After losing two closely fought contests the past two weekends against conference foes Virginia and Wake Forest the football team looks to rebound this Saturday against North Carolina State. Unfortunately for the Blue Devils (2-5, 0-3 in the ACC), the 10th-ranked Wolfpack enter the contest as the ACC's hottest team, boasting a perfect 7-0 record.
In quarterback Philip Rivers and running back, T.A. McLendon N.C. State features two of the premier offensive players in the country. Rivers has been nothing short of phenomenal so far this season. His passing efficiency rating, a gaudy 170.8, is the nation's best, and the junior has guided the Wolfpack to new offensive heights. The Wolfpack are averaging 43.7 points per game, good for third in the country.
"Any team that throws the ball around gets me a little edgy," said head coach Carl Franks. "We're pretty good at stopping the run but Philip Rivers just has a knack for getting rid of the ball and finding open receivers. It's going to be a challenge. We're going to have to come up with some different stuff to hopefully give them some problems."
Unlike in previous years, however, when Rivers at times appeared to be a one-man show for the Wolfpack, N.C. State now boasts a talented ground attack to match. Despite playing in just six games, many with a broken wrist, McLendon leads the ACC with 12 touchdowns and averages nearly 100 yards a contest.
Faced with a fearsomely balanced offense, the Blue Devils hope to shut down the Wolfpack running game in order to better contain its passing abilities.
"[We want to] go out on first-and-10 and stop the run, force them to get into situations where they don't really have a choice but to throw it," said defensive end Micah Harris. "We're going in with the mindset that we have every game. We're not scared, we're not going to back down and we're going to stop the run."
Offensively, Duke hopes to do as it has done all season, namely to establish the ground game and control the match's time of possession, a statistic in which the Blue Devils currently lead the ACC. Critical to the teams' success will be its ability to solve the turnover woes that plagued Duke in each of its previous two losses.
Still seething over his side's combined seven turnovers in two weeks, Franks also noted that the offense has struggled in practice to cure its sub-par ball handling.
"Holding on to the ball is something we always work on," Franks said. "We didn't do a very good job of that [Wednesday] but we'll continue to emphasize ball security."
Another focus of the Blue Devils will be to forget last week's depressing finish against Wake Forest. After overcoming two Wake Forest defensive touchdowns in the game's opening 10 minutes Duke clawed back to within four at halftime. However, following another Demon Deacon big play--a 43-yard touchdown run��the Blue Devils struggled to retain their intensity. Duke ultimately lost by 26 points, a staggering margin of defeat for a team that had dominated statistically.
"I'm not really worried about that--if anything I guess it was a fluke," Harris said. "We were really frustrated and obviously it showed on the field. I think we're just going to forget about that."
Instead, the Blue Devils hope to play within themselves and battle N.C. State for the entire four quarters. By hanging around until the final whistle Duke hopes ti wear down the Wolfpack.
"All we want is that opportunity to be around in the fourth quarter and make the play to win the game," said linebacker Jamyon Small.
Duke also approaches Saturday's matchup with an eye on the weather report. Asked whether he was wishing for rain, and knowing that his squad's vulnerability through the air, Franks cracked a smile.
"That would be fine with me," he said. "It could pour down rain if it wants to."
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.