What Happened In College Football This Weekend?

The NC State secured a 35-31 comeback victory over Virginia, sealed by a last-minute end-zone interception by linebacker Cian Slone. The offense leaned heavily on the ground, as both CJ Bailey and Hollywood Smothers rushed for two touchdowns each. Smothers impressed with 140 rushing yards, highlighting NC State’s dominance on the ground. 

Duke suffered a harsh 45-19 loss at home to No. 11 Illinois. The Blue Devils committed five turnovers, including a muffed punt and a fumble near the red zone. Highlighting the Duke offense, quarterback Darian Mensah threw for 334 yards and two touchdowns, but it wasn’t enough to counteract the penalties and errors that swung momentum definitively toward Illinois.

North Carolina, under new head coach Bill Belichick, picked up his first collegiate win with a 20-3 victory over Charlotte. The defense was dominant holding the 49ers to just 21 rushing yards and preventing a touchdown. Offensively, UNC struck early with a quick touchdown pass from Gio Lopez to Chris Culliver, and later added rushing scores from Davion Gause. This followed a rough opener against TCU, where UNC was overwhelmed in a 48-14 loss.