Duke Hands NC State First Loss in Gritty Showdown

Starting Strong

The Wolfpack opened up the game with a bang. The offense looked like it was about to go three-and-out, but sophomore quarterback CJ Bailey found sophomore wide receiver Terrell Anderson on a jailbreak screen.

The receiver proceeded to take the pass 75 yards for a touchdown. Duke answered back with its own touchdown drive, but the Wolfpack took control of the game for the next quarter and a half. 

NC State put together its strongest drive of the season in terms of time of possession and yardage across the first and second quarters. After a special teams blunder set the Wolfpack up at its own 1-yard line, Bailey and the offense methodically worked their way down the field.

Both running backs put together nice drives, with Scott punishing the Blue Devil defense with three physical runs. A Bailey 11-yard run set the Pack up inside the 10 and he found Anderson for his second touchdown of the game. 

By the end of the drive, the Wolfpack milked 9:13 off the clock, keeping Mensah and the Blue Devil offense for an extended period. It was the first NC State touchdown drive from 99 yards out since 2018. 

Momentum Swing

The Wolfpack held all the momentum until the final minute of the first half. On a fourth-and-3 deep in Duke territory, Duke edge rusher Vincent Anthony Jr. appeared to jump offside. Bailey thought he had a free play and took a shot, but there was no penalty called.

The ball was intercepted and run back all the way to the NC State 12-yard line. Duke responded with a touchdown and took a 21-20 lead headed into the second half. 

The devastating momentum swing placed tremendous pressure on the Wolfpack defense against a Duke team that has performed better as the games move along. After Duke opened the second half with an easy touchdown drive, the Wolfpack needed a quick answer.

Smothers provided the solution and ran for a 51-yard touchdown to put the Wolfpack back within two points. It wasn’t enough, however, as Duke’s offense continued to push the ball down the field and score. 

Pack Rushing Attack

While NC State’s passing attack found success in the first half, the Blue Devils contained star running back Hollywood Smothers very effectively on the ground. Smothers carried the ball eight times and only racked up seven yards. Bailey did get him touches in the pass game, finding him three times for 36 yards. 

Smothers got things going in the second half and ultimately finished the night with 123 yards and a touchdown on the ground.

Second Half Blunders

It was a nightmare day for the Wolfpack special teams unit. Kicker Kanoah Vinesett missed an extra point attempt and then had a field goal attempt blocked in the third quarter. The punt return unit also had blunders throughout the first half. 

Trailing by 12, the offense needed to put together a drive at the start of the fourth quarter to keep NC State in the game. Bailey, struggling throughout the second half, bobbled the ball on an option play to Smothers and fumbled it. The Blue Devils recovered it and came away with Bailey's third turnover of the game.

The dagger came when NC State needed a stop on third down to get the ball back, trailing by five points late in the fourth quarter. Northwestern transfer linebacker blew his assignment and missed a tackle on Duke running back Anderson Castle. The back took off for a 66-yard touchdown to put the Blue Devils up 45-33 and effectively put the game away.

Anderson's Big Day

Even in the loss, the Wolfpack had one shining star. Sophomore wide receiver Terrell Anderson had a career day with his two touchdown catches and 166 yards.

He finished the game with the highest receiving output by a Wolfpack receiver since Kelvin Harmon in 2018, when he finished with 247 yards against Syracuse.

Quarterback Battle

The quarterback battle was a major point of conversation heading into the matchup. Even with Anderson's heroics helping him, it wasn't a strong night for CJ Bailey. The sophomore quarterback turned the ball over four times, including three interceptions. He threw for 364 yards and two touchdowns, but couldn't come up with enough in the second half to keep the Wolfpack in the game.

For Duke, Mensah starred in the second half. The sophomore finished the game with 269 yards and three touchdowns, including some brilliant deep balls to help the Blue Devils score six touchdowns.

Bailey and the Wolfpack will look to regroup and get a win next Saturday, as NC State hosts Virginia Tech.

Want more NC State football content during the 2025 season? Follow on X (Twitter) @WolfpackOnSI and @SennettTucker and never miss another breaking news story again.