NC State Get Rocked by Nate Sheppard and Duke: Now What For the Wolfpack?
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Coming off the impressive victory over Cal a week ago, NC State looked to etch a second straight ACC victory against Duke on Saturday.
However, the Blue Devils set the tone early in their first series, going 4 plays for 82 yards. Nate Sheppard (RB) took a handoff straight through the gut of NC State’s defense for a 69-yard touchdown run.
He galloped to the end zone untouched.
State responded with a 9-play, 53-yard drive that resulted in a successful field goal. And those three points would be the only points NC State would see all day.
Duke relied heavily on Nate Sheppard in the first half. Sheppard eclipsed the century mark in rushing after 15 minutes and 7 seconds into this game. He scored Duke’s second touchdown on an 8-yard direct snap.
Sheppard ended his first half with 169 yards rushing on 13 carries.
State’s offense was virtually nonexistent in the first half. CJ Bailey went 12 for 20 for 106 yards while the leading rusher, Davion Gause, had 19 yards. State was 2 for 7 on 3rd down, and several of Bailey’s overthrows killed any momentum this offense had going for itself.
NC State’s attempt to drill a 50-yard field goal with one second left in the 2nd quarter would’ve been one bright spot. However, Kanoah Vinesett’s kick slowly turned into tragedy as Jaivon Solomon returned the missed field goal 100 yards for another Duke touchdown to end the first half.
It was a comically bad turn of events for the Wolfpack, who were desperate to put any points on the board.
WHAT A WAY TO END THE HALF! ANDREW PELLICCIOTTA 109 YARDS!!! pic.twitter.com/ObchjXtY7C
— Duke Football (@DukeFOOTBALL) November 7, 2026
Duke went into halftime with a 31 to 3 lead over NC State.
The Wolfpack held Duke to only 10 points in the second half but still couldn’t muster much offense of their own.
Sheppard ended his day with 217 yards rushing on 18 carries and 3 touchdowns, which also matches NC State's total production for the day.
🏈🫸https://t.co/O0uAXgKxJs https://t.co/M3vNZfJpSx
— Heisman (@HeismanTrophy) November 7, 2026
The Wolfpack will look to regroup for their last home game of the season against Syracuse next week.
The high hopes for NC State's season faded a long time ago. And I realize how crazy this sounds, but there's still a shot at bowl eligibility for the Wolfpack if they can win two out of the next three games.
Andre Cherry's Quick Thoughts
It’s hard to imagine things sinking any lower for this program.
One bright spot is that Philip River’s season ended at St. Michael Catholic High School in Fairhope, Alabama, which frees him up to speak to NC State as often as necessary to get a deal in place to be the school’s next head coach.
If I'm NC State, you get the Philip Rivers contract signed immediately following this game.
— DRE (@Cherry_Pickin) November 7, 2026
NC State shouldn’t wait any longer to make this hire. Go get your man before Rivers changes his mind.
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Andre Cherry began covering college football in 2010 through his CherryPickin podcast network. Andre originally hails from Chicagoland and is a proud Illinois State alum. He has lived in Philadelphia since 2014 and has previously covered Temple Football. Andre has a broadcast journalism background and got his start in media at WSCR the Score. He’s written for Fox Sports, Bridgehead Media, cinéSPEAK Journal, and IPMF.
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