Mensah, Castle lead Duke to comeback past N.C. State, 45-33

DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — Darian Mensah threw three touchdown passes and Duke snapped a two-game losing streak, overcoming a 13-point deficit to beat N.C. State 45-33 on Saturday.

The Blue Devils (2-2, 1-0 Atlantic Coast Conference opener) scored 21 points in less than four minutes of game time spanning the two halves to surge into the lead.

Anderson Castle added three rushing touchdowns, including a clinching 66-yard dash on third down with 2:19 remaining.

For the Blue Devils, it was a matter of restoring order.

“I feel at peace a little bit,” defensive end Wesley Williams said. “It feels right. … Winning fixes everything. It fixes the feelings, fixes the emotions.”

CJ Bailey tossed two touchdowns passes to Terrell Anderson but was intercepted three times for N.C. State (3-1, 1-1). Hollywood Smothers rushed for 123 yards and one touchdown and Will Wilson had two 1-yard TD runs. Anderson picked up 166 yards on six catches.

Mensah was 19-for-28 for 269 yards.

NC State drove 99 yards to score on the second play of the second quarter on Bailey’s 6-yard throw to Anderson and later extended the lead to 20-7.

The big play came inside of two minutes in the first half when Duke linebacker Tre Freeman intercepted Bailey’s fourth-down pass, returning it 67 yards to set up a go-ahead 1-yard touchdown run from Castle.

“I think that really got us going and showed that we’re still in the fight,” Freeman said.

N.C. State coach Dave Doeren said it was a botched sequence that led to the interception. He said he planned to call a time-out and go for a field goal, but the ball was snapped when a Duke defender moved toward the line of scrimmage.

“Definitely a momentum killer, but it’s a long game,” Doeren said. “There are so many points throughout a game where you can swing it back.”

The Takeaway

N.C. State: The Wolfpack racked up 535 yards of total offense, but there were too many defensive malfunctions to secure a second consecutive in-state road victory.

Duke: The Blue Devils were minus-6 in turnover margin entering the game, but the plus-4 effort proved huge in toppling the Wolfpack for the third season in a row. Duke has won five of the last six meetings. Plus, Williams blocked N.C. State’s chip-shot third-quarter field goal attempt,

Taking it to the Castle

Castle gained 92 rushing yards on 12 attempts, with his long touchdown run even surprising the transfer from Appalachian State. It marked his first points with the Blue Devils.

“The goal is to get 2 yards,” he said of the play. “I wasn’t expecting to break free like that.”

Early concerns

Duke linebacker Nick Morris Jr. was taken off the field on a cart with his right leg in an air cast late in the first quarter. During the delay, Doeren checked on him before the entire Duke team gathered around Morris on the field.

“He’s the heart and soul of this defense,” Williams said.

Diaz said he didn’t know the extent of the injury.

“It was really hard to see Nick go down,” Diaz said. “He’s such an important player for us and playing at such a high level. I think we’re all heartbroken for him.”

Up Next

N.C. State: Saturday at home vs. Virginia Tech

Duke: Saturday at Syracuse

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