SOUTH BEND, Ind.—Saturday's game could not have started much worse for Duke.
The Blue Devils (1-2) allowed Notre Dame to march down the field on its first two possessions, and redshirt senior safety DeVon Edwards suffered a leg injury on Duke's first kickoff return. After a 44-yard touchdown pass from DeShone Kizer to Kevin Stepherson put the Fighting Irish up 14-0 with 8:57 left in the first quarter, it looked like the Blue Devils were on the verge of getting blown out.
But with one nifty juke to elude a Notre Dame defender, running back Shaun Wilson got Duke back in the game.
Wilson took the kickoff following Stepherson's touchdown 96 yards for a touchdown to cut the deficit in half, then the Blue Devils elevated their play for the rest of the half to go into the locker room leading a 28-21 shootout Saturday afternoon at Notre Dame Stadium. Duke's offense found its rhythm, with quarterback Daniel Jones going 13-of-15 for 147 yards and two long touchdowns to spark an efficient Blue Devil attack in what turned into a back-and-forth shootout.
After Wilson's return, Duke's defense got its first stop, then wideout T.J. Rahming sparked an eight-play, 78-yard drive as the Blue Devils evened the score with 3:32 left in the first quarter.
After several passes to Rahming, who finished the half with six receptions for 68 yards, running back Jela Duncan exploded up the middle for an 18-yard touchdown run to quiet the raucous home crowd.
The Fighting Irish (1-2) missed a 42-yard field goal on their next possession, then Duke's defense got two consecutive stops to build momentum early in the second quarter. The Blue Devils sustained a second drive into Notre Dame territory, but the Fighting Irish stuffed Duncan on 4th-and-1 from the Notre Dame 25-yard line to keep the game tied.
The Fighting Irish defense could not come up with a stop the next time Duke was in the red zone, though.
Following a Kizer fumble recovered by Duke linebacker Ben Humphreys, Jones struck quickly, finding Quay Chambers down the right sideline for a 25-yard touchdown with 6:35 left in the half.
Notre Dame's offense rebounded to even the score at 21 using a nine-play, 72-yard drive when Dexter Williams broke four tackles on a 13-yard touchdown run.
Jones came right back, however, as the Blue Devils relied on a mix of running and passing plays to march down the field before the redshirt freshman found Anthony Nash on a 32-yard deep post to put Duke back on top 28-21.
Here are some observations from the first half:
- Duke got its running game going after struggling in that department in losses against Wake Forest and Northwestern. The Blue Devils finished the half with 84 yards on 16 carries.
- Jones' touchdown to Chambers was Duke's first in 11 quarters going back to its season opener against N.C. Central. A sophomore, Chambers made his mark in the first half with the first touchdown catch of his career.
- The Blue Devil defense struggled to contain Kizer and the Fighting Irish offense. Kizer finished the half 14-of-22 for 233 yards and two total touchdowns, and Notre Dame finished the half with 288 total yards.
- Cornerback Breon Borders, the nation's leader in pass breakups, broke up two consecutive Kizer passes to halt the home team's last drive of the half and preserve Duke's lead.
- Blue Devil redshirt freshman Jordan Hayes started at safety for Deondre Singleton—who was ejected from Duke's Week 3 loss at Northwestern due to targeting and suspended for Saturday's first half—and led Duke with five tackles.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.