Why Duke’s win over NC State displayed resiliency capable of taking the Blue Devils far
It’s time to believe what our eyes are seeing from Duke football.
Heck, maybe it’s past time.
On Saturday night, in their home stadium that had as many red-clad NC State fans as their own supporters, the No. 17 Blue Devils played without their starting quarterback.
The quarterback who did play completed just four passes.
Duke’s defense stung from its last appearance at Wallace Wade Stadium two weeks earlier, when Notre Dame drove on its last possession for the touchdown that delivered a 21-14 victory after the Blue Devils couldn’t stop a fourth-and-16 play.
Yes, all those mental and physical challenges hovered in Duke’s orbit.
And it didn’t matter.
Duke rolled to a 24-3 win over N.C. State, continuing the type of tough-minded play that’s become its norm under head coach Mike Elko.
“I think that’s the character of this program,” Elko said. “I don’t know that that can even be up for debate anymore.”
Rebounding from Notre Dame
Duke (5-1, 2-0 ACC) had plenty of doubters as it entered Saturday night’s game with the Wolfpack. The gut-wrenching loss to Notre Dame was only part of it. Losing junior quarterback Riley Leonard to a high ankle sprain was the unfortunate byproduct.
In stepped Henry Belin IV, a redshirt freshman who had never started a college game.
Duke’s defense entered the night having allowed just 11.2 points per game this season. The only teams, nationally, better than that were Michigan (6.7), Penn State (9.6) and Ohio State (10.2).
Yet there were natural concerns about how Duke’s defense would respond after Notre Dame marched down the field to steal that win.
“I think everybody kind of thought we were just gonna wither away when Riley got hurt and we lost to Notre Dame,” Elko said. “I know who we are. I don’t think anybody in this building is built that way.”
Early test for Duke defense
N.C. State (4-3, 1-2 ACC) is just the latest team to learn that harsh message.
It looked like the Wolfpack had early momentum when Shyheim Battle intercepted a Belin pass on Duke’s first possession.
But after taking over at the Duke 38, the Wolfpack defense gained exactly zero yards against Duke’s offense on three plays. N.C. State’s Brayden Narveson impressively kicked a 57-yard field goal to give the Wolfpack a 3-0 lead, but that entire sequence actually showed the resiliency Duke embodies this season.
“That’s just everything we work for,” said Duke linebacker Tre Freeman, who led the Blue Devils with 15 tackles and also grabbed an interception. “Alright. Sudden change. We’re going to go out there and get a stop because the offense needs us right now. So that’s what we’re going to do.”
It can’t be overstated how important that was. Duke, with Belin rather than Leonard, wasn’t equipped with an offense that could overcome a two-score deficit or something like that. Giving up a field goal was a win.
“We knew starting fast was going to be really important,” Elko said, “because we didn’t want to get into a game where we had to play catch up. That was not going to be a great recipe for success for us.”
Belin gains confidence
Then Belin, after two shaky possessions, completed a 21-yard pass to tight end Jeremiah Hasley to move the Blue Devils out of the shadow of their own goal posts and up to their own 31.
On the next play, Duke senior wide receiver Jalon Calhoun used a double move to get open behind the N.C. State defense. Belin’s strong pass hit Calhoun in stride for a 69-yard touchdown play that put the Blue Devils ahead for good.
Rather than wallow in his early turnover, Belin shook it off and tipped the game permanently in Duke’s favor.
“I went to the sideline and I had a bunch of guys telling me, `next play, next play,’” Belin said. “In my mind, I knew it was `next play.’ I knew we were gonna be good. Just go out there and do what we’re supposed to do.”
In the second quarter, after Freeman’s interception set the Blue Devils up at the NC State 8, Belin lofted an 8-yard touchdown pass to Hasley giving Duke a 17-3 second-quarter lead.
Halsey was only in the game because senior tight end Nicky Dalmolin suffered a lower-body injury in practice this week. A freshman, Hasley was a reserve linebacker a month ago before being moved to tight end.
On Saturday night, his two catches played major roles in a Blue Devils’ win.
Next up: Florida State
That’s just another example of how Duke goes about its business.
N.C. State is playing like a middling team these days, with a subpar offense and a defense that’s hard-hitting but is prone to give up big plays. So, on the surface, it makes sense Duke posted a comfortable win by three touchdowns.
It doesn’t take a deep dig below the surface to know this win shows far more about the Blue Devils.
Now Duke heads to No. 4 Florida State (6-0, 4-0) for a Saturday night showdown that is trending toward having ACC title implications. This will be another test of the Blue Devils’ mettle.
Leonard may or not play. The Seminoles average 42.1 points per game, so Duke’s defense will be in the cross hairs again.
It will be easy to dismiss Duke’s chances. But it shouldn’t be.