NC State will play the fifth game of its 2020 football season on Saturday, Oct. 17 against Duke in Carter-Finley Stadium at 3:30 p.m. ET, with television coverage provided by regional sports networks.

The Blue Devils (1-4, 1-4 ACC) gained momentum with their first win of the season last Saturday, a 38-24 road win over Syracuse. The Wolfpack (3-1, 3-1 ACC) is coming off of two road wins against ACC opponents in back-to-back weeks for the third time since 1970. Last week, the Pack handled Virginia 38-21 in Scott Stadium.

Here is the full scouting report on Duke:

Redshirt junior quarterback Chase Brice — Expectations were high for the Clemson transfer this preseason when he decided to team up with known quarterback guru and Duke head coach David Cutcliffe, but the signal-caller has struggled in his first five games with the Blue Devils.

Brice has averaged 252.6 yards per game and has five touchdowns on the season, but he has had considerable trouble with turnovers. The 6-3, 235-pounder has thrown eight interceptions and has fumbled the ball six times.

Despite his ball control issues, Brice is third in the country in total passing yards entering this weekend.

Redshirt junior defensive end Chris Rumph II — Rumph has appeared in every game for Duke since 2017 and was considered the No. 2 returning edge defender in the country this preseason according to ESPN.

Rumph had 47 tackles, 13.5 for loss, 6.5 sacks and one forced fumble last season en route to first-team All-America honors from Pro Football Focus (PFF). The 6-4, 235-pounder has been strong through five games for the Blue Devils this fall with 26 tackles, including four for loss and 3.5 sacks.

Senior running back Deon Jackson — A three-year starter for Duke, Jackson has also appeared in every game for Cutcliffe since 2017. He earned second-team All-ACC honors in 2018 as an all-purpose back and was a third-team All-ACC selection this preseason according to Athlon Sports.

The 6-0, 220-pounder has 412 yards and two touchdowns on 89 carries this fall. He's coming off of his best performance of the season thus far in the win at Syracuse, where he ran for 169 yards, including a 50-yard scamper.

Senior defensive end Victor Dimukeje — A four-year starter for the Blue Devils, the senior edge rusher earned second-team All-ACC honors in 2019 and was a second-team All-ACC selection according to PFF this preseason.

The 6-3, 265-pounder has 19 tackles and leads the team with 6.5 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks through five games. He also has one forced fumble and one fumble recovery this fall.

Junior wide receiver Jake Bobo — The pass-catcher played in all 13 games for the Blue Devils as a freshman in 2018 but missed the first third of the season last year due to a shoulder injury.

Duke's tallest receiving target at 6-5, Bobo is the highest-graded receiver for the Blue Devils through five contests according to PFF. He's reeled in 15 receptions for 188 yards and is coming off of his best performance this season with five receptions and 70 yards in the win against Syracuse.

1. Problems with turnovers

Duke has turned the ball over 19 times this fall, the most of any team at the FBS level in 2020. Even in its first win against Syracuse Saturday, the Blue Devils committed four turnovers and didn't force a single takeaway from the Orange.

However, 16 of its 19 turnovers this season have come in three contests. Along with the four turnovers against Syracuse, Duke turned it over five times against Boston College and seven times against Virginia.

2. Disruptive edge rushers

While Duke's pass rush defense doesn't necessarily stand out statistically, its edge rushers have accounted for most of the disruption in the backfield.

Dimukeje, Rumph and senior defensive end Drew Jordan have accounted for 13 of the team's 21 sacks and 31 of its 53 quarterback hurries.

3. Strong special teams

Redshirt freshman placekicker Charlie Ham won an offseason competition to handle the Blue Devils' field goal responsibilities and has so far proven to be the right choice.

Ham has made 10 of 11 PATs and gone 8 of 9 on field goals through five games, including a 2 for 2 mark on kicks over 40 yards. Redshirt freshman punter Porter Wilson has also been effective with an average of 43.4 yards per attempt, which is comparable to NC State All-ACC punter Trenton Gill's average of 43.6 yards per attempt this fall.

1. Protect Devin Leary

In NC State's only loss this season, a 45-21 drubbing against Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, the Wolfpack forfeited six sacks. It wouldn't matter if redshirt sophomore Devin Leary or redshirt junior Bailey Hockman was under center, swiss-cheese pass protection sets up any quarterback for failure.

In its three wins, however, the Wolfpack has only forfeited a combined three sacks. In those contests, NC State quarterbacks have averaged 237 yards per game and thrown seven total touchdowns with only two interceptions. Considering Duke's pass rush is the strongest aspect of its defense, the Pack should be in a great position for victory if it can keep Leary upright Saturday afternoon.

2. Create turnovers

Leading up to Saturday's win at Virginia, the Wolfpack had only forced one turnover on defense through three games. The NC State coaching staff decided the team needed a spark, so it pulled out the new "Takeaway Bone," an oversized rawhide spray-painted red that's awarded to players on the sideline following a defensive turnover.

It worked. The Pack had four takeaways including its first three interceptions of the year en route to the three-possession road victory over the Cavaliers. Duke has turned the ball over 19 times this season, five more than any other team at the FBS level. It's the reason the Blue Devils are 1-4, and the Wolfpack will look to keep the turnovers coming Saturday in Carter-Finley Stadium.

3. Feed Zonovan "Bam" Knight

Before Knight signed with the Wolfpack, he was previously committed to play for Duke. Saturday will be personal for Knight, and that's not good news for the Blue Devils.

Knight is coming off of his best game of the season, a 101-yard rushing performance with two touchdowns. The 5-11, 206-pounder has recorded over 100 all-purpose yards in three games this season and has led the Wolfpack running backs in yards per carry in all four games. Expect the explosive sophomore to make the most of his opportunities Saturday as he works toward his goal of 1,000 rushing yards this season.

88.2 Percent success rate (15 of 17) in the red zone for NC State this season, which ranks 29th nationally. Prior to the 38-21 win over Virginia, the Wolfpack had converted every red zone visit into points. The Pack has scored 11 touchdowns in its 17 red-zone visits and is a perfect eight for eight on touchdown conversions following a first-and-goal situation.

2002 Was when NC State's last home victory against Duke occurred. The Blue Devils lead the all-time series 41-36-5 and have won the past two meetings, but the Wolfpack has gone 15-4 against its rival from Durham since 1990.

6 Underclassmen in the NC State secondary that have played at least 90 snaps through four games this season. The list includes sophomore safety Jakeen Harris, redshirt sophomore corner Malik Dunlap, redshirt freshman corner Shyheim Battle, sophomore corner Cecil Powell, freshman safety Devan Boykin and freshman nickel Joshua Pierre-Louis.

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