In the teams’ first meeting in Raleigh since 2002, the Duke Blue Devils sent N.C. State home lucking its wounds after a 49-28 loss. A shootout first half, in which each team scored a touchdown in each of its first three possessions, lead way to a second half in which State’s offense stumbled and the Devils walked all over the home team’s defense.

The Wolfpack allowed quarterback Thaddeus Lewis to break a number of school records for the Blue Devils. Lewis scored a career-high five touchdowns against the Pack. He also set a record in completions with 39 and 457 yards passing.

Both teams needed their offense to keep them in the game. Duke scored first at the 9:42 mark. A two-yard pass from quarterback Thaddeus Lewis to Tide end Brett Huffman put the Blue Devils up 7-0. State responded with a 10-yard touchdown run by quarterback Russell Wilson.

With 30 seconds left in the first quarter, Duke takes the lead with a 2-yard touchdown run by Lewis. It only took the Pack eight seconds to tie the game, a 63-yd touchdown pass from Wilson to junior receiver Owen Spencer.

The second quarter was much of the same, as both teams scored one touchdown each, ending the first half 21-21. State would last score in the third quarter, as T.J. Graham returned a kickoff return for 93 yards, tying the game 28-28. The Devils would comeback with Lewis throwing his fourth touchdown of the day, completing the 8-yard pass to junior receiver Austin Kelly.

State would make a number of costly mistakes in the fourth quarter as a Duke punt hit safety Justin Byers, resulting in a State turnover and a few minutes later, a Duke score. The Devils would score again, on another Duke punt hitting a State player, the ball ended up in the Pack’s endzone and recovered by the Devils.

Wilson ended the night with 15-27, 172 yards, one touchdown, and one interception in the fourth quarter.

See Technicianonline.com Monday for more coverage of Duke vs. N.C. State.