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The Wolfpacker Show: Previewing NC State at Duke 

image_6483441 (3)by: Noah Fleischman09/18/25fleischman_noah
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NC State is still on the road this week, facing another in-state ACC opponent away from Carter-Finley Stadium. The Wolfpack is set to square off with Duke on Saturday afternoon (4 p.m., ESPN2) inside Wallace Wade Stadium in Durham.

This week’s episode of The Wolfpacker show previews the rivalry matchup between the Blue Devils and Pack.

In this episode:

– Devils Illustrated’s Conor O’Neill, who covers the program for the On3 Network, joins the show to help preview Duke. Initially, he shared his first impressions NC State after watching the Wolfpack beat Wake Forest in comeback fashion last Thursday night in Winston-Salem.

– O’Neill then shifted to what his first thoughts are of Duke this season in Manny Diaz’s second year in Durham. He touched on how turnovers and penalties have been problematic for the Blue Devils this season, and why Duke isn’t panicking just yet after dropping its last two games. 

– Duke signed Tulane quarterback Darian Mensah this offseason to a reported $4 million deal for the 2025 campaign. O’Neill broke down why Mensah is a better signal-caller for the Blue Devils’ offense this fall, rather than former Texas quarterback Maalik Murphy, who transferred to Oregon State in the offseason.

– O’Neill also shared his thoughts on Duke’s defense, which hasn’t been as stout as it was the past three years. The Blue Devils have the third-worst rushing defense this season, while its pass defense has been average to this point. The biggest issue? O’Neill believed it was Duke’s issues in getting off the field on third down. O’Neill also said that NC State running back Hollywood Smothers is the best tailback that the Blue Devils will have seen this season, which could be a problem for Duke. 

– Rounding out O’Neill’s segment, he talked about what Duke needs to do well in order to beat NC State. 

– After the guest appearance, Noah gave his score prediction for the ACC opener. NC State is currently a slight underdog, according to BetMGM. Will the Wolfpack cover that spread?

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