The Blue Devils won their sixth straight game and upset the second ranked opponent of the season with a 48-30 win against the No. 23 Hurricanes Saturday evening at Wallace Wade Stadium. The Duke defense held Miami scoreless in the fourth quarter, and Blue Devil quarterback Brandon Connette rushed for four touchdowns, as Duke sent to Hurricanes spinning toward their third straight loss.
Revisiting the three keys to the game:
Don’t overlook their ground game—even without Duke Johnson- The Hurricanes racked up 186 rushing yards on the ground today an running back Dallas Crawford led Miami with 115 yards on 19 carries. The Duke defense held Crawford’s backups, Eduardo Clements and Gus Edwards to 50 yards on five carries. For comparison, the Blue Devils allowed Miami to rush for 248 yards and three touchdowns when the two teams met in 2012. The defense did not allow a touchdown on the ground in this matchup and forced the Hurricanes to go to the air to find big plays
Better decision-making by Duke quarterbacks- The two Blue Devil quarterbacks weathered the storm and played a near-perfect game to lift Duke to victory. After throwing seven interceptions in his last two games, quarterback Anthony Boone seemed much more comfortable in the pocket and completed 11-of-15 passes, throwing zero interceptions. Brandon Connette, who had a big day on the ground with four rushing touchdowns, also completed 5-or-9 passes for 81 yards.
Continue to score with special teams- There were no big plays made by the special teams units, but they were a crucial part of today’s win. Ross Martin knocked in two field goals, including a 48-yard try that hit the left post and bounced behind the crossbar. Wide receiver Jamison Crowder averaged 30 yards per punt return and was one broken tackle away from a return touchdown—twice.
Three Key Plays:
- With Miami leading 17-7 in the second quarter, Hurricane quarterback Stephen Morris throws a pass intended for wide receiver Artie Burns, but has it tipped in the air and intercepted by freshman safety Deondre Singelton. The only turnover of the game shifted the momentum toward Duke, as they would outscore Miami 14-3 during the rest of the first half.
- Early in the fourth quarter, Boone hands the ball off to running back Josh Snead who breaks a huge run of 56 yards. The run would set up Brandon Connette’s fourth rushing touchdown of the day and give Duke a 38-30 lead.
- Clinging on to 38-30 head coach David Cutcliffe elects to go for it on fourth down and one from the Hurricane 33-yard line. Boone hands off to running back Shaquille Powell who bursts through a hole and sprints into the end zone. Powell’s touchdown gave the Blue Devils a commanding 45-30 lead late in the game.
Three key stats:
- Duke had zero turnovers. Excellent play by both quarterbacks resulted in zero interceptions on the afternoon, and the backs and receivers held onto the football despite sustaining some vicious hits from the Miami defense.
- The Blue Devils goes 2-for-2 on fourth down. David Cutcliffe has not been hesitant this season to let his offense stay on the field on fourth downs, and today was no different. The most notable conversion was Powell’s 33-yard run in the fourth quarter, but Connette also had a late fourth-down scamper that denied the Hurricanes any chance at a comeback.
- Duke racks up 358 rushing yards. The offense outrushed Miami 358-186 and absolutely dominated the Hurricane defense on the ground. The Blue Devils averaged 6.9 yards per rush. Individually, Josh Snead rushed for 138 yards on just nine carries, and Connette rushed for 37 and four touchdowns.
· And the Duke game ball goes to… Brandon Connette
Connette did not start the game under center, but accounted for five of Duke’s six touchdowns and set the all-time record for career rushing touchdowns in Blue Devil history. Connette rushed for four touchdowns and threw another. He also lofted a beautiful pass to receiver Max McCraffrey late in the third quarter, which resulted in a Ross Martin field goal that gave the Blue Devils the go-ahead score. Connette showed us today why a two-quarterback system can not only work, but also excel.
And the Miami game ball goes to… Stephen Morris
Morris threw for 379 yards and two touchdowns, despite not having his top running back, Duke Johnson, in the backfield and his top receivers, Phillip Dorsett and Stacey Coley, on the outside. Morris kept the Hurricanes in the game by shredding a young—but confident—Blue Devil secondary that had only given up one pass touchdown in the past two games.
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