We're just one game into the 2026 football season for NC State and the Wolfpack has already lost a major piece of the defensive puzzle in AJ Richardson. The starting WILL linebacker recorded five tackles in the loss to Virginia before suffering a bicep injury that will keep him out for the remainder of the 2026 season.

On this episode of Coffee With Cory, we discuss the loss of AJ Richardson, where his loss hurts the defense the most and which players need to step up behind him. Get all of that and more on this episode of Coffee With Cory!

We're now nearly a full week removed from NC State's blowout loss at Virginia to start the season, yet the details continue to worsen by the day. During a recent radio interview, Wolfpack defensive coordinator DJ Eliot revealed his team was unaware of what Virginia was going to do and caught off guard by the amount of designed runs for Beau Pribula.

On this episode of Coffee With Cory, Michael Clark joins us again to dissect the latest comments from DJ Eliot, the struggles for NC State's defense as a whole and take a look at what the Wolfpack defense has done since Eliot's hiring. Get all of that and more on the latest Coffee With Cory!

Chapters

0:00 - Intro

1:37 - DJ Eliot's comments on Beau Pribula

4:10 - How did NC State not see this coming?

10:54 - Why the coaches deserve the blame

18:00 - No-showing at UVA hurts NC State moving forward

29:05 - Viewer comments/Wrapping up

Larrell Murchison is entering his sixth season at the NFL level this fall, and his third since joining the LA Rams back in 2022. The former NC State defensive lineman has carved out a role as a veteran in the NFL, collecting two sacks last year while playing in 16 games with the franchise.

On this episode of Coffee With Cory, Larrell Murchison joins the show to discuss his time in the NFL, the Los Angeles Rams loaded defense, watching the NC State season opener, how the Wolfpack prepared him for the next level and representing Bladen County at the highest level of the sport. Get all of that and more on the latest Coffee With Cory!

Chapters

0:00 - Intro/Larrell Murchison's NFL journey

1:40 - Starting season on practice squad/Aaron Donald's return

3:20 - Being with the Rams association

5:25 - "Munching with Murch" show

7:47 - Representing Bladen County

9:17 - NC State's impact on his career

11:00 - His thoughts on NC State's start to 2026

13:45 - Relationship with former NC State, ACC players in LA

15:20 - Thoughts on NIL changing college football

It's now been four days since NC State's 34-8 loss to Virginia to open the 2026 season, so we're putting a bow on it with our final thoughts. The Wolfpack stumbled out of the gate to open a critical season for Dave Doeren, but what went wrong and what went a little right in the loss?

On this episode of Coffee With Cory, Michael Clark joins the show to break down some film of NC State's loss, discuss what went wrong on both sides of the ball and a few players who showed promise despite the Wolfpack's loss. Get all of that and more on the latest Coffee With Cory!

***We highly suggest watching this video on YouTube***

[00:00] Intro & Game Overview

[02:20] Michael Clark discusses final thoughts

[7:00] Offensive film breakdown

[22:45] Defensive film breakdown

[33:00] What went right, what went wrong?

As we've discussed ad nauseam, NC State football did not start the season on the right foot -- to say the very least. The Wolfpack scored just one touchdown while gaining 168 total yards on offense. The defense allowed an atrocious 258 rushing yards and two passing touchdowns on 45-plus-yard plays.

So yeah, there aren't many positives to pull from Week 0. But on this Coffee With Cory, we'll point out five players who stood out and deserved their flowers for their efforts despite the outcome. We'll discuss all of that and more on the latest Coffee With Cory!

0:00 Introduction

1:50 Jackson Waller (Honorable Mention)

3:57 Popo Aguirre

6:29 Ronnie Royal III

9:01 Ke'von Carter

10:46 Spike Sowells

13:26 Vander Ploog

After an offseason of hope and optimism that this time might be different for NC State football, it all came crashing down in Week 0. Sure, there are still 11 games left on the season, but Saturday was a humbling reminder of the Wolfpack's struggles under Dave Doeren in big-game situations and CJ Bailey's struggles on the road.

On this episode of the Pack Power Weekly Podcast, we'll discuss NC State's lopsided loss to Virginia, CJ Bailey's woefully bad performance, how the offense can improve, how the defense missed the mark against Beau Pribula and other sports outside of football, too. Get all of that and more on this edition of the Pack Power Podcast!

0:00 – Intro & Postgame Breakdown: NC State’s 34–8 Loss to Virginia

3:45 – Offense Struggles: CJ Bailey, Rushing Game, & Lack of Big Plays

12:10 – Defensive Breakdown: UVA’s Ground Attack & Third-Down Failures

22:30 – Record-Breaking Drive: Analyzing UVA’s Massive 23-Play Drive

31:15 – Coaching & Execution: Dave Doeren’s Postgame Remarks

43:00 – Positives & Individual Performances (Special Teams, Roster Flashpoints) 52:40 – Looking Ahead: Fixing Mistakes Before Week 1 & Audience Q&A

NC State football didn't just lose in Week 0, it was trounced by a Virginia team that looked like the more physical and prepared team on Saturday. The Wolfpack defense wasn't much to write home about, but the offense was the most glaring issue after gaining just 168 TOTAL yards against a Virginia team missing its best defensive player.

On this episode of Coffee With Cory, we take a look back at the offensive struggles, CJ Bailey's lackluster outing, the inability to get separation by the receivers and Duke Scott getting grounded with limited run blocking ahead of him. We'll touch on all of that and more on the latest Coffee With Cory!

On a national stage, NC State came out flat to start Week 0 against Virginia and was flat-out embarrassed in a 34-8 road loss to open the 2026 season. CJ Bailey played one of the worst games of his career while the defense was gashed by Beau Pribula and the UVA rushing attack all afternoon.

On this episode of the Postgame Podcast, Cory Smith and Michael Clark take a look back at what went so disastrously wrong for NC State against Virginia, dissect CJ Bailey's performance, discuss the struggles on offense as a whole and the defense's inability to stop the run. Get all of that and more on the postgame podcast!

We're just over 24 hours away from NC State football FINALLY kicking off the 2026 season against Virginia in Charlottesville. The Wolfpack holds a four-game winning streak and is 4-0 against the Hoos in the Dave Doeren era, but will head into a hostile environment with Virginia selling out its stadium for the first time in 18 years.

On this episode of Coffee With Cory, we'll take a look at three priorities for NC State against Virginia, including CJ Bailey utilizing his dual-threat ability -- again -- getting Duke Scott and the ground game going, and being disciplined on defense on the road. Get all of that and a prediction for Week 0 on the latest Coffee With Cory!

When NC State football kicks off the 2026 season, there will be a new voice on the sidelines for the first time in nearly three decades. Wolfpack alum and long-time media personality Jeff Gravley will be taking over the role from Tony Haynes as the sideline reporter, taking on a new challenge for NC State this fall.

On this episode of Coffee With Cory, Jeff Gravley joins us to discuss taking over as the NC State football sideline reporter, what he learned from Tony Haynes, the growing confidence from Dave Doeren about this year's team and his fondest memories of covering the Wolfpack and the Triangle. Get all of that and more on the latest Coffee With Cory!

• [00:00] - Introduction & Welcome Jeff Gravley
• [00:33] - Jeff's New Role: Transitioning to NC State Football Sidelines
• [02:34] - Preparing for the Sidelines & Learning from Tony Haynes
• [05:22] - QB Room Progress & Will Wilson’s Passing Development
• [05:57] - Dave Doeren’s Outward Confidence in the 2026 Roster
• [06:54] - Player-Led Leadership & Collective Responsibility
• [09:48] - New Leadership Structure: Captains & Assistant Captains
• [12:16] - Broadcasting Background & Storytelling at NC State
• [16:00] - Experiencing NC State’s 1983 National Title Run as a Student
• [18:45] - Career Highlights: 2016 Rio Olympics, Final Fours & Young LeBron James
• [21:52] - Memorable Carter-Finley Moments: 1986 Hail Mary Catch
• [22:48] - Goals & Final Thoughts Heading into Game Week