Inveigle
All American
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- Jan 20, 2014
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Duke will be looking to build on its first win of the season when it travels to Raleigh on Saturday afternoon to take on NC State in a 3:30pm kickoff. The Wolfpack have won two road games in a row and are off to a 3-1 start this season.
Duke finally notched its first win of the season last week after losing its first four games to open the 2020 campaign. The Blue Devils had dropped contests to No. 10 Notre Dame, Boston College, Virginia and Virginia Tech, with the first three setbacks coming by double digits. They looked better in their last two games, though, staying competitive with the Hokies and then notching a 38-24 road win at Syracuse. Quarterback Chase Brice has struggled with turnovers this season, throwing eight interceptions. He is coming off what was probably his best outing of the year, completing 22 of 38 passes for 270 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.
Brice will be eager to face a North Carolina State defense that allows 447 yards per game. Duke’s running backs will also be excited for the opportunity to face a below average defense. Senior Deon Jackson is coming off a game in which he carried the ball 30 times for 169 yards against Syracuse. Junior Mataeo Durant added to the rushing attack with 23 carries for 163 yards and two touchdowns. Jackson had a 50-yard run and Durant had a 48-yard run in the win. The Blue Devils’ offense finally appears to have found some momentum heading into this game. It’s not surprising, as Brice is a transfer and it usually takes some time to get into sync with a new system.
North Carolina State has been one of the more impressive teams in the ACC early in the year. The Wolfpack opened the season with a 45-42 win against Wake Forest before suffering their lone loss in a 45-24 setback at No. 20 Virginia Tech. They have bounced back in a big way, picking up road wins at Pittsburgh and Virginia. North Carolina State’s defense has been iffy all season, allowing at least three touchdowns to all four of their opponents. The defense is going to need to play better against a Duke team that is starting to find some confidence on that side of the ball.
The Wolfpack’s offense is generating success in every game, though. They have put up 30+ points in all four of their contests and will be looking to take advantage of a suspect Duke defense. Sophomore quarterback Devin Leary has completed 60 percent of his passes for 685 yards and seven touchdowns. He, unlike Brice, has done a great job of taking care of the ball, only throwing one interception. Sophomore running back Zonovan Knight leads the rushing attack, racking up 321 yards and three touchdowns on 50 attempts. Junior Ricky Person Jr. is another consistent threat on the ground, carrying the ball 55 times for 250 yards and three touchdowns this season.
Why Duke Will Win
Stop turning the ball over and everything will be fine.
The pass rush has been terrific, the passing game is uneven but it puts up yards, and the scoring is there, but a nation-high 19 turnovers and a -11 turnover margin screw up everything else.
It’s a bit of a reach to suggest that the record would be night-and-day without the mistakes – besides the turnovers, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play? – but Duke would probably be 3-2 right now if it wasn’t so quick to give it up.
Fortunately, NC State doesn’t take away the ball in bunches. If has five takeaways so far, and it generates pressure, but if Duke can just settle down and not force things, it has a shot to pull this off.
Why NC State Will Win
Turnovers.
Yeah, they’re a thing with Duke, and they don’t appear to be stopping. They managed to beat Syracuse last week despite the four give-ups because the Orange offensive line is really, really bad at blocking, but NC State doesn’t need any extra help.
Very, very quietly, the Wolfpack have been good enough. The secondary will give up yards and every game is a fight, but Devin Leary has settled in at quarterback, the rushing attack is good enough, and the team seems to have figured out how to win. Something Duke needs to learn to do.
What’s Going To Happen
It took a really, really, really bad game from Syracuse for Duke to win last week. There’s enough talent in place to be better than it has been, but NC State is playing well despite all the flaws.
Best of all, now NC State is back at home after surviving a three-game road trip going 2-1. It’ll be another shootout from the Wolfpack, and Duke will have its chances, but three turnovers will be the difference.
Prediction:
NC State 38
Duke 31
