Duke and Thad Lewis threw the ball at will against the NC State defense. The Pack matched the Duke offensive efforts in the first half, but NC State made too many mistakes in the 2nd half to make up for the defensive ineptitude. Expect unrest in Raleigh after this one and higher expectations in Durham.
Update (10/11/2009 9:09 ET)
NC State's offense isn't likely to ease their pain, and unless they're able to get it done in the margins, the Blue Devils' inability to get stops should not only undo them on Saturday, but make this game academic by the fourth quarter.
What I meant of course was the exact opposite of that would happen. That's why they pay me the big bucks.
What seemed like a serious problem last week now appears to be an impossible one. TOB said afterwards that he thinks they're playing their best guys in the secondary, but I think we're at a point where it's no longer worth worrying about, since it's pretty evident that this group's ceiling is low regardless of who's playing where. We're at the halfway point, the coaches have had plenty of time to smooth some of the rough edges, yet the poor fundamentals continue. I keep waiting to see some signs of progress or direction; instead, the situation looks beyond repair.
For starters, it might be a good idea to take more chances defensively. For this team, the bend-but-don't-break strategy is basically an open invitation to complete a pass underneath, break four tackles, and run for another 25 yards. When that's compounded by a front four that can't get any pressure on the quarterback, today happens. A sad, embarrassing low point.
