RALEIGH - New week, same old story.
The football team traveled east on I-40 this weekend looking for its first win of the season against a Wolfpack squad that had amassed only one win of its own this year. Instead, the Blue Devils returned west 0-9 overall and 0-6 in the Atlantic Coast Conference after falling to N.C. State 44-22.
"I thought we had a good chance to beat N.C. State today but the breaks didn't go our way," junior wide out Corey Thomas said. "It just seems like the complete opposite of '94 when everything went our way and now nothing does. I don't want to say it's so much of a young factor but we just break down. Sometimes we have mental breakdowns and it just turns into seven points for the other team."
Early in the second quarter, the prospects looked good for Duke as the offense sprung to life and orchestrated a 13-play, 75-yard drive that culminated in a 14-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Dave Green to Thomas. The drive was perhaps the Blue Devils' most impressive of the season as they utilized a balance of strong north-south running and quick downfield passes to go the length of the field. In the process, Duke claimed its first road lead of the year at 7-3.
Before the Blue Devils had time to enjoy their uncustomary position, Wolfpack fullback Carlos King sprung free for a 62-yard touchdown run on the second play from scrimmage following Duke's score. King busted through the line, split two Blue Devil defenders at the 30-yard line and outran junior safety Tawambi Settles to the end zone for the longest touchdown run of his career.
"A 10 yard gain turned into a 60 yard run," Duke coach Fred Goldsmith said. "We knew they like to sneak the fullback inside the tackle and, with the coverage we were in, that they would try to sneak a fullback in the middle of the field. When you don't pay attention to something like that there's no excuse for it and when you make those kinds of mistakes and they're able to execute like North Carolina State's able to execute then you don't deserve to win."
Up 10-7, N.C. State got the ball back following a Duke punt. After two Tremayne Stephens' runs resulted in a first down, State quarterback Jamie Barnette hit King with a pass out of the backfield. King, who managed to get behind the Blue Devil coverage, scampered 64 yards, all the way down to the Duke five-yard-line before being brought down by Settles.
Stephens, who finished with 108 yards on the day, vaulted into the end zone two plays later to put the Wolfpack up 17-7.
Following stalled drives by both Duke and State, the Blue Devils were set to get the ball back with just under two minutes to go as the Wolfpack was forced to punt. Instead, junior punt returner Adam Geis muffed the return and the ball was recovered by N.C. State's Larry Daughtry at the Duke 17.
The Wolfpack scored five plays later as Barnette hit King on a 4-yard scoring strike, putting State up 24-7.
"Adam was right there and I guess the wind took the ball even a little further than he thought but he should've let it go," Goldsmith said. "That's the kind of thing the punt returner doesn't want to do. And of course, that was big."
The Blue Devils emerged from the locker room at halftime down by 17, but fully aware that they were still in the game, especially considering that they would be getting the ball first to start the second half.
Three plays into the opening drive, Duke fumbled away any remaining chance as junior running back Laymarr Marshall dropped a hand-off from Green. The ball squirted directly into the hands of N.C. State linebacker Morocco Brown who ran 31 yards for the score, effectively ending the Blue Devils' day, 31-7.
"We came out in the third quarter all pumped up and we knew if we could score we'd only be down 10 points," Goldsmith said. "And then we handed them the football for a touchdown. Like I told the team, three big plays in the first half and one big play to start the second half, you can't do those kinds of things."
After a Barnette touchdown pass made the score 38-7 to close out the third quarter, Green guided Duke down the field on a 72-yard scoring drive, capped by sophomore Dawud Rasheed's 15-yard touchdown run up the middle.
The Blue Devils then recovered a fumble late in the fourth quarter, deep in Wolfpack territory. Marshall powered his way into the end zone from 11 yards out and punched in on the two point conversion to make the score 38-22.
Down two scores with 3:52 remaining, Duke sensed some small glimmer of hope but saw it slip away as State recovered an onsides kick attempt and drove down the field for the insurance touchdown.
Despite the sour outcome, the Blue Devils took away several positive from the game, most notably, a balanced and effective rushing attack. Freshman Letavious Wilks led the way with 91 yards on 19 carries. Marshall and Rasheed each averaged over seven yards a carry as they rushed for 73 and 42 yards respectively.
The effectiveness of the run was facilitated by the most balanced Duke attack of the year.
"It was one of the first times in probably two years that we got in the flow of passing and running," Goldsmith said.
With only two games remaining, the need to attain the illusive first victory is becoming urgent, to say the least.
"I think we'll make this Wake Forest game a bigger game than I ever imagined in my life," Thomas said. "We got to go in like it's the championship game because if we lose this game than we have a real good shot to go 0-11."
Joel Israel contributed to this story.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.