Pack attack: Blue Devils lose to Wolfpack 55-31 on Senior Day

N.C. State (5-3, 3-3 in the ACC) scored 49 unanswered points in the first half against Duke Saturday, the most points the school has scored in a half since 1920.

On Duke's first drive, the Blue Devils gained seven yards before deciding to punt on fourth down from their own 28 yard line. Duke's fake punt was unsuccessful, and State took control of the ball 28 yards from the Duke endzone.

It was all downhill for the Blue Devils (0-9, 0-6) from that point.

"We put ourselves in a very big hole early," Duke coach Carl Franks said. "We had a good shot on the fake early, and it was a chance I was willing to take to change momentum. When that didn't work out, then the turnovers hurt us even more."

N.C. State had a few tricks as well, as it successfully faked a field goal on Duke's 22 which led to a first down. The drive concluded with a five-yard touchdown throw from quarterback Philip Rivers to Willie Wright.

"I was shocked [by Duke's fake punt] because they had just stopped us three and out," Rivers said. "But if that busts open and they're successful with the fake, then it's a perfect call. And if it's not, you complain about it."

N.C. State coach Chuck Amato feels he prepared his team for the fake.

"We talked about tricks all week," Amato said. "When they do that, it reminds you that you got to fake it too."

The Blue Devils scored 31 points to N.C. State's six for the remainder of the game, including 24 unanswered points, starting with an 11-yard touchdown run by Alex Wade at the end of the first half.

Chris Douglas also scored a touchdown and Brent Garber kicked a 38-yard field goal, but the true star of the game for Duke was senior tight end Mike Hart.

Hart, playing in his last game at Wallace Wade Stadium, had 165 receiving yards and scored two touchdowns.

"Our guys keep playing, and they keep battling," Franks said. "At least they gave the fans something good to go home with. Mike Hart had one of the most courageous games I've ever seen. We ran 98 plays and we only took him out a couple times to catch his breath. But other than that, he was in there."

Hart felt his teammates played courageous as well.

"This team never gives up whether we're down 49 or down two," Hart said. "We're going to fight as hard as we can to get back into it. The defense showed up in the second half and did a great job. Unfortunately, some of the turnovers in the first half killed, especially when they had such long returns for touchdowns."

Amato also got a bit nervous in Duke's second-half run.

"They didn't quit," Amato said. "That's a tribute to their coaches. They got a lot of people scared. [Fans] started coming back in [the stadium]."

The Wolfpack players felt the same.

"Coach always says you have to learn how to kill a flower with an ax," Fisher said. "We tried. Those guys were coming out, and they were playing. It's not like they were just giving it to us."

Robinson, who finished with 104 rushing yards, shared his teammate's opinion.

"We was frustrated because we've got to learn how to finish a game out," Robinson said. "We're a little mad about that, but we're glad we got the win."

The game was almost like a home game for the Wolfpack, as the stadium was dominated by N.C. State red.

"Our crowd provided a lot of support for us," Robinson said. "They did a great job keeping us up. Sometimes it's hard to get up for games like this."

Duke has a week off before playing North Carolina in Chapel Hill on Nov. 17.