The Duke football program earned a massive bounce-back victory over NC State, improving to 2-2 on the season following two straight losses. The Blue Devils now begin ACC play 1-0, and although any College Football Playoff hope for the program is now out the window, bringing the first ACC Championship to Durham since 1989 is still in the cards. Especially with how disappointing Clemson has been, the Blue Devils are very much in the mix with one of the easier conference slates of any program in the ACC. Heading into the 2025 campaign, Duke was only scheduled to face two squads ranked in the top seven of the ACC Preseason Media Poll: vs. Georgia Tech and at Clemson. Now that Clemson looks vulnerable, the Blue Devils must take advantage. Quarterback Darian Mensah put up one of his better showings of the season against Wolfpack, leading the charge en route to a 45-33 win.
Darian Mensah grade vs. NC State: A
Darian Mensah had what likely was his cleanest game in a Blue Devil uniform. Despite not throwing for at least 300 yards for the first time this season, he looked the most poised and confident he's looked in the pocket all season. What made Mensah so appealing to the Duke program was his ability to make big plays, which fit offensive coordinator Jonathan Brewer's scheme well.
The redshirt sophomore completed 19-of-28 (67.9%) of his passes for 269 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions. What stood out most was how well he took care of the football, as turnovers were a bit of an issue through his first few games this season.
Mensah showed off his deep ball, which Duke fans had been waiting for all season. In the second half, he hit Sahmir Hagans for a 33-yard touchdown, then later connected with Cooper Barkate for a 37-yard score. The offense scored a touchdown in five of its six red zone opportunities, by far the best efficiency the offense has shown all season.
Duke also put up at least seven points in all four quarters for the first time this season. Offensive droughts were plaguing the Blue Devils from keeping themselves in tight games, and they needed to improve that drastically to keep up with a Wolfpack offense that averaged over 30 points scored per game over their first three contests. Duke matched NC State's offensive firepower to eclipse 40 points scored for the second time in 2025.
Mensah now leads all ACC quarterbacks in passing touchdowns (11), while ranking second in passing yards (1,305).