NC State football will play at home for the first time this season, hosting No. 21 Richmond from the FCS at Carter-Finley Stadium on Friday, Sept. 11.
The Wolfpack will be looking for its first win after falling at Virginia in Week 0 and sitting idle over Labor Day weekend. Richmond is off to a 2-0 start with victories over Bucknell and Howard.
NC State is more than a four touchdown favorite and has been nearly perfect in home openers under head coach Dave Doeren.
🔄 Last Updated: September 9, 2026 2:29 pm
🏟️ No. 21 Richmond Spiders (2-0) at NC State Wolfpack (0-1)
Date: Friday, Sept. 11, 2026
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
Location: Carter-Finley Stadium (Raleigh, NC)
TV/Stream: ESPNU
Announcers: Jay Alter (play-by-play) and Tom Luginbill (analyst)
NC State Radio: Flagship 101.5 FM WRAL, Wolfpack Sports Network affiliates, free on The Varsity Network
Weather Forecast: Warm and humid with temperatures in the low- to mid-80s at kickoff. A 30% to 40% chance of showers or storms
Spread: NC State -30.5
Over/Under: 48.5 points
Moneyline: NC State -8000 | Richmond +2200
Lines via DraftKings, Sept. 9, 2026 | Lines can change throughout the week
🏈 Last Time Out
- Richmond 28, Howard 21 (Sept. 5) – The Spiders built a 20-0 halftime lead against their MEAC foe – scoring on three of their first four possessions – to improve to 2-0 on the season.
- Virginia 34, NC State 8 (Aug. 29) – The Wolfpack suffered their first season-opening loss since 2017, giving up 258 rushing yards.
🏥 Player Availability
NC State will be without starting linebacker AJ Richardson, who suffered a season-ending biceps injury in the Wolfpack’s opener at Virginia, according to coach Dave Doeren. Richardson, one of NC State’s five team captains, is expected to face a four- to six-month recovery. He had four tackles in the Virginia game.
🔍 What to Know About Richmond at NC State Football
The Wolfpack is tough to beat in home openers
NC State is coming off a tough loss to Virginia two weeks ago, but history says things should be different this week. The Wolfpack is 12-1 in home openers under coach Dave Doeren, with the lone loss to Notre Dame in 2023. The Pack owns a 22-4 record in home debuts since 2000.
Special tribute for 25th anniversary of 9/11
NC State will debut its new Wolfpack Warriors uniforms for Friday night’s game. The special uniforms will serve as both a tribute on the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks as well as an ode to the school’s deep-rooted military heritage, which includes ROTC programs for the Army, Air Force and Navy/Marine Corps.
The uniforms feature a black camo design with red trim and stencil lettering. The helmet also will be black with a red-and-black “Tuffy” logo and bright red facemask.
New conference for Richmond in 2026
Richmond shifted from the CAA to the Patriot League starting in 2026, joining former CAA mates William & Mary and Villanova in the new conference. The Spiders are already off to a winning start as members, defeating Bucknell 35-14 on week one. Richmond last beat an FBS opponent in 2016 when it took down in-state foe Virginia 37-20.
Graduate linebacker Camden Byrd was the Patriot League’s preseason defensive player of the year. He has four of the team’s nine sacks through two contests. Quanye Veney recorded a 106-yard receiving day against Howard.
Spiders have dominated the first half so far
Richmond has outscored its first two foes 48-0 in the opening half of games, including 34 points in the first quarter. Howard scored all 21 of its points last week after the break. The Spiders have been outscored 35-14 after halftime.
NC State failed to score in the first half against Virginia in Week 0.
Popo finds his way to the football
NC State linebacker Popo Aguirre recorded 18 tackles against Virginia in his first game with the Wolfpack since transferring from Miami. That was the second-highest single-game tally for an NCSU defender under Doeren, trailing only Payton Wilson’s 19 against Duke in 2020.
Aguirre has played in 39 college games thus far, including last season’s national championship contest against Indiana.
📊 Richmond vs NC State Stats & Leaders
2026 statistics entering Friday’s game
Team Stats Comparison
| TEAM STATS BY CATEGORY | NC STATE | RICHMOND |
|---|---|---|
| Scoring Offense | 8.0 | 31.5 |
| Scoring Defense | 34.0 | 17.5 |
| Total Offense | 168.0 | 340.5 |
| Total Defense | 413.0 | 210.5 |
| Rushing Offense | 76.0 | 110.5 |
| Rushing Defense | 258.0 | 78.5 |
| Passing Offense | 92.0 | 230.0 |
| Passing Defense | 155.0 | 132.0 |
| Yards Per Play | 3.3 | 5.3 |
| Yards Per Play Allowed | 6.1 | 3.5 |
| Third Down | 30.8% | 39.3% |
| Third-Down Defense | 21.4% | 22.6% |
| Turnovers | 2 | 2 |
| Takeaways | 0 | 5 |
| Time of Possession | 21:57 | 31:48 |
Individual Leaders
| STATS CATEGORY | RICHMOND | NC STATE |
| Passing | Ashten Snelsire — 460 yards, 6 TD | CJ Bailey — 84 yards |
| Rushing | Aziz Foster-Powell — 142 yards, 3 TD | CJ Bailey — 33 yards |
| Receiving | Quanye Veney — 144 yards, TD | Vander Ploog — 25 yards |
| Tackles | Blake Houser — 18 | Popo Aguirre — 18 |
| Sacks | Camden Byrd — 4 | Harvey Dyson III / LaCorian Hodge — 0.5 |
| Kicking | Kyle Bitsko — 0-for-1 FG, 7-for-8 PAT | No FG attempts |
📚 Series History
- All-time record: NC State leads the series 18-1-1
- Last Meeting: NC State 23, Richmond 21 (Sept. 7, 2013, in Raleigh)
- First Meeting: NC State 40, Richmond 0 (Nov. 18, 1895)
- The Pack and Spiders have only played twice before in the 2000s, but the series dates back to the late 1800s. Fifteen prior meetings came before NC State joined the ACC in 1953. The two schools were opponents in the Southern Conference from 1936-52.
- The 2013 meeting was the second game of Dave Doeren’s tenure as head coach at NC State. Nik Sade hit a 48-yard field goal with 33 seconds left to lift the Pack to the win.
- Richmond’s lone victory came in 1970, a 21-6 decision on its home field. The tie was a 0-0 decision in Raleigh in 1906.
🔗 More North Carolina College Football Coverage
- NC State Football Schedule
- ACC Standings
- 2026 week-by-week schedule
- North Carolina college football scores
