NC State football will make the short trip to Durham to take on No. 17 Duke at Wallace Wade Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 14.
This upcoming meeting will mark the 84th matchup between the Wolfpack and the Blue Devils. Despite the teams being located within a 25-mile radius of each other, the two squads do not match up regularly. The last time the teams faced off was in 2020, resulting in a 31-20 NC State win.
So far in 2023, Duke Football has turned heads and the team has made great strides under second-year head coach Mike Elko. After churning out a 9-4 record in Elko’s first year, the Blue Devils have looked even more impressive this season. With a quality win over Clemson at the beginning of the season and a narrow loss to Notre Dame in its most recent game, Duke has shown its ability to hang with top teams across the nation.
Both NC State and Duke fans are interested in the injury status of Duke’s star quarterback, Riley Leonard. In the final minutes of Duke’s game against Notre Dame, Leonard sustained an ankle injury that required him to be carried off the field, putting his status for Saturday’s showdown up in the air.
If Leonard is unable to go for the Blue Devils, Elko announced that quarterback Henry Belin IV will be in line to start. He’ll be tasked with leading an offense that currently churns out 405.4 total offensive yards per game.
Regardless of who is under center, the Pack will have to keep an eye out for wide receiver Jordan Moore, who currently leads the team with 313 receiving yards and three touchdowns. He is complimented by Jalon Calhoun, who has posted 299 receiving yards and a touchdown of his own.
Calhoun and Moore’s receiving ability should be a point of emphasis for the Pack — its pass defense currently allows 241.2 yards through the air, which ranks last place in the ACC. Despite forcing at least one interception in every game except one this season, the unit has struggled to guard against the deep pass.
Outside of Leonard, who’s currently the Blue Devils’ leading rusher, the team has also benefited from running back Jordan Waters. The preseason third team All-ACC selection has put forth 303 yards on the ground so far this season. He’s also scored eight touchdowns on the ground, which is tied for best in the ACC. He shares the backfield with fellow back Jaquez Moore, who has 237 yards and two touchdowns of his own. If Leonard can’t play, these two will likely rack up more yardage.
The upcoming battle with the Blue Devils will be another crucial matchup for the NC State defense, which is currently among the nation’s best in guarding the run. During its past two matchups, it has lined up against two formidable running backs and has responded very well, allowing just 95 combined rushing yards to these backs.
A large part of the Pack’s potential defensive success will hinge on graduate linebacker Payton Wilson. Evidenced by his ACC Linebacker of the Week honors last week against Marshall, he has positioned himself as the leader of a unit that allows an impressive 97 yards on the ground per game.
On the other side of the ball, the Pack will once again turn to sophomore quarterback MJ Morris. In his first start of the season against Marshall last week, he put forth a solid showing, tossing four touchdown passes. He will look to continue providing a boost to the Pack’s passing game, which ranks eleventh in the ACC in terms of average passing yards per game with 206. Morris will be aided by freshman wide receiver Kevin Concepcion, who has begun to emerge as the team’s primary receiving threat.
Morris will face a heavy task this week in Durham when he takes on a Duke defense that currently allows 159 passing yards per game, which ranks seventh best in the NCAA.
Finally, NC State’s running game will look to build off a solid showing against Marshall that heavily featured both sophomore running back Michael Allen and redshirt junior running back Delbert Mimms III. Their success was a good sign for the Pack since the unit has struggled to find sustained consistency this season. There still isn’t a clearly defined primary back for the unit, but it is evident that there are multiple backs who the Pack can turn to.
NC State will look to attack a Duke run defense that allows a respectable 138.2 yards on the ground per contest. This unit is anchored by linebacker Tre Freeman, who leads the team with tackles at 34 and Dorian Mausi, who has recorded 28 tackles of his own.
The Pack will look to imitate the success that teams such as Clemson and Notre Dame had running the ball as they are the only teams who have been able to find success running the ball against Duke.
Kickoff between the Wolfpack and the Blue Devils is scheduled for 8 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 14. The game will be televised on ACC Network.
