The Wolfpack had no answers for the Duke offense in the second half, ultimately leading to their first loss of the 2025 campaign.
DURHAM, N.C. -- After back-to-back strong defensive performances in the second half, NC State fell apart in the latter portion of the game against Duke on Saturday. The Blue Devils pulled away late in a shootout, taking down the Wolfpack 45-33.
While it was a strong offensive showing overall, the defense had too few answers for Duke quarterback Darian Mensah and the rest of the Blue Devil offense throughout the game. Sep 20, 2025; Durham, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina State Wolfpack wide receiver Terrell Anderson runs the ball past Duke Blue Devils saftey DaShawn Stone during the first quarter at Wallace Wade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Zachary Taft-Imagn Images / Zachary Taft-Imagn ImagesThe Wolfpack opened up the game with a bang. The offense looked like it was about to go three-and-out, but sophomore quarterback CJ Bailey found sophomore wide receiver Terrell Anderson on a jailbreak screen. The receiver proceeded to take the pass 75 yards for a touchdown. Duke answered back with its own touchdown drive, but the Wolfpack took control of the game for the next quarter and a half. Sep 20, 2025; Durham, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina State Wolfpack quarter back CJ Bailey runs the ball against the Duke Blue Devils during the first quarter at Wallace Wade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Zachary Taft-Imagn Images / Zachary Taft-Imagn Images NC State put together its strongest drive of the season in terms of time of possession and yardage across the first and second quarters. After a special teams blunder set the Wolfpack up at its own 1-yard line, Bailey and the offense methodically worked their way down the field. Both running backs put together nice drives, with Scott punishing the Blue Devil defense with three physical runs. A Bailey 11-yard run set the Pack up inside the 10 and he found Anderson for his second touchdown of the game. By the end of the drive, the Wolfpack milked 9:13 off the clock, keeping Mensah and the Blue Devil offense for an extended period. It was the first NC State touchdown drive from 99 yards out since 2018. Sep 20, 2025; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils defensive end Kevin O'Connor celebrates a NC State Wolfpack penalty during the first quarter at Wallace Wade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Zachary Taft-Imagn Images / Zachary Taft-Imagn ImagesThe Wolfpack held all the momentum until the final minute of the first half. On a fourth-and-3 deep in Duke territory, Duke edge rusher Vincent Anthony Jr. appeared to jump offside. Bailey thought he had a free play and took a shot, but there was no penalty called. The ball was intercepted and run back all the way to the NC State 12-yard line. Duke responded with a touchdown and took a 21-20 lead headed into the second half. The devastating momentum swing placed tremendous pressure on the Wolfpack defense against a Duke team that has performed better as the games move along. After Duke opened the second half with an easy touchdown drive, the Wolfpack needed a quick answer. Smothers provided the solution and ran for a 51-yard touchdown to put the Wolfpack back within two points. It wasn’t enough, however, as Duke’s offense continued to push the ball down the field and score. Sep 11, 2025; Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina State Wolfpack running back Hollywood Smothers runs the ball in the first half against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Luke Jamroz-Imagn Images / Luke Jamroz-Imagn ImagesWhile NC State’s passing attack found success in the first half, the Blue Devils contained star running back Hollywood Smothers very effectively on the ground. Smothers carried the ball eight times and only racked up seven yards. Bailey did get him touches in the pass game, finding him three times for 36 yards. Smothers got things going in the second half and ultimately finished the night with 123 yards and a touchdown on the ground.Oct 19, 2024; Berkeley, California, USA; North Carolina State Wolfpack place kicker Kanoah Vinesett kicks a field goal against the California Golden Bears during the first quarter at California Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images / Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images It was a nightmare day for the Wolfpack special teams unit. Kicker Kanoah Vinesett missed an extra point attempt and then had a field goal attempt blocked in the third quarter. The punt return unit also had blunders throughout the first half. Trailing by 12, the offense needed to put together a drive at the start of the fourth quarter to keep NC State in the game. Bailey, struggling throughout the second half, bobbled the ball on an option play to Smothers and fumbled it. The Blue Devils recovered it and came away with Bailey's third turnover of the game. The dagger came when NC State needed a stop on third down to get the ball back, trailing by five points late in the fourth quarter. Northwestern transfer linebacker blew his assignment and missed a tackle on Duke running back Anderson Castle. The back took off for a 66-yard touchdown to put the Blue Devils up 45-33 and effectively put the game away. Sep 20, 2025; Durham, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina State Wolfpack wide receiver Terrell Anderson runs the ball during the second quarter against Duke Blue Devils cornerback Landan Callahan at Wallace Wade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Zachary Taft-Imagn Images / Zachary Taft-Imagn ImagesEven in the loss, the Wolfpack had one shining star. Sophomore wide receiver Terrell Anderson had a career day with his two touchdown catches and 166 yards. He finished the game with the highest receiving output by a Wolfpack receiver since Kelvin Harmon in 2018, when he finished with 247 yards against Syracuse. Sep 20, 2025; Durham, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina State Wolfpack quarter back CJ Bailey runs the ball against the Duke Blue Devils during the first quarter at Wallace Wade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Zachary Taft-Imagn Images / Zachary Taft-Imagn ImagesThe quarterback battle was a major point of conversation heading into the matchup. Even with Anderson's heroics helping him, it wasn't a strong night for CJ Bailey. The sophomore quarterback turned the ball over four times, including three interceptions. He threw for 364 yards and two touchdowns, but couldn't come up with enough in the second half to keep the Wolfpack in the game. For Duke, Mensah starred in the second half. The sophomore finished the game with 269 yards and three touchdowns, including some brilliant deep balls to help the Blue Devils score six touchdowns. Sep 11, 2025; Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina State Wolfpack quarterback CJ Bailey throws a pass in first half against Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Luke Jamroz-Imagn Images / Luke Jamroz-Imagn Images Bailey and the Wolfpack will look to regroup and get a win next Saturday, as NC State hosts Virginia Tech.Tucker Sennett graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in Sports Journalism from the esteemed Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. A former basketball player, he has gained valuable experience working at Cronkite News and brings a deep passion for sports and reporting to his role as the NC State Wolfpack Beat Writer On SI.
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