A new face at quarterback and the promise of a fresh start weren't enough to stop the continuation of the most infamous streak in Duke football history.
Duke's 14-game losing streak rolled into its third season Saturday night, as the North Carolina State Wolfpack (2-0, 1-0 in the Atlantic Coast Conference) crushed the Blue Devils (0-1, 0-1), 45-14. A crowd of 33,214 watched State quarterback Jamie Barnette unleash an offensive juggernaut that racked up 297 yards on the ground and 531 yards total.
"I think there [were] a lot of questions being asked about us," said Wolfpack coach Mike O'Cain, referring to the uncertainty about his team after it opened with an upset win at Syracuse. "Could we rebound after such a big win last weekend? Would we be ready to play? I think we answered that."
Barnette connected on 15 of his 19 passes, including 7-of-8 in the second half, for 224 yards and one touchdown. State receivers Torry Holt and Chris Coleman repeatedly beat the Duke secondary on sideline routes, while a variety of roll-outs and play-action fakes enabled Barnette to operate without much serious pressure.
Running backs Tremayne Stephens, Carlos King and Rahshon Spikes provided the threat that set up the passing game, combining for 208 yards and five rushing touchdowns. Barnette also kept defenders off-balance with his own running ability. On State's second drive of the game, Barnette kept the ball on an option play to the right side and scampered 34 yards down the sideline before being forced out of bounds. The sophomore capped the drive with a 14-yard touchdown pass to tight end Mark Thomas.
It was a long night for the Duke defense, which found itself on the field for nearly two-thirds of the game.
"They didn't do anything we didn't expect," said Duke linebacker Chike Egbuniwe, who led all defensive players with 20 tackles. "Give them a little thing and they would exploit it in the running game. That's just basic execution, and that's what the game comes down to."
The game was tied at seven after the first quarter, but the Wolfpack scored all the points it would need in the second. Leading 14-7, State traveled 60 yards in eight plays, starting with a 31-yard run by Stephens up the middle. Six plays later, Stephens bounced out to the left for a six-yard touchdown run and a 21-7 Wolfpack lead.
An insurance touchdown came just 1:04 later. A fumble by running back Lay Marshall gave the ball back to State on Duke's 15-yard line. After a rare incompletion by Barnette, King burst up the middle, bowling over tacklers at the five before finding the end zone.
Nearly lost in the impressive offensive showing by State was the debut of Duke freshman quarterback Bobby Campbell.
"Bobby did a real good job for his first time out in the football game," Duke coach Fred Goldsmith said. "They brought the house down on us over and over and he played with pretty good poise."
Campbell moved the team effectively on several drives, mixing short passes with his own running and runs by backs Letavious Wilks, Dawud Rasheed and Marshall. He also accounted for both Duke scores, on a 1-yard quarterback sneak in the first quarter and a 15-yard scramble finished off with a dive across the goal line in the fourth.
On the night, Campbell was 13-of-26 passing for 189 yards and one interception. His rushing output totaled 29 yards on 10 carries.
"He did everything we wanted him to do," Duke wide receiver Corey Thomas said. "With Bobby at the helm, we can do some good things. He's a real good quarterback."
Though Goldsmith officially kept the identity of his opening day quarterback a secret, Campbell was informed on Wednesday that he would get the start.
"Obviously I was a little nervous going into the game," Campbell said. "I was very confident throughout the week and then just a few hours before the game I felt I had some built-up energy, some tension.... But once the first ball is snapped, that's gone. It's just time to play.
N.C. State will attempt to continue its hot start next week with its home opener against Clemson. The Blue Devils travel to Illinois to take on Northwestern, a team which will be hungry for a win after losing to Wake Forest for the second straight year. For Duke, it will be back to the drawing board-or in this case, back to the film room.
"I need to look at the film and see who made the mistakes and where the mistakes were made," Goldsmith said. "I think we were stretched. They had a good plan to stretch us out."
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