Film room: Duke football vs. Miami

The Hurricanes own the buzz. 

They fill their stadium nearly twice as much as Duke. They have "The Return," as their fans call it, that beat the Blue Devils in 2015 on eight laterals. They blew Duke out last year. 

But now, things are looking up for the resurgent Blue Devils. 

Duke has beaten its first four opponents, and has looked like a completely different football team than the one that made three field goals all of last year and cratered to finish 4-8. Despite their early success, the Blue Devils have looked vulnerable in one main area: allowing big plays, especially on the ground. 

In its season opener against North Carolina Central, Duke’s defense played a nearly flawless game, save for one blemish—an 81-yard touchdown run by Isaiah Totten in the second quarter. Again, in Duke’s ACC opener against rival North Carolina, the defense submitted an all-around solid performance that was marred by one big play, quarterback Chaz Surratt’s go-ahead 56-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.  

Duke’s rushing defense ranks second in the nation, allowing a mere 65.3 rushing yards per game. Nevertheless, 52.5 percent of the yards gained on the ground this season against the Blue Devils have been on the touchdown runs of more than 50 yards. Once runners advance past Duke’s stout front seven, they have found success in space for long gains. 

Unfortunately for the Blue Devils, Miami has excelled in rushing the ball thus far. The Hurricanes are averaging 9.6 yards per rushing attempt, which is the best clip in the nation. Junior running back Mark Walton has been particularly potent for the Miami offense, as he is averaging an NCAA-best 13 yards per carry. The team’s early rushing domination may be dismissed by some as merely being a product of the weak opponents Miami has encountered. 

Due to the effects of Hurricane Irma, matchups against Arkansas State and Florida State have been cancelled and postponed, respectively. The only games Miami has played in so far were against Bethune-Cookman, an FCS team, and Toledo. Although the rushing offense has looked unstoppable in the first two contests, the Hurricanes are certainly not battle-tested.

In this clip, Walton breaks off a gain of 47 yards. While he didn’t look explosive on the run, the clear impetus for this big play is the blocking of No. 55, Miami right guard Navaughn Donaldson. The true freshman pulled on this play, and opened up the edge for Walton. Donaldson blocks his assignment an impressive 15 yards downfield and all but guarantees a long run from Walton.

This segment showcases yet another rush from Walton set up by Donaldson. Although Walton is the only one who gets credit in the box score for this 44-yard touchdown run against Toledo, his right guard deserves some credit too. Donaldson closes out on the defensive tackle he is matched up against, creating a gaping hole for Walton to run through. The 5-foot-9 running back’s straight-line speed then allows him to break free from the remaining Rockets. This touchdown run is likely a play for a minimal gain if Walton does not have the vision to redirect and run behind Donaldson.

Once again, Miami earns a long gain by running behind their budding star at right guard. Donaldson expertly opens up a gap for Walton to accelerate through. As he tends to do, the guard closes out toward the sidelines, and allows for Walton to advance. Walton makes a smooth cut and is off to the races for a run of 82 yards.

All of Miami’s long runs have had two common elements: Walton and Donaldson. The Miami halfback’s superb vision and acceleration combined with the guard’s outstanding ability to close out on his assignments make for quite the dynamic duo. Duke has proven to be somewhat vulnerable to substantial gains on the ground, and could be in trouble if their defense allows for Walton and Donaldson to operate as they have been this season.