Stat Chat: History in the Making

Here at Stat Chat, we often break down individual games and players to give you an inside and out statistical breakdown of what you've seen on the field. Well this week, we feel as though it's time to remind our loyal readers just how special this team is.

For starters, let's talk about the team's overall record. At 8-2, Duke football has owns its best record since 1994. With one more win this season, whether it be from either of their regular season games or their bowl game, the Blue Devils will secure their first nine win season since 1941. If you want to get crazy, how about the fact if the team wins two of those contests, Duke will win double digit games for the first time in school history. And if we get really crazy, the Blue Devils have a chance to win their first bowl game since 1960.

Or perhaps you'd rather talk about the matchup agains Miami. The win marked the first time since 1988 Duke defeated a ranked team at home. It also was the first time the Blue Devils defeated Miami since 1976. To put that into perspective, that was the first ever meeting between the two schools.

The game itself brought about some statistical significance as well. Duke football racked up the highest rushing yardage total in the 21st century last Saturday, amassing 358 yards on the ground. The running game had its best game since, you guessed it, 1994, when the Blue Devils ran for 324 yards against Wake Forest. The leader of the charge was Brandon Connette, who scored five touchdowns for the second time this season. Four of those scores game on the ground, tied for most rushing touchdowns scored in a single game. The performance catapulted Connette to the top spot in Duke's all-time rushing touchdowns list at 29. He also became the first quarterback in the history of the school to both throw and run for double-digit touchdowns in a season.

Perhaps the biggest number of the game was zero. Coming off of back-to-back games of at least three interceptions, Anthony Boone, along with Connette, did not turn the ball over once. A solid rushing game in all likelihood contributed to their efficient play, but it is worth noting it's the first time since playing Navy more than a month ago that Duke did not have a single turnover.

As the Blue Devils travel to Wake Forest and North Carolina, they can feel a bit of comfort knowing that they have yet to lose on the road this season. Regardless of the outcomes, however, players, coaches and fans alike recognize that this Duke football team is rewriting the record books.