Duke at NC State: Gameday Open Thread
It’s two ACC schools, separated by 20 minutes and seven years as Duke travels to NC State’s Carter-Finley Stadium for the first time since 2009 and the first game anywhere between the two neighbors since 2013.
How rarely do these teams meet? The last time Duke came to Raleigh, NC State’s starting quarterback was Russell Wilson. Current Duke running back coach Re’quan Boyette scored a touchdown for the Blue Devils, and head coach David Cutcliffe earned his first-ever ACC road win.
Both coaches discussed the odd schedule during game week, with NC State’s Dave Doeren saying it was “not fair” that the teams meet so rarely. Cutcliffe took a big picture approach, discussing how upset Louisville, Syracuse, Miami and other far-flung ACC schools would be if all the North Carolina and Virginia schools got to meet regularly and avoid long road trips.
Duke will try to build on last week’s win at Syracuse. Blue Devil running backs Mataeo Durant and Deon Jackson each ran for 100 yards against the Orange, making life easier for quarterback Chase Brice as the offense finally began to click after four inconsistent weeks.
The Duke defense could be the key as the Blue Devils attempt to stop a balanced NC State offense. Devin Leary has seized the quarterback job after some early season uncertainty, and the 3-1 Pack also have a pair of dependable running backs in Zonovan Knight and Ricky Person.
State’s defense has tightened up, after giving up 42 and 45 points in its first two games. The Blue Devils will look to move the ball against a Pack D that is still unproven on the season.
Fashion update: Duke is wearing white jerseys, blue pants, white helmets with black D logo.
Deon Jackson calls tails. It's heads. State defers. Duke gets it first. Time to play ball
Duke's defensive line changed their jerseys to one-digit numbers for some reason. Ben Frye (93) is 3, Chris Rumph (96) is 6, Victor Dimukeje (51) is 5. Derrick Tangelo (54) is 8.
Duke blocks NC State's punt and Dorian Mausi scoops and scores for a 33-yard touchdown. Duke up early. 7-0.
Looks like Isaiah Fisher-Smith may have been the one to block it.
Javon Jackson was the last Duke player to return a blocked punt for a score, a year and five days ago against Georgia Tech.
Duke with another big play. Lummie Young forces a fumble, Leonard Johnson recovers on the NC State 16.
Beautiful play call by Duke gets Noah Gray open and in stride down the middle, but Brice overthrows him on a 12-yard pass. Next pass is intercepted.
Brice looked at the receiver the entire way. Defender jumped in front for an easy pick.
Ricky Person gets loose for 34 yards. State on the move.
Chase Brice continues to overthrow everyone. Even on a completion, Jalon Calhoun had to jump for it, allowing defense to close.
Wilson with a 28 yard punt for Duke as special teams jumps aboard the struggle bus.
Verrry big break for Duke as Jeremiah Lewis knocks receiver CJ Riley to the ground, then picks off the pass intended for him. Duke ball on the Blue Devil 33.
Safety Jakeen Harris gets a very questionable targeting call on a late hit on Mataeo Durant. They're looking at it. Between the no-call on pass interference on the pick and this potential ejection, State fans will not be happy.
Targeting is confirmed, and on replays, you could definitely see him lower his head as he hit. State down a DB the rest of the way.
Duke lines up to go for it on fourth and 3. State calls time out. After the break, Duke does indeed go for it and gets it on Brice to Bobo. Will Taylor is down, however. They're looking at his right knee and being very cautious.
Depth chart behind Taylor is all freshmen: True frosh Graham Barton and redshirt Elijah Wroten. Jacob Monk has also taken snaps at center in preseason.
Barton is in. Taylor helped off and goes straight into the medical tent.
Again, Brice overthrows a receiver on a 15-yard pass to the goal line.
Barton gets flagged for an illegal block in the back that pushes Duke back to 3rd & 18 on the 28.
That's the end of the first quarter. Duke up 7-0 and likely about to attempt a 46-yard field goal.
Ham knocks it through to start the second. 10-0 Duke, which is remarkable, considering the way the offense has struggled.
Duke missed a sack and an interception on the same play. NC State grabs the tipped ball for a 15-yard gain.
Some clarity on the defensive line's jersey numbers: They get rewarded with single digits after a big performance. Someone may be wearing triple digits next week after that last blown sack.
Duke is not getting consistent pressure on Leary. He's had a long time to throw on several plays. Fortunately for Blue Devils, coverage has held up ... so far.
State with a 23-yard pass and a one-yard run by Houston to cut the Duke lead to 10-7. Duke defense gave up nearly six yards per play on that drive.
Jaylen Stinson fields the kickoff off balance in the end zone, decides to bring it out anyway, makes it to the 10. May see someone new back there after that decision.
Two passes at the line of scrimmage (one of which the receiver had to jump for) and a short run and Duke is punting.
Duke's best way of moving the ball continues to be NC State mistakes. Pack runs into the kicker for a first down. Duke has 68 yards of offense, 62 yards on NC State penalties.
State's Savion Jackson gets hit with a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty, moving Duke past midfield. Then they lose five on a first down run to go back across midfield in the other direction.
Duke appears to convert a long third down, but ... stop me if you've heard this before, ... because the receiver had to jump to catch the overthrown pass, refs rule that he landed out of bounds. It's under review but appears correct on first viewing.
It's reversed! Refs say Bobo got his elbow down first in bounds. Duke with a first down. Let's see if they run Jackson into the line again.
They do not! Calhoun on a jet sweep, paving the way for Jackson into the center of the line on second down. Third and short for Duke.
Chase Brice fools everyone on a play fake into a naked boot around left end. Same play (around other end) that gained him nine on the first snap of the game. Duke inside the 10.
Jake Bobo with some moves and trickery to evade three defenders to take it to the house. Blue Devils up 17-7 with 3:43 left in the half.
This will be a key possession. Duke's offense has not been good, and the Blue Devils getting to half with a 10-point edge would be a huge boost.
State has shot itself in the foot repeatedly. The last thing Duke wants to do is let the Pack cut it to 17-14 right before the break and essentially cancel out its mistakes.
Aaaand one pass puts State past midfield. Leonard Johnson is down after the play.
State lines up to go for it on fourth and five from the 43. Duke is ready. State goes through the entire show but there is no chance they go for it here. And time out State.
Doeren decides to punt from the Duke 43. Into the end zone for a 23 yard change in field position.
After that exhibition of horrendous coaching, Duke has an equally bad set of playcalling to try to reach the half. Rush for one, incompletion (and near grounding call), Brice runs into his lineman for a self-sack.
And State blocks the punt for a touchdown, getting everything it needed but didn't get on the last drive. 17-14 with 45 seconds left.
What he said
Brice runs out of bounds and State's Payton Wilson hits him late. Half the distance to the goal. Last dumb play will determine who wins this one.
Brice gets two shots. Throws the first out of bounds, cuts and runs on the second. Duke will close the half with a 29 yard field goal attempt.
Ham hits and Duke goes to the half up 20-14. On the one hand, there was nowhere near 20 points worth of offense for the Blue Devils. On the other hand, State can erase all of its mistakes from the first half (and there were a lot) when it gets the ball first coming out of half.
First drive of second half: Tangelo with a strip sack, recovered by Duke's Drew Jordan, and Tangelo rips off his helmet in celebration for a 15-yard penalty.
Duke will have it at the State 40.
That naked boot Brice play works again. No one even considers that he might have the ball for about 10 yards He takes it inside the 20.
Brice has 56 rushing yards. Jackson and Durant have 31 combined
Brice tucks and runs on third down and bounces off a defender to get the first inside the five.
Three Jackson runs up the middle get it to the one. State is prepared for the naked boot this time and Brice throws it away with a guy in his face. State takes over on the one down six.
Leary hit in the end zone as he throws but completes it 30 yards upfield.
Leary with a long completion near midfield but both sides get flagged for holding, so we're doing it over. Third and 16.
Brice hit as he throws and Payton Wilson settles under it like a center fielder for the interception. State ball at the 38.
Leary is now finding guys downfield on a regular basis without pass pressure from Duke. Two long passes puts State inside the five.
And just like that, Duke's lead is gone. Leary hits Angeline over the middle for the score. 21-20 Wolfpack.
Run on first down is stuffed. Jackson and Durant have 24 carries for 37 yards today. Quick three and out for Duke and State gets it right back.
Lummie Young blasts Leary on a quarterback keeper. That'll be targeting. Unless it's reversed (and it looked pretty bad) he'll be out first half of next week as well. Duke continues to match State mistake-for-mistake.
Leary is staying down. Backup Bailey Hockman warming up on the sideline. And here comes the cart.
Targeting confirmed. Looks like they're putting one of Leary's legs in an air cast.
Saw that coming. They've been physical all game in the secondary, but Lewis finally got flagged for interference. Another first down for State.
State tries a double pass trick play that's nearly picked off. Marquis Waters is hurt for Duke.
We head to the fourth quarter and all the momentum is with State. First and goal from the nine looking to go up eight. Duke had a six-minute edge in possession time before this drive, but defense is showing signs of wear and tear
Wow, pass goes through Jalen Alexander's hands in the end zone. Sure-thing interception becomes an NC State touchdown. 28-20 Pack.
Noah Gray is hit and stays down.
There's the fourth quarter defensive miscue that seems to come every week. Ricky Person takes a short pass up the sideline for 51. Not quite a dagger but close.
State's mistakes were propping up a Duke team that just doesn't have enough on offense or defense throughout the first half. Now things seem to have reverted to form.
Review takes away 37 of Person's yards after it was shown that he stepped out.
Brice with his third interception of the day. State takes over with 6:06 left and can put a bow on things right here.
Blown tackles allows State to convert on third down. Clock is under 5:30
State gets the clock to 3:17 and knocks through a 39 yard field goal to lead 31-20.
Duke decides to try to get the field goal before the touchdown and two-point conversion. Anyone want to take a guess on how that went? Ham misses and State takes over to kneel it out. Duke loses 31-20 and falls to 1-5 on the year.
