Initial Thoughts and Reactions to NC State’s Loss at Duke

Alright, this is always risky. Publishing words after going through the emotional turmoil of watching a dismal NC State performance is always risky.

NC State lost to #17 Duke 24-3 on the road tonight. The Wolfpack were 4-point underdogs, despite the fact that Blue Devils’ starting Quarterback Riley Leonard was out. Coming into the game, the feeling was NC State had a shot in this one. 4 of the 5 fellas at College Gameday picked the Wolfpack over the Blue Devils.

After NC State picked off Henry Belin IV on the opening drive of the game, and Brayden Narveson set a new NC State record, with a 57-yard field goal, things were looking up.

That’s the last time anything positive happened in the game.

Here’s a look at NC State’s drives after the field goal.

The score easily should have been 31-3. Duke returned a punt for a touchdown, that was called back because of a hold that was nowhere near the action.

Duke’s QB completed 4 passes and the Blue Devils produced 24 points.

NC State had 11 penalties for a total of 87 yards. The Wolfpack receivers dropped pass after pass. Seemingly every time NC State was about to get a first down, a yellow flag was on the field, or the ball went through the hands of a receiver.

The offensive line was dismal. Why the coaching staff didn’t load up on O-Lineman in the Portal this offseason is beyond me.

This defense continues to give up explosive plays. One touchdown was a 69 yard pass, where Rente Hinton was toasted on a double move. Another touchdown was an 83-yard touchdown run by Jordan Waters, where he ran up the middle of the field like the Red Sea had been split wide open.

NC State won the time of possession battle, controlling the ball for almost 14 more minutes than Duke. They had 6 more first downs. But nothing was able to be done with any of it.

The Offense was bad. The Defense was bad.

Sincerely one of the worst NC State performances I can remember, and I did watch the Louisville game a few weeks back.

I always think it’s fascinating to look at the 247Sports Talent Composite Rankings. It ranks how talented a teams roster is based off of recruiting rankings. NC State’s team is the 7th most talented in the ACC according to rankings, and Duke ranks 12th.

Mike Elko is only in his 2nd season at Duke. Before he arrived, the Blue Devils were 3-9 in 2021. They went 9-4 in his first season, and are 5-1 in 2023, and are ranked 17th in the nation.

He’s doing an incredible job, making the most of what he has. NC State’s coaches aren’t.