It will be an ACC battle Saturday night when No. 17 Duke hosts North Carolina State. The game will mark the Wolfpack’s first visit to Durham in 10 years.
Duke, which had a bye week last week after a loss to Notre Dame in the previous week, is uncertain if quarterback Riley Leonard will be available after suffering an ankle injury against the Fighting Irish.
NC State went to MJ Morris at quarterback in its meeting with Marshall and the offense responded by scoring 48 points in a victory.
The game will air on the ACC Network. Fans looking to watch this college football game can do so for free on fuboTV, which offers a free trial (as well as RedZone, for you NFL fans) or on DirecTV Stream, which also offers a free trial. SlingTV has promotional offers available, as well.
Who: NC State Wolfpack vs. Duke Blue Devils (ACC Network)
When: Saturday, October 14 at 7:30 p.m. EST
Where: Wallace Wade Stadium, Durham N.C.
Stream: fuboTV (free trial); or Sling; or DirecTV Stream
Tickets: StubHub and *VividSeats
*New customers who purchase tickets through VividSeats can get $20 off a $200+ ticket order by using the promo code MassLive20 at checkout.*
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North Carolina State changed its starting quarterback to find a spark. A similar decision might be one of necessity for No. 17 Duke.
The Blue Devils host the Wolfpack on Saturday night coming off an open date that gave them time to regroup from a loss to Notre Dame, which included quarterback Riley Leonard going down with a late ankle injury. The extra week gave Leonard time to heal, but it’s unclear exactly when he will return for the Blue Devils (4-1, 1-0 ACC).
If Leonard doesn’t play against N.C. State, redshirt freshman Henry Belin IV will be set for his first career start.
“Henry’s a kid that we’ve got a ton of confidence in and we certainly believe in very strongly,” Duke coach Mike Elko said. “So if that’s ultimately what has to happen, Henry will go out there and we know he’ll be ready to go.”
Belin completed all eight of his passes in the Week 2 win against Lafayette, and he also got some mop-up reps in the Northwestern win.
N.C. State (4-2, 1-1) made its change before last week’s game against Marshall, going with second-year passer MJ Morris instead of Virginia graduate transfer Brennan Armstrong. The plan had been to redshirt Morris with Armstrong as a one-year bridge under former Cavaliers coordinator Robert Anae, but turnovers and uneven play changed that plan.
Morris shook off three interceptions and threw for four touchdowns in last weekend’s high-scoring win against the Thundering Herd, with the Wolfpack’s 48 points marking the program’s best output against a Bowl Subdivision team in nearly five years.
“I do expect him to grow and improve each week,” Wolfpack coach Dave Doeren said. “Obviously the challenge changes each week as well. But the game does slow down the more you play. I think that’s a real thing. His confidence is exceptional.”
LONG WAIT
N.C. State and Duke are separated by 22 miles but this will be the first meeting between the programs in Durham since 2013, in the first season of Doeren’s 11-year tenure. That was due to the teams being in opposite divisions in the ACC’s scheduling rotation, though that is changing this year with the elimination of divisions and a new scheduling model to have teams play each other more frequently.
RECENT HISTORY
N.C. State has won 15 of 18 meetings, including a run of 11 straight from 1994 to 2008. Duke won the 2013 matchup behind DeVon Edwards scoring three touchdowns, with two coming on interception returns in a span of 16 seconds in the fourth quarter to go with a 100-yard kickoff return for a score late in the third. N.C. State won the last meeting 31-20 at home in 2020 during the pandemic.
DEFENSIVE STANDOUTS
Expect some strong defensive play from both sides. Duke is ranked fourth in FBS by allowing 11.2 points and has allowed seven touchdowns in five games. N.C. State’s defense has been a multiyear strength and is led by the nation’s No. 4 tackler in linebacker Payton Wilson (11.7).
EMERGING TARGET
N.C. State is getting promising play from freshman receiver Kevin Concepcion, a much-needed development for a team that has been searching for a go-to passing target. Concepcion has two 100-yard games in the past three outings. He had six catches for 116 yards and two touchdowns in a win at Virginia, and had eight catches for 102 yards with two more scores against Marshall.
GROUND GAME
Duke enters with the conference’s No. 2-ranked rushing attack, averaging 199.4 yards on the ground (22nd in FBS). Leonard’s mobility (four scores) has played a role in that, but running backs Jordan Waters (303 yards, eight TDs) and Jaquez Moore (235 yards, two TDs) have proven to be a strong tandem.
The Blue Devils are also working to integrate Jaylen Coleman into the rotation after he missed time due to injury.
N.C. State is third in the ACC and 16th nationally in run defense, allowing 97.0 yards on the ground per game.
