Preview: Duke (2-3) at NC State (3-2)
Posted October 07, 2009
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FACTS & STATS: Site: Carter-Finley Stadium (57,082) -- Raleigh, North Carolina. Television:ESPNU. Home Record: Duke 1-2, NC State 3-1. Away Record: Duke 1-1, NC State 0-1. Neutral Record: Duke 0-0, NC State 0-0. Conference Record: Duke 0-1, NC State 0-1. Series Record: Duke leads, 39-36-5.
GAME NOTES: The Duke Blue Devils and NC State Wolfpack will both get another crack at notching their first ACC win of the year this weekend, as they clash at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh.
The Blue Devils drew a tough opponent in their league opener this past weekend and they gave sixth-ranked Virginia Tech a scare before falling 34-26. It was a gritty effort from a Duke team that won just one of eight league games a year ago, but appears to be on the rise. Now at 2-3 overall, the Blue Devils head back out the road where they are 1-1, defeating Army (35-19) and losing to Kansas (44-16).
As for NC State, it opened the season with a 7-3 loss to South Carolina before responding with three straight wins. Last weekend, the Wolfpack took to the road for the first time and were unable to overcome Wake Forest, 34-24. It was the league opener for NC State, which now faces a Duke team it has defeated 11 times in a row.
The Blue Devils though, are still clinging to a 39-36-5 lead in the all-time series with the Wolfpack.
The Blue Devils were able to find some success on offense despite facing VT's stout defense, as they gained 397 total yards in a losing effort. Duke didn't commit a single turnover either, although it managed just 38 yards on the ground. The Blue Devils, who are averaging 376.6 total ypg on the year, have struggled to run the ball and are gaining just 91.0 ypg thus far. With the lack of a threat on the ground, quarterback Thaddeus Lewis has had to shoulder much of the offense and he has responded by throwing for 1,142 yards and seven touchdowns. Lewis did a nice job of managing the offense last weekend and he threw for 359 yards and a pair of touchdowns against VT's tough defense. Austin Kelly led the squad with six receptions and a touchdown, while Conner Vernon had a team-best 128 receiving yards in the setback. On the season, Kelly heads the team with 25 catches and 299 receiving yards, and Donovan Varner is tops with four receiving touchdowns.
Duke's defense wasn't nearly as effective as the offense last weekend, as the unit was torched for 477 total yards by VT. The Blue Devils, who are giving up 363.0 total ypg on the year, were exposed for 327 yards on 17-of-22 pass attempts by a VT club that isn't known for its passing attack. The unit once again failed to make big plays and finished with just one forced turnover and sack. The team hasn't had much success in either department thus far, recording only five sacks and six takeaways. Vincent Rey, who leads the team with 45 tackles on the season, came up with eight stops, including 1.5 for losses in the setback.
NC State turned the ball over three times, matching its entire season total, as it was downed by WF over the weekend. The Wolfpack, which was averaging 406.0 total ypg heading into the game, gained 379 total yards, but that wasn't enough to compensate for the mishaps. Quarterback Russell Wilson threw his first two picks of the season, although he did finish the game with 275 yards and a pair of scores through the air. He also did damage with his legs, rushing for 41 yards and a third touchdown. It wasn't the best effort, but not a horrible one either for Wilson, who had thrown 12 touchdowns passes and no picks through the team's first four games. George Bryan has been one of his favorite targets and he paces the team with 22 catches and four receiving touchdowns. The emerging tight end had a solid outing against WF, pulling in six balls for 79 yards and a score. In the backfield, Toney Baker heads NC State with 292 yards and five touchdowns, but he wasn't much of a factor on the ground last weekend with only 42 yards on 10 carries. He however, did haul in his second receiving touchdown of the campaign.
The Wolfpack's defense was solid through the first four games, holding foes to a mere 201.2 total ypg, including only 125.2 ypg through the air. Last weekend though, the unit was exposed by Wake and allowed 391 total yards, with 361 of those yards coming via the pass. The defense permitted WF to make 9- of-17 third downs after holding its first four opponent to a dismal 20 percent conversion rate. It wasn't all negative though, as the defense did record three turnovers and six sacks. Willie Young continued his impressive start with three sacks and a forced fumble and he now has a team-high seven sacks on the season.
NC State is coming off a sub par performance, but expect both the offense and defense to rebound with a win over a Duke club it has owned the last several years.
Sports Network Predicted Outcome: NC State 31, Duke 17
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