NC State Edges ECU 24–17 + Darian Mensah, Duke Defeat Elon 45–17 in Second‑Half Surge

Paul Ihander and Alex Gibson discuss NC State's win and the performance of Darian Mensah and the Blue Devils.

The NC State Wolfpack defeated ECU last night. NC State led 17-0 in the 1st half, but needed a 4th-down stop in the final minute to preserve its 24-17 victory over East Carolina. Last night's game ended without incident, a stark contrast to the previous meeting between the two programs in the 2024 Military Bowl—won by ECU—which was spoiled by a late-game brawl. What three things did Paul like? What 3 things did he dislike? How did CJ Bailey look?

The Duke Blue Devils defeated the Elon Phoenix 45-17 last night. After going into halftime tied with Elon, Duke came alive in the 2nd half, dominating with a 35–7 run in the 3rd and 4th quarters. Redshirt sophomore Darian Mensah, making his debut after transferring during the offseason, threw for 389 yards and 3 touchdowns—the 2nd-most passing yards by a Duke quarterback in their team debut. How impressive is Mensah? Did we learn anything about Duke from this win? What does Manny Diaz think about Mensah?