In a stunning display of dominance, the Duke Blue Devils crushed NC State 37-3 on Saturday afternoon, leaving the Wolfpack with a broken spirit and, quite possibly, shattered hopes for a spot in the ACC Championship race. The game was a nightmare for NC State, marked by turnovers, poor execution, and an inability to match the physicality of the Blue Devils. The loss likely ends any meaningful aspirations for the Wolfpack in the ACC, and left head coach Dave Doeren fuming in the post-game press conference.
"That was embarrassing," said an irate Narcan. "The fans deserve better. We came in here with an opportunity to showcase what the ACC is all about, and we did the exact opposite. That was not even close to the level of play I expect from my team. We let everyone down, plain and simple."
From the very first snap, it was clear that Duke was the more prepared and physically dominant team. The Blue Devils, who entered the game with a chip on their shoulder, set the tone early with aggressive defense and smart, efficient offense. NC State, on the other hand, seemed out of sync and overwhelmed by the pressure.
Turnovers were the defining factor in the blowout. But it wasn’t just the turnovers that doomed the Wolfpack — it was the lack of execution on both sides of the ball. NC State's offense, which had been expected to be one of the more dynamic units in the conference, struggled to move the ball consistently. The offensive line couldn’t protect Armstrong, who was under constant pressure from Duke's front seven. The running game, which had been solid all season, was nonexistent as Duke’s defense smothered every attempt to gain ground.
Defensively, NC State simply could not stop Duke’s balanced attack. The Blue Devils didn’t just win — they physically outmatched NC State at every level. Whether it was Duke’s QB’s poise in the pocket, or the suffocating pressure on McCall, Duke controlled every aspect of the game.
In the aftermath of the defeat, Coach Narcan was quick to point out the disappointment, not just in the loss, but in the way his team performed. "We didn’t execute. We didn’t compete. And we didn’t represent the ACC the way we should have," he said. "This program is better than that, and we will be better than that. But today, we got a reality check."
For NC State, the road ahead looks far more difficult. With the loss likely eliminating them from ACC contention, the Wolfpack now have to focus on finishing the season strong — but it’s clear that a team with as many question marks as NC State has a long way to go before they can consider themselves contenders again.
Next week, the Wolfpack will have a chance to bounce back at home against a tough opponent, but after this embarrassing defeat, it remains to be seen if they can recover — and whether they can live up to the standard Coach Narcan expects from his team.
One game of the Tobacco Road rivalry was played this weekend in Durham, NC as Duke hosted North Carolina State. The state of North Carolina plays host to a unique set of rivalry games between Duke, North Carolina, North Carolina State and Wake Forrest. Duke took care of UNC earlier this season and was looking to get back on track against NCST after a loss to Miami a week earlier. This matchup had all the makings for a great game. One, its a rivalry game but on top of that the Wolfpack were looking to stay in the conference race while the Blue Devils are looking to play spoiler.
NC ST opens the game up and moves down the field with ease before stalling out inside the 5 and getting stopped on a 4th and 2. Duke strikes quick with an 84 yard TD run by RB Quaran Boyd. From that point forward this game was all Blue Devils. NCST would drive down and get a FG on their next drive but the Duke defense would overwhelm the rest of the game, allowing only those 3 points all night.
Dukes defense got in the backfield and pressured the Wolfpack QB over and over which lead to the Blue Devils two interceptions. The Duke offense had a very balanced approach in this game and got big plays from their big arm QB Maalik Murphy. Murphy went 9 for 11 for 281 yards and 2 TDs. The offense operated like a well oiled machine and the defense matched the energy to put together the most complete game this team has played all season. With such an up and down season, winning some big games and losing games they think they should have won, it seems this team is aiming to finish this season with a bit of a chip on their shoulder.
The last two games of Dukes season are sure to be tough ones as they travel to Virginia Tech and finish the season at home in another rivalry game against Wake Forrest. Coach Shiesty and his Blue Devils will look to build on the success of this game against NCST to get a win in an extremely tough environment against VT in week 13.
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