NC State has a chance to make statement faceplants at Duke
NC State entered its game with Duke 3-0. They had been one of the ACC’s most pleasant surprises. QB CJ Bailey looks like a star in the making. The Wolfpack headed to reeling 1-2 Duke, and losers of their last two games.
With a chance to get to 4-0, NC State led Duke 20-7 in the 2nd quarter and then were promptly outscored 38-13 the rest of the way. Credit Duke for recovering and playing their best 2nd half of the season, but what else can you say, NC State faceplanted in a winnable game that could have set the tone for the season.
Especially with Virginia Tech and Campbell next, the Wolfpack could have entered their game with Notre Dame 6-0 and possibly ranked in the top 25. Those are the kinds of games with high stakes NC State needs to be playing in to move its program forward.
Under Dave Doeren, NC State always seems to fall short of truly turning the corner, and Saturday was yet another example of that. As said below, should Doeren really be 1-4 against Duke?
– 4th down penalty gave Duke their first TD
– Idiotic interception gave them the lead at half
– Missed PAT
– Blocked FG
– Nobody rushing punter on a dropped snap in the endzone
– Star QB had 3 picks and a lost fumbleDave is 1-4 against Duke. And we’ve done this for 13 years.
— Collin Johnson (@13cjj) September 21, 2025
There are a number of ACC teams in far worse shape than NC State, so I’m certainly not ready to bury the Wolfpack. They should get to 5-1, and even with a finish of ranked teams Notre Dame, Georgia Tech, Miami and FSU there may still be a pathway to 8-4 or 9-3, but Saturday sure felt like a missed chance.
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