The Duke Blue Devils are on the road again on Saturday and play against the NC State Wolfpack at 3:30 p.m. ET Oct. 17 at Carter-Finley Stadium. Duke will be hoping to continue their now three-game streak of scoring more points each contest than the last.
When you finish with 359 more yards than your opponent like the Blue Devils did last week, a favorable outcome is almost sure to follow. They beat the Syracuse Orange 38-24. RB Mataeo Durant had a stellar game for Duke as he rushed for two TDs and 163 yards on 23 carries. This was the first time Durant has racked up 100+ rushing yards all year. Durant's sharp performance also set his single-game rushing touchdown high for the season.
Special teams collected 12 points for Duke. K Charlie Ham delivered a perfect 3-for-3 game.
Meanwhile, NC State had enough points to win and then some against the Virginia Cavaliers last week, taking their game 38-21. RB Zonovan Knight was the offensive standout of the matchup for NC State, rushing for two TDs and 101 yards on 18 carries.
The Wolfpack's defense was a presence as well, as it collected three interceptions and one fumble. Those interceptions were spread across their defensive unit.
The wins brought the Blue Devils up to 1-4 and NC State to 3-1. Two defensive stats to keep in the back of your head while watching: Duke ranks sixth in the nation when it comes to sacks, with 12 on the season. The Wolfpack are not quite as good, but they are no chumps, either: they enter the game with nine sacks, good for 19th best in the nation. With that kind of ball pressure, don't be surprised if there are a lot of short passes in this one.