Richmond at NC State

NC State walked out of Charlottesville looking nothing like a team that finished last season 8-5. Virginia hung 34 on the Wolfpack and held CJ Bailey to 84 air yards, and that kind of offensive face-plant against a ranked opponent doesn't usually repeat itself against an FCS visitor at home. Richmond isn't your average overmatched Patriot League trip, either. The Spiders are 2-0 and ranked, and they just needed 28 points to hold off Howard, a game that was 20-0 at the half before the Bison clawed back and made it a track meet. Ashten Snelsire and freshman Bryce Allen have found the end zone at will for two weeks, and that offense travels. Both defenses have shown real cracks early: NC State surrendered 413 yards to Virginia's ground game, and Richmond just let an FCS foe hang 21 on it. Put a Wolfpack offense desperate to get right at home against a Richmond team that scores in bunches but leaks points on the other side, and my read makes this a track meet rather than a defensive struggle. Vanderbilt looms next week for NC State, which only adds urgency to put a number on the board early and often tonight. We're leaning into this number with confidence, and the OVER is the play tonight.