The Wolfpacker Show: Reflecting on NC State’s loss at Duke

NC State, for the first time this season, wasn’t able to complete a furious comeback attempt. Instead, the Wolfpack blew a two-score lead in its 45-33 loss at Duke on Saturday night at Wallace Wade Stadium in Durham.

“The Wolfpacker Show” breaks it all down, from what went wrong to a few game balls to NC State’s bright spots in the defeat, in this weekend’s edition.

In this episode: 

– NC State’s offense was rolling early, scoring 3 touchdowns in the first two quarters, but that didn’t last for long. We broke down what happened in the “middle four” and how Duke was able to pounce all over the critical momentum-building area of the game to take the lead. From then on, it was all Blue Devils as they never relinquished the advantage from that point on.

– Although NC State committed 4 turnovers — 3 interceptions and a lost fumble — that wasn’t the biggest area of concern. Instead, we explained why the Wolfpack’s special teams woes appeared to be most costly in the defeat, including a poorly timed penalty that allowed the Blue Devils to keep a touchdown drive going.

– Sophomore quarterback CJ Bailey set a new career best with 364 passing yards and a 74 percent completion rate, his highest-ever mark in a single game. We touched on that, while also talking about redshirt sophomore running back Hollywood Smothers’ third straight 100-yard rushing game in the defeat. He joined a rare company to do that in Raleigh; watch or listen to find out more.

– Before the commercial break, we talked about three takeaways from the defeat, highlighted by a possible injury that could test the defense’s depth moving forward. 

– We also awarded three game balls to standouts from the loss, including sophomore wide receiver Terrell Anderson, who posted a career-best 166 yards and two touchdowns. 

– Before wrapping up the show, we talked about what else is going on around the Wolfpack’s campus, including men’s soccer’s surge to a likely No. 1 ranking this week, while men’s basketball will welcome the media to practice on Monday afternoon.