Duke (6-3, 2-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) at NC State (5-4, 2-3), Saturday at 3:30 p.m. EST (ACC Network)

BetMGM College Football Odds: NC State by 3.

Series record: Duke leads 42-37-5.

What is at stake?

Duke has lost two straight games, first in overtime against No. 13 SMU and then against No. 4 Miami. NC State has won two in a row, winning at California and at home against Stanford. The Wolfpack may be bowl eligible while the Blue Devils compete for bowl position in the standings.

Key Pairing

Duke’s defensive front against NC State’s offense. The Blue Devils are No. 2 nationally in tackles for loss (8.6 per game) and 15th in sacks (2.89) to get teams in long-yardage situations. NC State’s offense has shown growth with freshman quarterback CJ Bailey, who is completing 69.5% of his passes.

Players to watch

Duke: QB Maalik Murphy. The Texas transfer has thrown 20 touchdowns this year, but is completing just 58.9% of his passes.

North Carolina State: WR KC Concepción. He had a touchdown catch against Stanford, just his second since a three-TD game against Western Carolina to open the season.

Facts and figures

The Wolfpack’s 59 points against Stanford were the program’s best performance in any ACC game. … NC State defensive end Davin Vann leads the nation with five forced fumbles. …Duke won last year’s meeting 24-3. …The teams previously met almost every year from 1924-2003 before the ACC expanded to 12 teams, but the teams met only four times (2005, 2009, 2013 and 2020) in subsequent years, while than in opposing divisions that were eliminated last time. year. … Duke coach Manny Diaz worked as a Wolfpack assistant for six years (2000-05) under Chuck Amato. …Duke has won five of seven against in-state foes, with the losses coming against North Carolina in 2022 and 2023.

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