Maalik Murphy threw for two touchdowns and ran for another as Duke snapped a two-game losing streak by winning 29-19 at North Carolina State on Saturday in Raleigh, N.C.
Duke (7-3, 3-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) handled the task defensively by holding the Wolfpack without a touchdown until the fourth quarter.
Todd Pelino kicked two long field goals for the Blue Devils, who have defeated NC State in back-to-back seasons.
Kanoah Vinesett kicked four field goals for NC State (5-5, 2-4), which played in its home finale. The Wolfpack was coming off victories against ACC newcomers Cal and Stanford but couldn’t pull off another triumph against a longtime neighboring foe.
Murphy was 22 of 31 for 245 yards in the air, but Duke gained just 31 rushing yards.
The Blue Devils managed 276 yards of total offense, barely outgaining NC State’s 268.
Wolfpack quarterback CJ Bailey was 16 of 39 for 184 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
Murphy broke a tie in the third quarter with a 3-yard touchdown run for a 19-12 edge. Then he connected with Sahmir Hagans for a 9-yard touchdown pass to complete the first possession of the fourth quarter.
NC State finally got going and Bailey pass to Wesley Grimes for a 16-yard touchdown on fourth-and-8 as the Wolfpack closed within 26-19 with 9:01 remaining in regulation.
The teams traded punts before Duke chewed up almost four minutes from the clock to set up Pelino’s 49-yarder for the final points.
Duke started strong by scoring in a variety of ways. The first points came on a safety when Bailey was sacked by Wesley Williams and Aaron Hall in the end zone.
Pelino kicked a 50-yard field goal and then Murphy hooked up with Jordan Moore for a 45-yard touchdown play as the Blue Devils built a 12-0 lead.
NC State came back in pieces with second-quarter field goals of 30, 28 and 37 yards. The last of those was a gift following a Duke fumble and with just one second left in the half, making the score 12-9.
Vinesett was good from 25 yards out to tie the score early in the third quarter.
