N.C. State has already experienced the peaks and valleys typical of a full season in just five games.
The highs: a come-from-behind win over visiting Pittsburgh and the play of redshirt sophomore quarterback Russell Wilson.
The lows: two demoralizing defeats to nearby rivals, a four-point defeat on national television to South Carolina to start the season and a loss to Wake Forest last week to kick off ACC play.
Duke’s season thus far has paralleled that of the Wolfpack to some degree. Senior quarterback Thaddeus Lewis has racked up the yardage through the air just as Wilson has, but the Blue Devils’ only wins have come against the likes of Army and N.C. Central, arguably the two weakest teams on their schedule. For N.C. State, back-to-back home dates with Murray State and Gardner-Webb served the purpose of accumulating wins toward a possible bowl berth.
In recent years, though, Duke has served as bowl-win fodder for the Wolfpack just like Murray State or Gardner-Webb. N.C. State has beaten the Blue Devils 11 straight times, but Lewis hopes to break that streak this week.
“You hear some of the [N.C. State] guys saying, ‘Y’all aren’t a rival no more because we beat you so many years straight,’…but it’s a pretty big deal,” Lewis said.
For the Blue Devils to break their barren run against the Wolfpack, the Duke secondary will have to keep Wilson under wraps—a task that has proven too difficult for many defenses in the redshirt sophomore’s brief career.
Wilson has already thrown for more than 1,200 yards and 14 touchdowns this year, and is also second on the team with 156 total yards on the ground.
“Russell is a very talented athlete,” head coach David Cutcliffe said. “He moves. He makes plays. He creates. He does a tremendous job of finding targets downfield off the scramble. You have to mix it up. There is no one way to defend a Russell Wilson.”
When the two teams met last year—a 27-17 Wolfpack victory at Wallace Wade Stadium—Cutcliffe said N.C. State threw “jump ball after jump ball” and was successful doing so. Duke struggled with tall, physical receivers against Virginia Tech last week, and N.C. State brings some of those same attributes to the table.
The Wolfpack’s two top receivers from the win against the Blue Devils last season, Jamelle Eugene and Jarvis Williams, are both back this year. Williams is second on the team in receptions behind 6-foot-5 tight end George Bryan, a matchup nightmare for Duke’s linebackers.
On the other side of the ball, the Wolfpack secondary has been susceptible to a strong passing game, much like Duke’s, but N.C. State’s pass rush could prevent Lewis and Sean Renfree from being effective.
Cutcliffe singled out linemen Alan-Michael Cash and Willie Young as potential challenges for the Blue Devil offensive line, and Lewis pointed out Young in particular. He already has seven sacks on the season.
“Willie Young is coming every time,” Lewis said. “That’s the guy that sticks out when you watch the film, but all four of them present a problem.”
Despite its strong pass rush, the Wolfpack hasn’t always been able to keep opposing passers off the scoreboard this season. Against Wake Forest last week, the N.C. State front four sacked senior quarterback Riley Skinner six times and the secondary intercepted him twice, but he still accumulated 361 yards and three touchdowns in a Demon Deacon win.
But if Lewis and Renfree don’t get the time they need on offense, another 360-yard passing effort might not be enough for Duke Saturday.
“Our [offensive] line and the tight ends included are going to have to lock down and really protect Thad,” tight end Brandon King said.
The Blue Devils know they cannot afford to see their quarterbacks on the ground, or else they could be looking at a 12th straight defeat to the Wolfpack.
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