Why two long runs and staying in the fight mattered to Duke football
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Freeman's 67-yard interception shifted momentum before halftime for Duke.
- Castle's 66-yard touchdown sealed the win and led Duke's second-half offense.
- Duke forced four turnovers and committed none, swinging the game decisively.
Years from now, when much is forgotten about Duke’s 45-33 win Saturday over N.C. State, there will always be the two long runs to rekindle the memories.
One was Tre Freeman’s 67-yard interception in the first half, the Duke linebacker sprinting down the left sideline with the ball in his hand. It was sudden, it was dramatic, it was arguably the biggest single play in the game.
The second came much later. It was running back Anderson Castle, the transfer, the big man from Boone, barreling down the left side for a 66-yard touchdown run with 2:19 left that sealed the victory in Duke’s ACC opener.
Freeman did not have a pick-six, did not get to the end zone, much to his chagrin, as State’s Hollywood Smothers hustled back to make the tackle. But his theft of a C.J. Bailey pass and the runback came with the Wolfpack leading 20-14 and on the move, looking to put a potential stranglehold on the Blue Devils in the final minute before halftime.
On fourth-and-2 at the Duke 24, the Pack tried to draw the Blue Devils offsides. It backfired as Bailey was surprised by the center snap, then unloaded a pass down field under pressure.
“It was a bad throw right to me and I was just running, trying to score, thinking we need this for momentum right now,” Freeman said. “I think that really got us going, showed that we were in the fight for sure.”
That’s what Duke coach Manny Diaz wanted – after back-to-back losses, after falling behind by 13 points to the Pack, to stay in the fight.
It was hard, emotionally, seeing middle linebacker Nick Morris Jr., being carted off the field with a leg injury. Morris, called the “heart and soul” of the Duke defense by end Wesley Williams had worked so diligently to return from an ACL injury in the 2024 season opener, only to be injured again Saturday late in the first quarter .
“That hurt my heart, for sure,” Freeman said. “To see his struggles and him overcoming them, then to see him go down like that, it hurt.
“I know how much work Nick puts in, and I don’t think he deserves that. Sometimes stuff just happens and you’ve got to deal with it.”
The Blue Devils dealt with Morris’ injury by giving more snaps to linebacker Luke Mergott, a redshirt sophomore. And it would be Mergott whose hard rush on Bailey rushed the throw that found the hands of Freeman.
Turnovers finally come Duke’s way
Duke, which thrived on opponents’ turnovers last season, entered the game minus-6 in turnovers through the first three games of 2025. Tulane quarterback Jake Retzlaff lost a fumble last week, Duke’s first forced turnover of the season.
But the Blue Devils came up with four Saturday as Bailey had three interceptions and lost a fumble. Duke, in turn, did not turn the ball over and it’s tough for a team to lose a game when it’s is plus-4 for the night.
“We knew the turnovers were going to come, even though they weren’t coming the first few games,” Freeman said. “We knew our chaos and our havoc was going to cause turnovers. We got back to being the underdog, putting our heads down and just working and playing as hard as we can.”
Offensively, the Blue Devils got a clean game from quarterback Darian Mensah, who passed for 269 yards and three touchdowns. Sahmir Hagans, Cooper Barkate and Landen King all had touchdown grabs, with Barkate’s 37-yarder pushing Duke ahead 35-26.
On special teams, Williams crashed through to block a field-goal attempt by the Pack late in the third quarter.
“We were on the right side of those plays today,” Williams said.
If Williams could have located the ball, he might have had a scoop and score. “But I had no clue,” he said, laughing. The block would do.
Duke’s “beast”
Then there was Castle, the guy the Devils call “A.C,” although Hagans also used another word: “Beast.”
With running back Jaquez Moore slowed by a minor injury, Castle had 92 of Duke’s 149 yards rushing. The Appalachian State transfer had five carries for five yards in the first half, then seven for 87 yards in the second half.
“A.C. was the one who carried the load tonight,” Hagans said.
With road trips coming up to Syracuse and California, the Blue Devils still have much work to do and more to prove. The load won’t lighten. But for a night, they could gather together in the locker room and let loose a victory yell or two.
“A lot of words flowing, a lot of music blasting, a lot of good energy and good vibes,” Hagans said. “We finally got the big win we’ve been waiting for.”
This story was originally published September 21, 2025 at 5:30 AM.
