Secondary issues plaguing Pack

Inside the game

It didn't matter what coverage N.C. State tried in the secondary during Duke's 49-28 thrashing of the Wolfpack on Saturday at Carter-Finley Stadium.

"Whether we were playing man or zone, we weren't even in the same area code sometimes as their guys," N.C. State coach Tom O'Brien said.

O'Brien said the Wolfpack has to re-evaluate everything about its defense after Duke's Thaddeus Lewis passed for 459 yards and five touchdowns. On the heels of Riley Skinner's 361-yard passing effort the week before for Wake Forest, Blue Devils coach David Cutcliffe provided a blueprint for defeating N.C. State.

If teams forget about the running game, give their quarterbacks maximum protection and get rid of the ball quickly when they pass, they will expose N.C. State's vulnerable secondary unless the Wolfpack improves.

Game balls

RB Toney Baker: Senior ran for 73 yards on just nine carries and caught two passes for 22 yards.

P Jeff Ruiz: Averaged 39.5 yards per kick and downed two punts inside the Duke 12-yard line. But when your punter is one of your highlights, you know it has been a difficult day.

Looking ahead

For the rest of the season, the most important question each week will be whether N.C. State's opponent has a quarterback who can make the secondary pay.

The Wolfpack (3-3, 0-2 ACC) visits Boston College (4-2, 2-2) at 3:30 p.m. Saturday. David Shinskie, the Eagles' 25-year-old freshman, won't be nearly the most formidable quarterback N.C. State will face.

He was 1-for-12 with two interceptions Saturday against Virginia Tech, but the Hokies' secondary is far superior to N.C. State's.

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