The bell of the Blue Zone stock exchange has rung again, meaning it's time to take a look at who is rising and falling with their performances for Blue Devil sports teams. Each week, the Blue Zone will look at whose stock is on the rise and whose stock has taken a hit from the week in the world of Duke athletics.
Bull Market—Trending Up:
Duke football: In one of the biggest upsets in program history, Duke overcame a 14-0 first-quarter deficit and a 35-28 fourth-quarter deficit to claim a much-needed victory against Notre Dame. Duke (2-2), a 20-point underdog entering Saturday’s game, was coming off a 24-13 loss to Northwestern to play a historically strong Fighting Irish team at Notre Dame Stadium.
Redshirt freshman quarterback Daniel Jones threw for 290 yards with three touchdowns—the best performance of his young career. Redshirt senior wide receiver Anthony Nash had a career game with 123 receiving yards and two touchdowns, including a 64-yard catch-and-run touchdown midway through the fourth quarter to tie the game at 35. The Blue Devils' running game also improved tremendously, with 208 rushing yards after combining for 154 yards on the ground in back-to-back losses to Wake Forest and the Wildcats.
Junior running back Shaun Wilson contributed to the win with a 96-yard kick return for a touchdown in the first quarter. After losing two games in a row, a win against Notre Dame will give Duke a much-needed confidence boost to take on Virginia at home Saturday afternoon.
Duke football kicking: Freshman kicker A.J. Reed finally rose to the occasion, making a game-winning 19-yard field goal with 1:24 remaining that put the Blue Devils up 38-35 against the Fighting Irish. After missing his first three field-goal attempts in games against Wake Forest and Northwestern, Reed’s first career made field goal on his fourth attempt could not have come at a better time. Reed also made all five of his extra points after missing one last weekend against Northwestern. The Prattville, Ala., native may have regained some confidence with his perfect afternoon and could prove to be more consistent as the season progresses.
Duke volleyball: Duke extended its winning streak to four games by beating Virginia on the road Saturday to remain undefeated in ACC play. The Blue Devils (8-4, 2-0 in the ACC) took down the Cavaliers in a dramatic five-set match, with the first four sets all being decided by three points or less. Sophomore outside hitter Jessi Bartholomew led the team with 15 kills, and classmate Leah Meyer added a double-double with 12 kills and 11 blocks. Freshman setter Cindy Marina contributed 49 assists and 22 digs. The Blue Devils hope to continue their winning streak with road games against Notre Dame and Louisville this weekend.
Bear Market—Trending Down:
Duke football injuries: Star safety and kickoff returner DeVon Edwards suffered a season-ending torn ACL and MCL against Notre Dame on a kickoff return early in the first quarter Saturday. The redshirt senior and co-captain was helped off the field without being able to put any weight on his left leg. The injury marks the end of Edward’s illustrious college football career. An All-ACC defensive back and All-American kickoff returner, Edwards leaves his mark at Duke with a school-record six kickoff returns for touchdowns, falling one short of tying the record for the most in NCAA history. Edwards was also named to the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team this year, which honors college football players for exemplary community service.
The loss is another blow to the Blue Devils' depth on defense after defensive end Dominic McDonald left last weekend's game against Northwestern with an upper-body injury and did not play against the Fighting Irish. Although Duke overcame the injuries to beat Notre Dame, the Blue Devils will have to depend on some inexperienced players to be consistent on defense in the coming weeks.
Duke has already felt the effects of the injury bug on offense, with quarterback Thomas Sirk's season ending before it began due to a partially torn Achilles' tendon in training camp and highly-touted freshman receiver Scott Bracey missing all four games so far with a hamstring injury.
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