NC State Dominates Second Half to Down Duke
RALEIGH, N.C. – NC State picked up its third straight win of the season, claiming a 31-20 victory over Duke in Carter-Finley Stadium.
The lone score of the first quarter was a special teams TD by Duke. Freshman Dorian Mausi got Duke on the board first when he picked up a blocked punt and returned it 32 yards for the score. Fellow classmate Isaiah Fisher-Smith recorded his first career blocked punt on the play.
The Blue Devils made it a 10-0 lead on the first play of the second quarter after a 46-yard field goal by Charlie Ham.
NC State got on the scoreboard on its first drive of the second quarter, after RB Jordan Houston punched it in from a yard out.
Duke quickly answered on the ensuing drive, their first offensive score made it 17-7 late in the second quarter.
For the second straight week, linebacker Vi Jones blocked a punt, and this week it was returned for a TD. With 45 seconds left in the half, Jones went through the middle of the formation and blocked a Duke punt, which was returned 8 yards for a score by safety Max Fisher.
Duke tacked on a 29-yard field goal as time expired in the first half to make the halftime score 20-14.
For the third straight week, the Pack defense came up with a goal line stand. In the third, Duke had a first-and-goal from the 4-yard line, but the Pack stuffed all four attempts to get into the end zone.
The Pack captured its first lead of the game in the third quarter after LB Payton Wilson picked up his second interception of the game. NC State then went 60 yards in only five plays, capped by Leary finding Cary Angeline from four yards out.
Leary was lost for the game with 55 seconds left in the third quarter and the Pack up 21-20.
On the first play of the fourth quarter, NC State extended its lead was backup QB Bailey Hockman found WR Thayer Thomas from nine yards out.
Christopher Dunn tacked on a 39-yard field goal to give the Pack some breathing room with 3:17 left for the final margin of 31-20.
Duke running back Deon Jackson picked up 34 yards on the ground to become the eighth individual in program history to reach the 2,000-yard career milestone. He currently holds 2,031 yards and sits seventh all-time at Duke.
Redshirt sophomore linebackers Shaka Heyward and Rocky Shelton II led the defensive unit with eight tackles apiece. Redshirt junior safety Lummie Young IV and senior defensive tackle Derrick Tangelo each forced a fumble while redshirt junior cornerback Leonard Johnson and senior defensive end Drew Jordan recovered those fumbles, respectively.
Redshirt sophomore cornerback Jeremiah Lewis earned his team-leading second interception of the season when he picked off Devin Leary in the first quarter. The Blue Devils have now registered an interception in five of their six games.
Redshirt junior defensive end Chris Rumph II chipped in with four tackles, one sack and 2.5 tackles for loss, marking his eighth career game with multiple tackles for loss. Senior defensive end Victor Dimukeje and Tangelo also added sacks.
Duke has an open date before it returns to Brooks Field at Wallace Wade Stadium on Octtober 31 for an out-of-conference matchup with Charlotte. NC State will be on the road next weekend, traveling to Chapel Hill to face #5 North Carolina.