Hurricane Matthew drenched both Duke and Army with heavy rain throughout the game Saturday afternoon, but it could not dampen the Blue Devils' mood at the end of a much-needed win.
Duke beat the Black Knights 13-6 in a defensive struggle at Wallace Wade Stadium, with neither team able to eclipse 50 yards through the air. The Blue Devils jumped out to an early 13-0 lead, and their defense took care of the rest in a scoreless second half with some help from the wet conditions.
"You have to be pleased when your team is as focused as that team was in those conditions and how many times our defense was put to the test and responded," Duke head coach David Cutcliffe said. "Without a couple little mistakes, they may not score."
The game was much closer than the Blue Devils' 44-3 rout of Army last year, when the Black Knights fumbled seven times, but a few critical miscues doomed Army again.
The rain and strong winds turned the game into a battle for field position, and Duke held Army to just a 2-for-13 clip on third down. The Black Knights (3-2) also went 0-for-4 on fourth down and lost two fumbles, helping the Blue Devils (3-3) start both of their scoring drives with good field position.
"We knew going in we were going to have to play all four downs against this team because they rarely punt the ball," senior safety Deondre Singleton said. "Stopping them on those fourth downs gave the team energy and juice and helped us keep our momentum."
Army reached Blue Devil territory on three drives in the second half needing just a touchdown to tie the game, but Duke snuffed out each chance with several big plays in the backfield to kill promising drives. When the Black Knights marched to the Blue Devils' 31-yard line with fewer than seven minutes remaining, a pitch from quarterback Ahmad Bradshaw landed on the ground in front of his running back before safety Alonzo Saxton II recovered the fumble for the Blue Devils.
Duke (3-3) seized momentum early when strike safety Corbin McCarthy—who moved up to linebacker for the game to help stop Army's triple-option offense—forced a fumble by Black Knight running back Andy Davidson deep in Army territory.
"You have to know your role [against the triple option]," McCarthy said. "You have to be patient and let things come to you rather than attack, which is a different mindset for a defensive player."
Singleton fell on the loose ball to set up a three-yard jump-pass touchdown from backup quarterback Parker Boehme to Erich Schneider and give the Blue Devils an early 7-0 lead. Singleton also came up with an interception late in the fourth quarter to seal the win.
After its first touchdown, Duke had another short field to work with when Singleton stopped Bradshaw on a fourth down at the Army 32-yard line. A false start penalty put Duke in a 3rd-and-12 hole, but Blue Devil quarterback Daniel Jones lofted an impressive 22-yard pass to redshirt freshman Aaron Young in the corner of the end zone for the reserve wideout's first career touchdown.
"That was a great play by Aaron. He’s a big guy, has big hands, great size," Jones said. "He made a phenomenal play on that ball and that was obviously a big play for us."
The pass was Duke's longest play of the night and gave it a 13-0 cushion before a botched snap on the extra-point attempt. Although both of the Blue Devils' scores came through the air, Duke finished with just 44 passing yards and was outgained 214-189.
Army entered the game leading the nation in rushing with more than 300 yards per game, but finished with just 3.8 yards per carry as the Blue Devil defense shut down the triple-option once again. The Black Knights' lone score came when when Davidson burst up the middle for a 45-yard touchdown with 2:11 remaining until halftime to make it 13-6.
Although Duke held on for the win, it lost two more key contributors due to injury—veteran running back Jela Duncan and center Austin Davis both left the contest early, and the Blue Devils struggled to move the ball after they exited.
Thirteen points was enough for Duke Saturday, though, and the Blue Devils will quickly return to the field Friday to try to slow down Heisman frontrunner Lamar Jackson and No. 5 Louisville on the road.
"We need to get away from the triple option immediately, right now—my mind’s already off of it—go straight to Louisville and look at the tape," McCarthy said. "Friday’s going to come quick, so we need to be ready."
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