Making the grade: Duke football vs. Notre Dame

<p>Redshirt senior Jela Duncan rushed for a career-high 121 yards to help Duke top 200 yards on the ground for the first time in three weeks.</p>

Redshirt senior Jela Duncan rushed for a career-high 121 yards to help Duke top 200 yards on the ground for the first time in three weeks.

Duke snapped a two-game losing streak and shocked the college football world Saturday with a 38-35 victory against Notre Dame at Notre Dame Stadium. The Blue Devils delivered their most consistent performance in every phase of the game and scored the last 10 points of the contest in the fourth quarter to improve to 2-2.

Offense: A

Pass: After struggling to find a rhythm against Wake Forest and Northwestern, quarterback Daniel Jones had the best outing of his career Saturday. The redshirt freshman threw for 290 yards with an efficient 24-for-32 performance. Perhaps the key to his game was Jones' ability to throw the deep ball with accuracy. All three of his touchdowns came on passes of 25 yards or longer, including a 64-yard completion to Anthony Nash to tie the game at 35 late in the fourth quarter. Head coach David Cutcliffe has been waiting on Jones to make some big plays during the early part of the season, and after three weeks, Jones finally delivered a complete performance for the Blue Devils.

Rush: Duke’s efficiency in the passing game dramatically opened up the running game. For the first time since the Blue Devils’ crushing defeat of NC Central, Jela Duncan and the Duke offense rushed for more than 200 yards in a very efficient performance. Following back-to-back games when Jones threw 48 passes, Cutcliffe and offensive coordinator Zac Roper made a wise decision to rely more on their veterans in the running game against Notre Dame. Redshirt senior Jela Duncan and junior Shaun Wilson each averaged more than five yards per carry en route to season-high games of 121 and 66 yards, respectively, against a struggling Notre Dame defense.

X’s and O’s: Notre Dame’s defensive woes continued this week as the preseason top-10 Fighting Irish suffered their third loss in four games. Although Notre Dame has put up at least 28 points in each of its first four games, the Fighting Irish allowed at least 35 points in three of them, and Duke did a good job of exploiting their weaknesses in the secondary.

Defense: B+

Pass: Duke’s defense had trouble stopping the Irish in South Bend, Ind., allowing more than 500 yards of offense for the first time all season. Of the 534 yards gained by Notre Dame, 381 of them came through the air. The Blue Devils' defensive backfield was never able to contain quarterback DeShone Kizer and defend against the long ball, as Kizer averaged 17.3 yards per pass. Duke's secondary suffered a major blow early in the first quarter when redshirt senior safety and co-captain DeVon Edwards injured his knee on his first kick return of the day.

But the Blue Devils' defense came up clutch in crunch time, as senior Deondre Singleton intercepted Kizer at the Notre Dame 45-yard line late in the fourth quarter to set up the game-winning drive, culminating in A.J. Reed’s 19-yard field goal.

Rush: In addition to struggling in the passing game, Duke was never able to shut down the Irish in the running game. Notre Dame gained 153 yards on the ground, and the Blue Devils' inability to defend the option resulted in several Fighting Irish first downs. Kizer and Adams both ran for 60 yards and one touchdown, but Duke never allowed an explosive run, with Notre Dame's longest rush of the night going for 23 yards.

X’s and O’s: Despite giving up more than 500 yards, the Blue Devils’ defense stepped up when it needed to most, forcing three turnovers, including two fumbles and a crucial interception in the closing minutes. The play of the game, however, was arguably the play prior to that interception, when defensive end Marquies Price sacked Deshone Kizer for a seven-yard loss. With the game tied and the ball on the Fighting Irish's own five-yard line, Duke brought pressure again and forced Kizer to try to do too much, setting the Blue Devils up to take the lead and win the game.

Special Teams: A+

After countless miscues during the first three games, Duke's special teams showed their potential Saturday. With the Blue Devils down 14-0 midway through the first quarter, Wilson put Duke on the board with a 96-yard kickoff return. The Charlotte native was a major help to Jones and the Blue Devils’ offense, as he averaged more than 40 yards per return, setting Duke up with great field position time and time again. If Edwards' knee injury ends his season, as Cutcliffe feared after the game, Wilson will be a very capable replacement at kick returner.

Another key component to Duke’s special teams performance was Reed's performance. The true freshman recovered from a string of poor start to the year, going 5-for-5 on extra points and converting his first career field goal, a 19-yarder, which would prove to be the game winner as the Blue Devils stunned the Fighting Irish.


Michael Model

Digital Strategy Director for Vol. 115, Michael was previously Sports Editor for Vol. 114 and Assistant Blue Zone Editor for Vol. 113.  Michael is a senior majoring in Statistical Science and is interested in data analytics and using data to make insights.

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