmann at the NCSU 10
run for a loss of 3 yards to the NCSU 7
Hollywood Smothers run for no gain to the NCSU 7
CJ Bailey pass complete to Hollywood Smothers for no gain to the NCSU 7
Caden Noonkester punt for 47 yds , Isaiah Spencer returns for 14 yds to the NCSU 40
Terion Stewart run for 14 yds to the NCSU 26 for a 1ST down
Kyron Drones pass incomplete to Terion Stewart
Kyron Drones pass complete to Takye Heath for 5 yds to the NCSU 21
Kyron Drones pass incomplete to Donavon Greene
John Love 39 yd FG GOOD
CJ Bailey pass complete to Justin Joly for 6 yds to the NCSU 31
Hollywood Smothers run for 2 yds to the NCSU 33
Will Wilson run for 3 yds to the NCSU 36 for a 1ST down
CJ Bailey pass complete to Justin Joly for 8 yds to the NCSU 44
CJ Bailey pass complete to Terrell Anderson for 7 yds to the VT 49 for a 1ST down
Hollywood Smothers run for 11 yds to the VT 38 for a 1ST down
Hollywood Smothers run for 3 yds to the VT 35
CJ Bailey run for 2 yds to the VT 33
CJ Bailey pass complete to Jayden Scott for 9 yds to the VT 24 for a 1ST down
CJ Bailey pass complete to Justin Joly for 22 yds to the VT 2 for a 1ST down
(03:23) No Huddle-Shotgun Scott,Jayden "Duke" rush right for 2 yards gain to the VT00 TOUCHDOWN nullified by penalty, clock 03:21 PENALTY NCSU Illegal Formation 5 yards from VT02 to VT07. NO PLAY.
Jayden Scott run for 3 yds to the VT 4
CJ Bailey pass complete to Dante Daniels for 4 yds for a TD (Kanoah Vinesett KICK)
Kyron Drones pass complete to Ayden Greene for 3 yds to the VT 28
Kyron Drones pass incomplete to Ayden Greene
Kyron Drones pass incomplete
Nick Veltsistas punt for 40 yds, fair catch by Teddy Hoffmann at the NCSU 32
Hollywood Smothers run for 4 yds to the NCSU 36
CJ Bailey pass complete to Terrell Anderson for 17 yds to the VT 47 for a 1ST down
CJ Bailey pass complete to Teddy Hoffmann for 4 yds to the VT 43
CJ Bailey pass incomplete to Noah Rogers
CJ Bailey run for 5 yds to the VT 38
Hollywood Smothers run for no gain to the VT 38
Terion Stewart run for 13 yds to the NCSU 49 for a 1ST down
Terion Stewart run for 10 yds to the NCSU 39 for a 1ST down
Terion Stewart run for 2 yds to the NCSU 37
Kyron Drones run for 2 yds to the NCSU 35
Kyron Drones pass complete to Isaiah Spencer for 14 yds to the NCSU 21 for a 1ST down
Kyron Drones pass complete to Donavon Greene for 5 yds to the NCSU 16
Kyron Drones run for 6 yds to the NCSU 10 for a 1ST down
Terion Stewart run for a loss of 1 yard to the NCSU 11
Kyron Drones pass incomplete to Donavon Greene
Kyron Drones pass complete to Marcellous Hawkins for 11 yds for a TD (John Love KICK)
CJ Bailey sacked by Noah Chambers for a loss of 3 yards to the NCSU 22
Hollywood Smothers run for 2 yds to the NCSU 24
CJ Bailey pass complete to Wesley Grimes for 27 yds to the VT 49 for a 1ST down
Hollywood Smothers run for 4 yds to the VT 45
CJ Bailey sacked by Jason Abbey for a loss of 2 yards to the VT 47
NC State Penalty, (Yards) to the NCSU 37
Caden Noonkester punt for 55 yds
Marcellous Hawkins run for 2 yds to the VT 10
Kyron Drones pass complete to Ayden Greene for 5 yds to the VT 15
Kyron Drones run for 9 yds to the VT 24 for a 1ST down
Kyron Drones pass incomplete to Ayden Greene
Kyron Drones pass complete to Cameron Seldon for 22 yds to the VT 46 for a 1ST down
Kyron Drones pass incomplete to Shamarius Peterkin
Kyron Drones pass complete to Ayden Greene for 36 yds to the NCSU 18 for a 1ST down
Kyron Drones pass incomplete to Terion Stewart
Kyron Drones pass incomplete to Ayden Greene
Kyron Drones run for 3 yds to the NCSU 15
John Love 32 yd FG GOOD
CJ Bailey pass complete to Hollywood Smothers for 1 yd to the NCSU 26
CJ Bailey sacked by Elhadj Fall for a loss of 9 yards to the NCSU 17
Hollywood Smothers run for 10 yds to the NCSU 27
Caden Noonkester punt for 42 yds, fair catch by Isaiah Spencer at the VT 31
Kyron Drones pass incomplete to Ayden Greene
Kyron Drones pass complete to Benji Gosnell for 5 yds to the VT 36
PENALTY VT False Start (Lynch,Aidan) 5 yards from VT36 to VT31. NO PLAY.
Marcellous Hawkins run for 25 yds to the NCSU 44 for a 1ST down
(00:41) No Huddle-Shotgun Drones,Kyron pass complete short left to Spencer,Isaiah caught at NCSU36, for 8 yards to the NCSU36, End Of Play PENALTY VT Holding (Lynch,Aidan) 10 yards from NCSU44 to VT46. NO PLAY.
Kyron Drones sacked by Cian Slone for a loss of 11 yards to the VT 35
Marcellous Hawkins run for 19 yds to the NCSU 46
End of 2nd Quarter
Hollywood Smothers run for 6 yds to the NCSU 31
CJ Bailey pass complete to Keenan Jackson for 2 yds to the NCSU 33
CJ Bailey pass complete to Justin Joly for 6 yds to the NCSU 39 for a 1ST down
CJ Bailey pass incomplete to Justin Joly
CJ Bailey pass complete to Noah Rogers for 16 yds to the VT 45 for a 1ST down
Hollywood Smothers run for 4 yds to the VT 41
CJ Bailey pass complete to Keenan Jackson for 5 yds to the VT 36
Will Wilson run for no gain to the VT 36
CJ Bailey run for 3 yds to the VT 33 for a 1ST down
CJ Bailey pass complete to Justin Joly for 16 yds to the VT 17 for a 1ST down
Hollywood Smothers run for 4 yds to the VT 13
CJ Bailey pass complete to Keenan Jackson for 13 yds for a TD (Kanoah Vinesett KICK)
Terion Stewart run for 11 yds to the VT 32 for a 1ST down
Kyron Drones pass complete to Cameron Seldon for 4 yds to the VT 36
Kyron Drones pass complete to Isaiah Spencer for 5 yds to the VT 41
PENALTY VT False Start (Cunningham,Montavious) 5 yards from VT41 to VT36. NO PLAY.
Kyron Drones pass complete to Cameron Seldon for 5 yds to the VT 41
Kyron Drones run for 1 yd to the VT 42 for a 1ST down
Kyron Drones pass incomplete to Shamarius Peterkin
Terion Stewart run for 11 yds to the NCSU 47 for a 1ST down
Kyron Drones pass complete to Takye Heath for 3 yds to the 50 yard line
Terion Stewart run for 5 yds to the NCSU 45
Kyron Drones sacked by Sabastian Harsh for a loss of 7 yards to the VT 48
Nick Veltsistas punt for 52 yds for a touchback
Hollywood Smothers run for a loss of 1 yard to the NCSU 19
CJ Bailey sacked by Ben Bell for a loss of 4 yards to the NCSU 15
CJ Bailey pass complete to Keenan Jackson for 8 yds to the NCSU 23
Caden Noonkester punt for 66 yds
Terion Stewart run for 85 yds to the NCSU 4 for a 1ST down
Kyron Drones pass complete to Cameron Seldon for 4 yds for a TD Virginia Tech Penalty, (-15 Yards) to the NCSU 0 (John Love KICK)
Hollywood Smothers run for 5 yds to the NCSU 30
CJ Bailey pass complete to Teddy Hoffmann for 7 yds to the NCSU 37 for a 1ST down
(14:36) No Huddle-Shotgun Bailey,CJ pass incomplete deep right to Hoffmann,Teddy thrown to VT33, 1ST DOWN, PENALTY VT Pass Interference (Cash,Isaiah) 10 yards from NCSU30 to NCSU40, 1ST DOWN. NO PLAY.
Hollywood Smothers run for 3 yds to the NCSU 43
CJ Bailey pass incomplete to Justin Joly
CJ Bailey pass complete to Wesley Grimes for 20 yds to the VT 37 for a 1ST down
Jayden Scott run for 2 yds to the VT 35
CJ Bailey pass complete to Terrell Anderson for 24 yds to the VT 11 for a 1ST down
CJ Bailey run for 5 yds to the VT 6
Will Wilson run for 5 yds to the VT 1 for a 1ST down
Jayden Scott run for 1 yd for a TD (Kanoah Vinesett KICK)
Terion Stewart run for 2 yds to the VT 37
Terion Stewart run for 13 yds to the 50 yard line for a 1ST down
Kyron Drones pass incomplete to Ayden Greene
Kyron Drones run for 2 yds to the NCSU 48
Kyron Drones pass complete to Benji Gosnell for 14 yds to the NCSU 34 for a 1ST down
Kyron Drones run for 2 yds to the NCSU 32
Terion Stewart run for no gain to the NCSU 32
Kyron Drones pass complete to Cameron Seldon for 7 yds to the NCSU 25
(06:32) PENALTY VT Delay Of Game 5 yards from NCSU25 to NCSU30. NO PLAY.
John Love 49 yd FG GOOD
Hollywood Smothers run for 10 yds to the NCSU 35 for a 1ST down
CJ Bailey pass complete to Wesley Grimes for 11 yds Wesley Grimes fumbled, recovered by VT Teague Andersen
CJ Bailey pass incomplete to Wesley Grimes
CJ Bailey pass complete to Hollywood Smothers for 10 yds to the NCSU 34
Caden Noonkester punt for 49 yds, punt out-of-bounds at the VT 19 , Isaiah Spencer returns for 2 yds to the VT 19
Terion Stewart run for 3 yds to the VT 22
Terion Stewart run for 4 yds to the VT 26
Kyron Drones pass complete to Ja'Ricous Hairston for 5 yds to the VT 31 for a 1ST down
Terion Stewart run for 2 yds to the VT 33
Kyron Drones run for 1 yd to the VT 34
Kyron Drones run for 6 yds to the VT 40
Nick Veltsistas punt for 42 yds, fair catch by Teddy Hoffmann at the NCSU 18
CJ Bailey pass complete to Hollywood Smothers for no gain to the NCSU 18
CJ Bailey pass incomplete to Keenan Jackson
CJ Bailey pass complete to Terrell Anderson for 17 yds to the NCSU 35 for a 1ST down
CJ Bailey pass complete to Justin Joly for 2 yds to the NCSU 37
CJ Bailey pass incomplete to Justin Joly
CJ Bailey pass complete to Keenan Jackson for 7 yds to the NCSU 44
CJ Bailey pass incomplete to Justin Joly
K. Drones takes a knee