Griffin Bryant
Sophomore quarterback MJ Morris looks over at the sideline during the Wolfpack's game against the Duke Blue Devils at Wallace Wade Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023. The Blue Devils defeated the Wolfpack 24-3.
DURHAM, N.C. — When it rains, it pours.
And No. 17 Duke poured it on NC State football all night long, dishing out a dominating 24-3 win over the Wolfpack under the lights at Wallace Wade Stadium.
While the red-and-white jumped out to an early 3-0 lead off of a turnover, it all quickly went downhill for the Pack from there. The Blue Devils (5-1, 2-0 ACC) pressed the gas pedal on both sides of the ball, using explosive plays on offense and stifling defense to run the Wolfpack (4-3, 1-2 ACC) back to Raleigh with its worst loss of the season.
“Gotta give Duke credit,” said head coach Dave Doeren. “They outplayed us. They outcoached us — that always starts with me. And our guys got to play better. We got to be tougher. There’s really nothing you can say. They outplayed us, and they outcoached us. It just wasn’t good enough.”
Duke capitalized on each and every opportunity it had with lethal precision. The first of those chances came on a perfectly executed play-action by Duke quarterback Henry Belin IV. The Riley Leonard replacement only completed four passes throughout the contest, and 69 of his 107 total yards came on the aforementioned play-action that scorched the NC State secondary for six.
After giving up a 52-yard field goal early in the second quarter, the red-and-white had its shot to regroup and tie the game. On just the third play of the drive, however, sophomore quarterback MJ Morris threw an errant interception into the waiting hands of Duke linebacker Tre Freeman. The very next play, Belin tossed a wide-open touchdown to tight end Jeremiah Hasley, putting the Blue Devils up 17-3.
Throughout the entire first half, penalties plagued the Pack. By halftime, the red-and-white racked up nine penalties. From false starts to roughing the passer, this undisciplined play gifted Duke 67 extra yards — a significant advantage for the Blue Devils.
“We knew going into that game, we would not win if we weren’t disciplined,” Doeren said. “We didn’t do that; we helped them way too much. Just completely inefficient with dropped passes and penalties.”
Aside from the self-inflicted wounds, Morris and the offense were incapable of gaining any traction on offense. The sophomore threw for a dismal 39 yards on 5-12 completions by the end of the first half, and things didn’t get much better after the break.
Despite receiving the ball to open the second half, NC State wasted the opportunity and gave the ball right back to Duke. The Blue Devils essentially iced the game when running back Jordan Waters exploded through the defense for an 83-yard touchdown run on the drive’s first play. With the Wolfpack offense already sputtering, there was little doubt that Duke had clinched the win.
With about a quarter and a half left to come back, the Wolfpack offense failed to show any signs of life, squandering each opportunity it was granted. The Pack’s best opportunity to score came early in the fourth quarter, when Morris threw a dime to redshirt sophomore receiver Anthony Smith in the endzone — only for Smith to drop it. Making things worse, the drop occurred on fourth down, putting the final nail on the coffin for the Pack’s hopes.
NC State didn’t just struggle in the passing attack, though. Its running attack was led by star freshman wide receiver Kevin Concepcion, who recorded 33 yards on four attempts. Meanwhile, redshirt junior running back Delbert Mimms III and sophomore running back Michael Allen only combined for 35 yards on 10 attempts.
Despite NC State’s tailspin, the Wolfpack had a promising start in Durham. Redshirt junior cornerback Shyheim Battle picked off Belin on Duke’s first drive, setting up graduate kicker Brayden Narveson for a historic 57-yard field goal make. Not only did it break Narveson’s personal record, but it was also the longest field goal in NC State history.
But ultimately, the Wolfpack’s performance was well below the standard that had been set in Raleigh over the previous three seasons. Despite Duke only completing four total passes all game, the Wolfpack offense found a way to play significantly worse in an abysmal performance. With Morris attempting to settle into this offense, his surrounding cast has failed to provide adequate help. The result is NC State averaging just 17 points per game in conference play, third worst in the conference.
“I just want to apologize to Wolfpack nation; that’s not what they deserve,” said graduate linebacker Payton Wilson. “That’s not how we should play. I mean, everybody on this team has to get with the program.”
The Wolfpack will take its bye week to rest and reflect before returning to Carter-Finley Stadium to face Clemson on Saturday, Oct. 28. Two weeks of hard practice and intense soul searching will all culminate in a showdown with the Tigers on Homecoming. However, Morris and the Wolfpack are entering the bye with a one day at a time mentality.
“The games are gonna come, but it’s the day to day — the early mornings and the late nights [that matter],” Morris said. “You know, how much heart do we have? That’s really what I want to see.”