The Duke Blue Devils are looking to make it three in a row.

Duke (6-2, 3-2 ACC) takes a short road trip to Raleigh this weekend to face off against an interesting NC State (4-4, 2-3 ACC) club. The Wolfpack have probably been one of the more disappointing teams in the conference this season, while the Blue Devils have probably been one of the league's more pleasant surprises.

Led by the best running back in college football, Manny Diaz and Co. have gotten back on track after a few midseason bumps. However, a win this weekend feels big before Duke heads to Coral Gables to face No. 1 Miami.

Here are three key storylines I'll be following as Duke hits the road for Raleigh.

Nate Sheppard Heisman Push Keeps Gaining Traction

Superstar tailback Nate Sheppard reignited his Heisman Trophy case in Duke's 47-2 demolition of Boston College last weekend, going for 97 rushing yards and five touchdowns on 20 carries. The stat-stuffing outing came on the heels of two slow games for Sheppard, so the sophomore keeping the momentum rolling will obviously be critical to his Heisman Trophy argument.

Sheppard currently ranks fifth in the country in rushing yards (972), third in rushing touchdowns (14), and fourth in total attempts (173). He has scored 58% of the Blue Devils' rushing or receiving touchdowns this season. Duke's offense is at its best when it runs through Sheppard, and it will need him on the road this weekend.

Defense Continues To Take Steps Forward

The Blue Devils have taken a step forward defensively this season, but we had been waiting for a sort of breakout game from the trenches. That came against the Eagles, as Duke notched six sacks and 11 tackles for loss, while not allowing Boston College to get into any sort of offensive flow.

Duke has allowed a combined 10 second-half points to its last three opponents, and this is an NC State team that has put up at least 30 points in all four of its wins. The Blue Devils will probably need a similar defensive performance to last weekend to secure a win.

Staying Near Top of ACC Standings

Duke already has two league losses, so it probably has to win out for any shot at getting a spot in the ACC Championship for a second straight year. However, the good news is that the ACC is still pretty wide open. Miami is far and away the best team in the league, but Wake Forest is the only one-loss team. Additionally, Louisville, SMU, Virginia Tech, and Clemson all have two losses.

The Blue Devils meet Wake Forest in the final game of the regular season, and that could turn out to be a critical matchup if Duke can stack wins over the coming weeks.