By Bob Holliday, WRAL Sports contributor

The three Triangle teams were all heavily favored against non Power Four opponents. Yet NC State trailed by double digits, UNC fought an uphill battle in the first half against an FCS foe, and Duke squandered a once commanding lead in the third and fourth quarters. And there was one more common denominator: Quarterback play.

Pack rallies behind C.J. Bailey

Grayson McCall produced a very modest stat line during his 25 minutes of play: 54 yards passing and 22 yards rushing. He did not find the end zone and his NC State team led just 6-0 on two field goals when the starting quarterback left the game with an unspecified injury.

Then the Wolfpack defense, playing without starting cornerbacks Aydan White and Brandon Cisse, gave up a 41 bomb from Jack Turner to Tru Edwards. Back up corner back Corey Coley played well most of the day but got beat on that play. Donerio Davenport punched in a touchdown and Louisiana Tech took its first lead.

Untested quarterback C.J. Bailey entered the game. He had played briefly against Tennessee but did not throw a pass. Things got worse for the Wolfpack before they got better. His first series produced a three and out. His second series saw an interception near midfield.

The Bulldogs, who have not had a winning season since the days of Skip Holtz in 2019, scored 10 points to close out the half 17-6.

And La. Tech got the ball to start the second half.

But it was a different NC State team after Dave Doeren’s words at intermission.

The defense set the tone. Caden Fordham nearly intercepted a pass on first down. Davin Vann blasted Davenport for no gain on second. Then D.K. Kaufman snared Turner’s third down pass and took it to the house.

The Bulldogs gained exactly two yards against the now inspired Wolfpack defense on their next possession. And C.J. Bailey got going.

The freshman stands 6’6 and possesses a strong arm. We saw that as he took his teammates 76 yards to seize the lead. Bailey went 7-7 on the drive, NC State’s first offensive touchdown since the Western Carolina game seven quarters hence.

Louisiana Tech tied the game with a field goal. Then Bailey put his wheels on display. Facing a 3rd and 10 at his own 25, Bailey scrambled for 12 yards and a critical first down. Bailey then hit Dacari Collins on a 28 yard pass play. And the Pack took the lead for good on Kanoah Vinesett’s 52 yard field goal, his third of the game.

NC State’s defense did not allow a first down for the first nine minutes of the fourth quarter. By that time Bailey had directed a second touchdown drive.

Bailey found Noah Rogers for 19 yards. Then he hit Justin Joly for 24. A nice run by Jordan Waters put the ball on the one. Bailey ran it in himself for the touchdown and a 30-20 lead,

Louisiana Tech never scored again as State’s defense held the Bulldogs to just 122 yards in the second half.

Next of course, comes a trip to Death Valley. Clemson enjoyed an off week after seemingly finding its offensive footing in that 66-20 win over Appalachian State. Still, if NC State plays with the effort expended in the second half in Saturday’s comeback win, this team has a chance – especially if some of the injured starters return.

Jacolby Criswell takes charge for UNC

North Carolina trailed MEAC power NC Central 7-0 after the first quarter, having gained exactly 25 yards on its first two series with Conner Harrell at quarterback. Mack Brown turned to Jacolby Criswell.

Criswell, who like Brown is in his second tour of duty in Chapel Hill, inherited great field position after the Eagles’ Chris Mosley muffed a punt.

Criswell, with the help of a Central pass interference penalty, navigated the 41 yards in just four plays. He completed a pass to Omarion Hampton and also handed off to Hampton three times. That tied the game.

Over the remainder of the second quarter, the Criswell offense generated a second touchdown and a field goal. Hampton did most of the heavy lifting in the first half with 125 yards rushing and his first two touchdowns of the season. But Criswell chipped in with 38 yards passing to help keep the chains moving, with 5 completions in 8 tries. UNC looked to be on its way with a 17-7 lead.

But the Tar Heels had this problem with penalties. Especially on defense.

Carolina committed a record tying 16 penalties-starting on the game’s very first play. Des Evans jumped offside, which helped jumpstart NC Central’s 7 ½ minute touchdown drive.

The Eagles made some big plays – Walker Harris’ 34 yard pass to Chance Peterson stands out. But Evans then roughed the passer-his penalties bookending the drive if you will-and the Eagles scored seven.

Late in the first half Trei Oliver’s team put together another long drive, reaching the UNC one-with the help of another Evans roughing the passer penalty. The Tar Heels made a great goal line stand despite getting in their own way. UNC pushed NC Central back four yards in three plays. But! Marcus Allen was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct. That’s half the distance to the goal and an automatic first down. The Eagles fared even worse the second time around and had to kick a field goal. But they monopolized time of possession and kept it a 17-10 game through the third quarter.

Finally in the fourth quarter Criswell began to show his arm strength. Chased out of the pocket, Criswell scrambled to his right and flung the ball downfield. Christian Hamilton hauled it in for a 30 yard gain. Criswell then threw a rope to Bryson Nesbit for 24 yards. The Tar Heels then hit pay dirt on a short toss to John Copenhaver, which the grad student turned into a 23 yard touchdown with some nice footwork.

The much maligned defensive back Caleb Cost earned some redemption with a spectacular leaping interception of a pass from NCCU’s Javion Martin. Criswell then turned Hampton loose on the short field and the All America candidate churned out 30 yards on four runs for his second touchdown of the day. Hampton finished with 210 yards, his second career game with 200 yards or more.

Harrell returned at quarterback late in the game and led a touchdown drive. Brown says he’ll play both quarterbacks next week vs. James Madison, going with the hot hand.

UNC is now 3-0 for the third straight season, a feat not seen since the early days of Dick Crum. The Tar Heels allow just 67 yards per game rushing and about 15 points per game overall. But this team has much to fix before beginning conference play. It’s tough to beat a strong opponent with 102 yards in penalties.

Duke loses lead but wins late

This game against UConn began as expected, with Duke taking charge on its opening drive. The Blue Devils moved 92 yards in just 9 plays – including a 45 yard pass from Maalik Murphy to Jordan Moore. A four yard pass from Murphy to Moore gave Duke a 7-0 lead.

The Blue Devils missed a chance to double their margin when Tre Freeman recovered Nick Evers’ fumble at the UConn 39. Duke could gain just four yards on three plays so Coach Manny Diaz called on Todd Pelino. The kicker nailed it-from 53 yards no less.

Duke added a second touchdown in the second quarter. Murphy hit Moore for 20 on a third and nine. Star Thomas (starting for the injured Jaquez Moore) broke off a 22 yard run ,and Murphy hooked up with Eli Pancol on a 36 yard scoring play to make it 17-0.

Duke appeared to be in total control. But late in the half, Murphy’s pass on 2nd and 3 was intercepted by the Huskies Langton Hardy and returned 64 yards for a touchdown.

Connecticut gained just 94 total yards in the entire first half, but in the third quarter the Huskies began to move the football. Evers mixed the run and the pass as the Huskies scored on drives of 64 and 75 yards to take a 21-17 lead.

For a defense that had not allowed either of its first two opponents to mount a single long scoring drive, seeing a program that has lost 29 of its last 40 games put up back to back touchdowns was a stunning thing. But this proud unit regained its composure and shut the Huskies out in the fourth quarter.

Offensively, Duke punted the first times it had the ball in the third quarter, but got rolling late in the period. The Devils moved to the UConn 17, settling for a field goal when Murphy was sacked.

Trailing 21-20 Duke went the distance in the final stanza. The Blue Devils moved return specialist Que’Sean Brown into the lineup as a receiver for this game. Brown responded with 11 catches for 87 yards. He scored the game’s winning touchdown on a 20 yard pass from Murphy. Duke held on 26-21.

Duke’s defense gave up more than 300 yards for the first time all season. On the other hand, the Devils’ running game piled up 142 yards (actually 162 before sacks). That is also a first.

Manny Diaz’s team is 3-0, just like the two Steve Elko teams prior. The Devils travel to Middle Tennessee this weekend. The Blue Raiders of Conference USA have won at least seven games in six of the past ten seasons, but are just 1-2 here in 2024.

If Duke can avoid turnovers, there is every reason to believe the Devils will bring a record of 4-0 into the Sept. 28 showdown with North Carolina.

Source: wralsportsfan.com