NC State at Duke: Key Blue Devils to Watch Defensively

North Carolina State football (3-0) travels to Durham this weekend to play its second ACC conference game against the Duke Blue Devils (1-2). It’s a pivotal game for the Wolfpack to take an early lead in the ACC standings, with it being early in the season, and it’ll be quarterback CJ Bailey’s first time traveling to Wallace Wade Stadium.

Nov 9, 2024; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils cornerback Joshua Pickett (26) tackles North Carolina State Wolfpack running back Jordan Waters (7) during the second half of the game at Carter-Finley Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images | Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images

The defense Bailey will face hasn’t been what Duke fans expected before the season, especially with defensive-minded head coach Manny Diaz at the helm. It’ll be a tough environment for Bailey to step into, but if there is any indication of how the young signal caller will handle it, poised is the first word that comes to mind.

Here are some of the top performers from the Blue Devils' defense throughout the first three games of the season.

Tackling machines

Safety Dashawn Stone leads the team in total tackles with 20 early on in the season. Stone has been excellent in the tackling game, but has struggled in pass coverage, leading the team in giving up receiving yardage with 105 on the season.

Nov 9, 2024; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils cornerback Chandler Rivers (0) blocks North Carolina State Wolfpack wide receiver Dacari Collins (4) during the first half of the game at Carter-Finley Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images | Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images

The second leading tackler on the team is another safety, Caleb Weaver. Weaver was one of the headliners of the defense entering the season, and early on, he’s been a part of it. Even with the great production, having two safeties leading the team in tackles isn’t ideal. Duke ranks 88th in the country in team run defense, giving up 147.3 a game.

Running back Hollywood Smothers has back-to-back games getting over 140 rushing yards. Another big game could be in store for him.

Getting to the quarterback

The Blue Devils have totaled 55 pressures on the season. The two leaders are Edges Vincent Anthony Jr. and Wesley Williams, with 10 and 12, respectively. In terms of getting the quarterback on the ground, Anthony leads the team with five on the season.

Yessir 😈 @BigVince56 pic.twitter.com/s4kD51l6i1
— Duke Football (@DukeFOOTBALL) September 8, 2025

Those five tie him for No. 1 in the country in individual stats. A real game wrecker and someone the Wolfpack certainly has circled on the scouting report.

Overall performance

One week it’s the front-seven, the other, it’s the secondary. The story of the Duke defense so far in 2025, they gave up over 280 passing yards and three touchdowns to Illinois quarterback Luke Altmayer in week two, and in week three, Tulane quarterback Jake Retzlaff ran for four touchdowns.

👏 @_ChandlerRivers pic.twitter.com/walYoEemvH
— Duke Football (@DukeFOOTBALL) September 16, 2025

The unit will have to lean on its top performers like Anthony and defensive back Chandler Rivers to get back on track. The Wolfpack won’t be an easy task to contain with Bailey at the helm, but with the Durham crowd fueling the Blue Devils, a rivalry game is the perfect way to get the defense back on track.

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