Duke football quarterback Henry Belin IV (Jaylynn Nash-USA TODAY Sports)
Fill-In Duke Football Starter Henry Belin IV Perseveres Early vs. NC State
Three plays into the first drive of his first college start, Duke football redshirt freshman quarterback Henry Belin VI threw an interception, leading to a 57-yard field goal and an early 3-0 lead from the visiting unranked NC State Wolfpack (4-2, 1-1 ACC) on Saturday night in Wallace Wade Stadium. That wasn't exactly an ideal start to his first start.
His second drive was slightly better, as the No. 17 Blue Devils (4-1, 1-0 ACC) gained nine yards but failed to pick a first down.
And the third drive was the charm.
Belin, the fill-in starter for star junior Riley Leonard (day-to-day in his bounce back from an ankle injury in the home loss to Notre Dame on Sept. 30 before the Blue Devils' bye week, connected with redshirt senior wide receiver Jalon Calhoun for a 69-yard statement.
Here's the broadcast replay:
And here's the endzone view of the former three-star recruit's perfectly placed toss to an in-stride Jalhoun:
It wasn't Belin's first touchdown as a Blue Devil. He threw and ran for scores in mop-up time of a blowout home win over Lafayette in Week 2.
But it was Belin's first touchdown — of any variety — against an FBS foe.
Duke football sophomore kicker Todd Pelino pushed the Blue Devils' lead to 10-3 early in the second quarter. Then, an interception moments later by Duke redshirt sophomore linebacker Tre Freeman set up Belin's second TD pass of the night: an eight-yard throw over the middle to a fellow redshirt freshman in tight end Jeremiah Hasley.
The Blue Devils entered halftime (the time of this article's publishing) with a 17-3 advantage over the Wolfpack. It's safe to say Duke found its stride on Belin's 69-yard deep ball to Calhoun and kept it going into the break.
Entering the NC State game, Henry Belin IV had seen action in only three Duke football outings in college but boasted a combined 13-for-14 passing clip for 161 yards, one touchdown, and zero interceptions.
In his first half as a starter against the Wolfpack, Belin finished 4-for-11 passing for 107 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception while picking up 32 yards with his legs. That's not too shabby in light of his opening-drive turnover.
Next for second-year head coach Mike Elko's bunch is a road game against No. 4 Florida State next Saturday. There's no telling yet if it'll be Riley Leonard or Henry Belin IV under center for the Blue Devils.
Stay tuned to Blue Devil Country on SI.com for more Duke football news.
