Duke Scott had cleared 100 yards before the first quarter was done, and the only real question left at Carter-Finley Stadium was whether NC State would bother with the fourth quarter at all. As it turned out, both teams agreed to play a 10-minute version of it, which was the most competitive decision made all afternoon. The Wolfpack beat Richmond 73-0 on September 11, 2026, in a game that was over so quickly and so completely that the only drama left was whether Dave Doeren's team would hit 70 points and what that would even mean.
The answer came early and often. NC State put 21 points on the board in the first quarter, and Richmond never had a possession that suggested it could do anything about it. Scott's long touchdown run off the right side came during State's second possession, and he finished the opening frame with over 100 yards on the ground. The Wolfpack crushed the line of scrimmage all afternoon, and Richmond's attempts to slow things down with arm tackles did not work. The Spiders were thoroughly outmatched at every level, and the scoreboard reflected it.
Quarterback CJ Bailey had little to do under these circumstances, but he handled the passing downs that came his way. He made good throws on a couple of third-down situations before spending more than half the game on the sideline, watching his backups run out the clock. There wasn't much else required of him, and there wasn't much else required of anyone in a red jersey.
The game was an exhibition in every meaningful sense. It trended in that direction much faster than expected, and State piled up yards at a rate that seemed almost impossible given the circumstances. Richmond was bad in this game, really bad. The one time the Spiders strung together three good plays in a row, they attempted a triple lateral play and turned the ball over. It was that kind of afternoon for the visitors, and it was that kind of afternoon for anyone hoping for a competitive matchup.
There is not much to take from a game like this, and there is nothing in particular to learn. The matchup was so lopsided that the teams agreed to shorten the fourth quarter to 10 minutes, which is about as clear a signal as you can get that the game had stopped being a contest long before the final whistle. The weather aside, putting 70 points on an opponent and having to slow down to do it is pretty wild.
What makes this notable beyond the score is the context. NC State spent almost two weeks getting angry about football, and it showed from the opening kickoff. The Wolfpack jumped on Richmond early and never let up, which is exactly what a team in that frame of mind tends to do. But there has never been a Dave Doeren team that has had to try not to score 70 points. This is an entirely preposterous notion. Seventy points? The idea that a coaching staff would need to manage a scoreboard in that direction is something new for this program, and it speaks to how thoroughly the Wolfpack dominated.
The takeaway from a game like this is whatever you decide it means. It is a necessary bit of exhibition work, a chance for the starters to get their work in and for the backups to see meaningful snaps. It will mean whatever it means for this season, and it will be forgotten quickly if the Wolfpack don't back it up against tougher competition. But for one afternoon in Raleigh, NC State was as dominant as a football team can be, and Richmond was as overmatched as a football team can be. The final score was 73-0, and the only surprise was that it took the teams agreeing to a shorter fourth quarter to keep it from getting worse.
According to Yahoo Sports.