The Devil's in the Details: Duke's loss of Daniel Jones makes it necessary to prioritize its rushing game

<p>Quentin Harris may not be able to lead an injury-struck Blue Devil team to a bowl game this year.</p>

Quentin Harris may not be able to lead an injury-struck Blue Devil team to a bowl game this year.

They say the devil is in the details. But in Durham, the Blue Devils are in the details—and the numbers.  

Each week, the Blue Zone will dissect five key numbers from last week's action in Duke sports, whether they be historic or underwhelming. This week, let the numbers take you inside what the football team needs in order for it to continue its high level of play without its longtime quarterback Daniel Jones.

15 

With redshirt junior Daniel Jones out indefinitely after injuring his collarbone against Northwestern last Saturday, the Blue Devils will need one of their five backup quarterbacks to step up for the time being. Despite the relatively large number of players to choose from, Duke’s quarterbacks are very inexperienced, having only thrown 15 total in-game passes between the five of them. All 15 were thrown by redshirt junior Quentin Harris, the only backup with any collegiate experience, and the player most likely to take the helm behind center in Duke’s upcoming contest against Baylor. 

Find out the whole story—Duke football's Daniel Jones sidelined indefinitely, Mark Gilbert out for season

54.5 

Because of Duke’s inexperience at quarterback, the Blue Devils will have to rely on their rushing to propel their offense. Redshirt sophomore Brittain Brown has thus far shown the capability of leading Duke on the ground, as he has averaged 54.5 yards per game and played a big role in defeating Army West Point in Duke’s season opener. Brown and true sophomore Deon Jackson must hold down the fort in the backfield if the Blue Devils are to have any chance of winning games. 

Find out the whole story—Daniel Jones' fiery start before injury fuels Duke football's win at Northwestern

5 

After defeating Old Dominion 1-0 in their last game before the ACC circuit, the Blue Devils increased their win streak to five games. With only one loss on the season, Duke (6-1-1) has looked strong in its out-of-conference game slate, especially in the cage. Redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Brooke Heinsohn has posted five shutouts of her own as the anchor of Duke’s backline. Beginning with a matchup against Syracuse next Sunday, the Blue Devils will look to carry on their dominance to their more challenging ACC foes. 

Find out the whole story—Duke women's soccer holds on to early advantage to take down Old Dominion

A strong start to the season helped Duke mens soccer to three straight wins and a national ranking of two by the United Coaches Poll last Tuesday. However, after being shut out by Louisville last Sunday who won 3-0, Duke will have to regroup and fix what went wrong in preparation of its upcoming rival game against North Carolina this Friday.  

Find out the whole story—Duke men's soccer suffers first loss of season in ACC opener

4 

Head coach Pam Bustin usually does a good job of getting her team to compete against national powerhouses year-in and year-out, and this season is no different. While the early part of its schedule has proven to be difficult, with all six games played against ranked opponents, Duke field hockey has already defeated four of them, including a 4-1 victory against Penn State last Sunday. The Blue Devils will travel to Syracuse this Friday in hopes of keeping up the level of success they have had this season. 

Find out the whole story—Duke field hockey splits pair of road games against top-10 opponents

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