Stat Chat: Duke football vs. NCCU

The outcome was never in question. It was obvious that one team that took the field this past Saturday in Wallace Wade Stadium was overmatched. It was yet another loss for a team with seemingly little hope for a winning season.

Of course, I’m talking about NC Central, who was outplayed in every facet of the game in a 45-0 blowout loss to Duke.

Despite recent turmoil surrounding the head coaching position for the Eagles, the Blue Devils deserve some credit. The team held NC Central to 184 yards of total offense and nine first downs. Duke’s stingy defense posted the school’s first shutout since 1989 and the first at home since 1978. Taking into account that the Eagles are not a strong squad this season, the overall performance by the defense was impressive. Perhaps the biggest reason for success was, quite literally, the biggest players on the field: the defensive line.

Before the game began, we knew the matchup to watch was the size of the NC Central offensive line and the experience of the Blue Devil defensive line. The Eagles sport an offensive line that weighs, on average, 315 pounds each. The starting defensive line for Duke of Jamal Bruce, Justin Foxx, Sydney Sarmiento, and Kenny Anunike average 275 pounds. 40 pounds per linemen most certainly is a significant number, but few teams in the NCAA can rival the experience Duke's defensive line has. Bruce (four years), Foxx (five), Sarmiento (five), and Anunike (six) have an average of five years of experience. Advantage: Blue Devils.

From the very beginning, it was evident each of the defensive lineman were making an impact. Foxx stuffed a run at the line and Anunike had a sack in the first quarter. Bruce was clearing space in the middle, where Sarmiento had the hit of the game in the second quarter.

Overall, the numbers may not appear to be impressive (10 tackles combined), but you also have to think about the holes they created for linebackers and safeties rushing the quarterback. Linebackers Kelby Brown and David Helton recorded seven tackles a piece. Safety Jeremy Cash was everywhere Saturday, leading the team with five solo tackles.

Cash was perhaps the biggest benefactor of the defensive lines pressure. With a few minutes remaining in the first quarter, NC Central faced a second-and-8 on their own 32-yard line. The defensive line clogged the pocket almost immediately, forcing rattled Eagles quarterback Jordan Reid to throw an ill-advised lateral pass to Dequadis Tucker. Tucker was taken down within seconds of the ball coming his way by, you guessed it, a streaking Cash. Jeremy Cash played a good game, but the defensive pressure provided by the line made his job at safety far easier.

As I said before, it’s hard to measure just how good Duke is by this win alone. However, it is evident that the experience on the defensive line is going to be a huge asset for this Duke defense.