First look: What to know about NC State and Duke’s ACC football showdown
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Duke returns home seeking a rebound after a 34-27 loss at Tulane dropped them to 1-2.
- N.C. State enters 3-0, led by QB C.J. Bailey and RB Hollywood Smothers’ strong start.
- Duke’s defense must improve discipline and contain RPO threats to stop Wolfpack momentum.
N.C State is 3-0 this football season and getting incrementally better each week, but might want to tread lightly, if a bit warily, into Duke’s Wallace Wade Stadium on Saturday.
The Blue Devils will be back home and not in the best of moods. Angry, actually. After a 34-27 loss at Tulane, Duke is 1-2 heading into its ACC opener and should be intent on an immediate turnaround.
An early crossroads game for Duke? It seems that way, considering the top-shelf goals the Blue Devils set for the season.
“We have great leadership,” Duke coach Manny Diaz said after the Tulane loss. “Those guys just spoke up in the locker room and are serious about getting it right.
“We’re going into league play and we’re 0-0 in league play, so there is a little bit of a fresh start, which I think we need.”
The Blue Devils have been made a 3-point favorite by the oddsmakers despite the Pack beating East Carolina and Virgina, then picking up a 34-24 road win over Wake Forest in its first ACC game last week. The Virginia matchup was a nonconference game, but the Pack showed its comeback potential against the Cavaliers, bouncing back from a 10-point deficit in the second half for a 35-31 win against a quality opponent.
Duke has sputtered too much in its first three games. There have been good plays and explosive plays but also too many bobbles, turnovers, penalties and other head-scratching plays that can be costly.
Against Tulane, the Blue Devils had 26 first downs and 452 yards in total offense, getting 313 passing from quarterback Darian Mensah. But eight penalties and kicking game mistakes hurt, as did the inability to corral Tulane quarterback Jake Retzlaff, the BYU transfer who ran for four touchdowns and accounted for 356 yards in total offense.
There is much for Duke to correct in a week’s time. After N.C. State, the Devils go to Syracuse and Cal before returning home to face Georgia Tech. The urgency needs to be there for Duke.
“It starts with the coaches and then the leaders on the team,” senior defensive end Vincent Anthony Jr. said Saturday. “The older guys really have got to lock in and make the whole team accountable, just making sure everybody is preparing during the week like pros, really.”
Game’s key matchup: Containing Pack’s Bailey
Duke’s defense made things miserable at times last season for Wolfpack quarterback C.J. Bailey in the Blue Devils’ 29-19 win in Raleigh.
Bailey was sacked for a safety in the first quarter and lost a fumble in the first half, and his passing numbers for the game were 16-of-39 for 184 yards. Duke tried to confuse the freshman with its defensive looks and was successful for the most part.
A year later, Bailey is taller (by an inch), bigger and better. The 6-7 sophomore is completing 70.8% of his passes, has five TDs and one interception, is making good decisions and has a confident look about him.
Both Illinois and Tulane burned the Devils on RPO’s and had Duke guessing at times. Case in point: Retzlaff, who ran for 111 yards. Bailey could do the same with his elusiveness and Duke’s defensive front, which likes to feast on sacks and tackles for a loss, again will be tested.
The Pack, after a Thursday night game at Wake Forest, has had extra time to adjust its game plan for Duke. And add some new offensive wrinkles for Bailey?
Impact players: Pack’s Smothers, Duke’s Anthony
Hollywood Smothers is the Wolfpack’s offensive X-factor. The running back has contributed 380 rushing yards in the first three games of the season, including back-to-back career highs. He ran for 140 yards against Virginia and bested that against Wake Forest with 164. Last season, he finished with 571 yards and two 100-yard games.
Smothers isn’t just a strong body but is dynamic on his feet. The redshirt sophomore has shown his ability to break tackles and evade defenders by sheer athleticism, sneaky footwork and clutch spin moves.
When the offensive front can give him a little bit of time and space to get the run game going, it opens up options for pass plays and quarterback draws. That versatility has been key in N.C. State’s first three wins, when the offense needed to provide heavy lifting. The Wolfpack averaged 145.2 rushing yards per game and only 28.5 points.
This year, N.C. State has improved the run game by 30 yards per game (175.3) and is averaging 31 points.
Duke’s Anthony is the Blue Devils’ quickest, most disruptive player on the defensive front. The senior from Durham has five solo sacks in the first three games – Pitt’s Zach Crothers leads the ACC with six – and was named the ACC defensive lineman of the week for his play against Illinois, even in a loss.
But Anthony was caught out of position Saturday at times on some of the Retzlaff runs off an RPO, chasing after the running back as the QB found gaps and sprinted away.. Anthony and Duke’s Aaron Hall teamed up to sack Bailey for the safety last year in Raleigh, and the 6-6, 260-pound edge rusher can be a difference-maker.
Vegas betting odds
Most of the Vegas betting services have the Blue Devils a 3.0- or 3.5-point pick. The over/under is 51.5 points. One moneyline has NC State +128 and Duke -153.
Duke vs N.C. State game info
Teams: Duke (1-2, 0-0 ACC), NC State (3-0, 1-0 ACC). When: Saturday, 4 p.m. Where: Wallace Wade Stadium, Durham. TV: ESPN2. Stream: fubo TV, Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, DIRECTV Stream, Sling TV. Series history: The Blue Devils lead 43-37-5 in a series dating to 1924, when State won 44-0 in Raleigh. Duke has won four of the last five games, twice in Durham, after losing 11 straight from 1994 to 2008 against the Wolfpack.
This story was originally published September 15, 2025 at 5:30 AM.
