RALEIGH - Got here and it literally took me five minutes to get off the interstate and into my parking spot. There was very, very little traffic and now I know why. They Carter-Finley Stadium is maybe 80 percent full. However, I was just informed that the students at N.C. State are on fall break, which explains why the student sections are less than full.

And with that, on with the action.

The Dukies just took the ball on the game’s opening possession and crammed it right down the Wolfpack’s throats. Duke QB Thaddeus Lewis was spot-on the entire way. And just like that, The Blue Devils hold a 7-0 lead 9:42 left first quarter.

Let me say this again, N.C. State has to go 4-3 the rest of the way to ensure a bowl bid. And I know all the Wolfpack fans say that their team is notoriously slow starting and always finishes strong under O’Brien, but this would be the type of loss that could quickly destroy an entire season.

I’m not saying N.C. State is going to lose, but I’m just say IF the Wolfpack lose, it would be a complete disaster.

UPDATE AT 6:15 LEFT IN THE FIRST QUARTER
Russell Wilson proves once again that as he goes, so goes NCSU. A couple of solid passes and a 10-yard scramble for a touchdown tied it up just a scant three minutes after Duke scored. Media in the press box are already wondering aloud if both teams will score over 40 today. My best guess is no, but I think at least one will get to 35 and that both teams will score at least 28 points.

One thing is for sure, there won’t be too many, if any, stellar defensive plays today. My BBQ sandwich for a defense.

END OF THE FIRST QUARTER
DUKE 14, N.C. STATE 14
That’d be two possessions for Duke and that’d be two touchdowns. OH MY! This time it was Lewis doing it with his feet to score. And believe it or not, there actually was a good defensive hit in this game. So much so that Blue Devils WR Johnny Williams started walking toward the wrong sideline because he was confused as to his whereabouts.

Then in my best Stephen A. Smith impersonation, Howeva! N.C. State hits a 63-yard pass for a touchdown to tie it at 14-14 just on the first play following Lewis’ touchdown run. Well, both teams might hit 40 after all.

UPDATE WITH 8:22 LEFT IN THE SECOND QUARTERThis is starting to get redundant: Duke has three possessions and three touchdowns. Moreover, the Blue Devils are perfect on third downs. Duke leads 21-14 on a Lewis touchdown pass. This is exactly the way most thought Duke would play straight out of the shoot. Had only the Devils beaten freaking Richmond, the possibilities could have been endless.

Just in case you didn’t see the score a few sentences ago, it’s DUKE 21, NCSU 14.

But as if you expected anything less, NCSU comes right back down the field and scores a touchdown on a Toney Baker touchdown run to tie it at 21-21 with 8:22 left in the first half.

Both teams might actually hit 30 by halftime. The two teams are averaging a point a minute.

UPDATE WITH 4:02 LEFT IN THE SECOND QUARTER
Duke looked as thought it was going in for its fourth touchdown of the first half as it had it at the NCSU 13 on second-and-1. But tailback Re’Quan Boyette inexplicably fumbled without getting hardly hit at all. The Wolfpack recovered at their own 6.

UPDATE WITH 1:51 LEFT IN THE SECOND QUARTER
NEWS ALERT … NEWS ALERT … THERE WAS AN ACTUAL PUNT IN THE FIRST HALF. STATE HAD TO DO SO WITH JUST OVER A MINUTE LEFT IN THE FIRST HALF.

HALFTIME
DUKE 21, NCSU 21

Some halftime stats for you:
QBs - Lewis 22-of-28, 233 yards, 2 TDs; Wilson 12-of-16, 151 yards, 1 TD
RBs - Baker 4-55, 1 TD
Defensive Plays - Yeah, right. Are you serious?

PICTURE TIME

NAMES OF THE GAME
Once again, it’s time for our world famous Names of the Game. Men, women and children from all over log on to this blog every week just to see who this week’s names are. So, without further ado, here are this week’s Names of the Game:

Duke - Patrick Kurunwune, Ayanga Okpokowuruk, Eriks Reks, Chris Rwabukamba.
NCSU - Natanu Mageo, Josh Milinichik, J.R. Sweezy, Audi Augustin.

N.C STATE DROP WATCH - 1

UPDATE WITH 8:05 LEFT IN THE THIRD QUARTER
Just like clockwork, Duke takes their first possession of the second half and scores a touchdown. The Blue Devils have had six possessions and gotten inside the NCSU 10 on five of them. Duke leads 28-21 and somewhere Mark Yarbro is cussing.

And just as I’m typing the above paragraph, NCSU has a 93-yard kickoff return by T.J. Graham. Make that 28-28.

And think, so many people ridiculed me because I chose to come to this game as opposed to staying home. This is truly the Carolinas Game of the Week.

DUKE DROP WATCH - 4

UPDATE WITH 3:41 LEFT IN THE THIRD QUARTER
Count ‘em, seven possessions, five touchdowns for Duke. That’s 35-28 Blue Devils.

NCSU DROP WATCH - 2

Just when it looked as though Duke was about to take control following another NCSU punt, Wolfpack punter Jeff Ruiz did his best soccer player impersonation by more or less faking like he was hurt after a Duke player just barely touched him. He rolled around on the ground holding his shin, the ref threw the flag for a 15-yard penalty, and then Ruiz trotted off the field completely fine. But, NCSU wound up punting again a few plays later.

END OF THE THIRD QUARTER
DUKE 35, N.C. STATE 28

Time for some interesting facts about the two teams:
Duke tight end Brett Huffman entered the game tied for 12th nationally for receiving touchdowns by a tight end with two. NCSU cornerback DeAndre Morgan is fifth nationally for getting burned the most for plays of 20 yards or longer. …

Duke’s Vincent Rey set a school record when he recorded his third-career fumble return for a touchdown against N.C. Central. NCSU’s Russell Wilson leads the ACC leaving defensive jock straps on the field. …

Duke ranks sixth in the nation in kickoff return yardage defense. NCSU ranks third nationally in unrealistic fans, only behind Clemson and South Carolina.

UPDATE WITH 11:02 LEFT IN THE FOURTH QUARTER
Duke recovered a muffed punt and scored three plays later to take a 42-28 lead. Lewis is having a career day and an all-time day. He has five touchdowns and is closing in on 500 yards passing. He also has a school record of 39 completions.

Stat of the Day - Thus far, Duke is 11-of-14 on third-down conversions.

UPDATE WITH 4:36 LEFT TO PLAY
In my best impersonation of an NCSU fan: BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

On fourth-and-1, Duke holds and takes over up by two touchdowns.

Boys and girls, unless something very, very odd happens, you can kiss the baby. This one is over. And just for the record, I’ve been saying that for several years, way before Ocho Cinco started doing it.

I will have a lot of post-game stuff following the game, including video interviews and quotes and grades.

I’m headed to the field.

This entry was posted on Saturday, October 10th, 2009 at 4:21 pm and is filed under ACC football, Duke football, N.C. State football. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.