In recent years, the Blue Devils have been fortunate to avoid playing the ACC’s best teams. Duke has not faced Florida State since losing to the Seminoles in the ACC Championship in 2013 and last met Clemson in 2012.
But with Louisville a playoff contender this season, the Blue Devils are about to face their toughest test in three years.
Duke will try to secure its first ACC victory of the season against the No. 7 Cardinals Friday at 7 p.m. at Papa John’s Stadium in Louisville, Ky. After returning to .500 with a gritty 13-6 win against Army Saturday, the 35-point underdog Blue Devils have had a short week to prepare for one of the nation’s most explosive squads.
“[Louisville] is a complete football team. They are extremely, extremely well-coached—extremely talented,” Duke head coach David Cutcliffe said. “We’ve got to work smart and minimize errors to have a chance.”
Led by quarterback and Heisman Trophy frontrunner Lamar Jackson, the Cardinals (4-1, 2-1 in the ACC) feature a dangerous offense that can strike at any moment. Louisville leads the nation with 58.0 points per game, and has not been held to fewer than 550 total yards in a game this season.
Defenses have yet to find a way to slow down Jackson, who leads the nation with 28 total touchdowns. The signal-caller keeps defenders off-balance with his ability to make plays through the air and with his game-breaking agility once he leaves the pocket. Even in Louisville’s loss to then-No. 5 Clemson, Jackson registered 457 total yards, including 162 on the ground.
“I don’t see anybody in college football playing as well as he is,” Cutcliffe said. “He has an extremely quick, strong arm. He’s as elusive and fast and a really good runner.”
Jim Knowles’ defense has had mixed results against athletic duel-threat quarterbacks. In their 38-35 win against Notre Dame Sept. 24, the Blue Devils (3-3, 0-2) forced Fighting Irish quarterback DeShon Kizer into two turnovers and several inaccurate passes down the stretch, though Kizer still finished with 441 total yards of offense.
But against Virginia a week later, Duke struggled to stop Cavalier quarterback Kurt Benkert in key moments. The East Carolina transfer finished with three touchdowns and averaged 14.6 yards per completion.
In order to contain Jackson, the Blue Devils will try to keep him within the pocket and force him to throw the ball. With an interception in each of his last four games, Jackson has been prone to occasional mistakes with his arm. And when the Boynton Beach, Fla., native does escape the pocket, Duke redshirt freshman linebacker Joe Giles-Harris said Blue Devil defenders must play fast and attack him.
“You have to go meet him,” Giles-Harris said. “You can’t wait for him to do something because that’s when all the explosive plays happen.”
But regardless of how well the defense performs, Duke will need a strong offensive showing to keep pace with the Cardinals and give the Blue Devil defenders time to rest.
Through six games, Duke has had difficulty sustaining drives, which has put more pressure on the defense to stay on the field. In each of the Blue Devils’ losses, redshirt freshman quarterback Daniel Jones looked was under heavy duress and unable to get the ball downfield.
When the Blue Devils have crossed midfield, turnovers have prevented them from scoring. Duke ranks first in the nation in turnovers lost, and against Virginia, Jones threw five interceptions and fumbled once.
Ball security will come at a premium against a talented Louisville defense that has registered 12 takeaways. In the secondary, cornerback Jaire Alexander has been a ball hawk with four interceptions and safety Chucky Williams has added two more interceptions and a forced fumble.
The Cardinals—who surrender just 324.0 yards per game—also have a deep corps of defensive linemen and linebackers capable of disrupting plays in the backfield. Linebackers James Hearns and Keith Kelsey lead Louisville up front with a combined 8.5 tackles for loss and forced five fumbles.
The Blue Devils will have to try to keep the Cardinal defense off-balance by attacking downfield. Louisville mainly plays man coverage, which should provide Duke’s receivers opportunities to create separation.
“They’re a challenge to everybody defensively,” Cutcliffe said. “It’s hard to take it and drive the ball on these guys. You’re going to have to take shots. You’re going to have to hit shots. That’s the only way you’re going to score points.”
Luckily for the Blue Devils, running back Jela Duncan and center Austin Davis, who both suffered leg injuries against Army, are listed as probable for Friday night.
Although Louisville may be the best opponent Duke has faced in recent years, the Blue Devils have had success against the odds. Duke has upset a ranked opponent in each of the past three seasons and defeated Notre Dame as a 21-point underdog in September. Now the Blue Devils are ready for an opportunity to surprise again by staying with one of the nation’s best teams.
“We were counted out against Notre Dame when we went in there. That just feeds the fire,” Giles-Harris said. “You like being the team that nobody gives you a chance.”
Hank Tucker and Amrith Ramkumar contributed reporting.
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