Duke football in dire need of an injury-free contest against N.C. Central

<p>Duke's running backs have, relatively, avoided the injury bug so far this season.</p>

Duke's running backs have, relatively, avoided the injury bug so far this season.

Coming off a road victory against Baylor, the Blue Devils have an opportunity to advance to 4-0 for the second consecutive season.

Duke will host N.C. Central at Wallace Wade Stadium Saturday at 3:30 p.m. Despite being located just a few miles southeast of Duke’s campus, the Eagles do not pose much of a threat to the Blue Devils’ status as the preeminent football team in the city—in their six meetings since 2009, Duke has prevailed by margins of 35 points or more in each contest.

In last season’s opener, the Blue Devils embarrassed their crosstown rivals by a score of 60-7. The Eagles—who are a member of the FCS—simply could not match the size, speed and athleticism of their FBS foes. The score does not indicate the extent of Duke's domination, as the Blue Devils outgained N.C. Central 524-158 and had 30 first downs in comparison to the Eagles’ eight.

Although Duke has command over the rivalry, this is not an N.C. Central team to scoff at. In 2016, it was champions of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference with a perfect 8-0 record in conference play and finished the year ranked No. 22 in the FCS. Head coach Jerry Mack led the Eagles to another solid finish in 2017—they finished fourth in the MEAC—before accepting the offensive coordinator position at Rice. Mack has since been replaced by Granville Eastman, previously the team’s defensive coordinator, assistant head coach and safeties coach.

The Blue Devils are heavily favored Saturday and have a 99.6 percent chance of winning according to ESPN’s Football Power Index. Perhaps even more important than the final score will be seeing how Duke’s depth holds up. The team’s injury woes have been well publicized on both sides of the ball. Most notably, Quentin Harris has stepped in for quarterback Daniel Jones as he nurses a clavicle injury. Starting center Zach Harmon, one of two returning starters on the offensive line, is also banged up and did not appear against Baylor. Harmon’s replacement, Jack Wohlabaugh, filled in brilliantly and was named ACC Offensive Lineman of the Week in his first career start.

“[Wohlabaugh] and I have built a great rapport,” Harris said. “We’ve been going with the [second unit] together, so it has been a seamless transition for us, stepping in for the ones. We have built a great relationship together and seem to always be on the same page.”

Harris also impressed last Saturday in his first start as a Blue Devil. The redshirt junior accounted for 257 total yards, three touchdowns and no turnovers. A reprisal of Harris’ performance in mop-up duty against N.C. Central last season would be welcomed by Duke, as he completed six out of his seven passes for 62 yards, notching a touchdown both through the air and on the ground.

Injuries have struck the Blue Devils’ defense as well, especially in the secondary. Former All-ACC selection Mark Gilbert was ruled out for the remainder of the season following a hip injury sustained in Week 2, and his replacement at cornerback, Michael Carter II, was knocked out of Duke’s game against the Bears.

Yet, the decimated defense remained competent thanks to the team’s “next man up” philosophy. Miles Hudzick slid into Carter II’s spot beautifully, recording nine tackles against Baylor despite entering the contest with just a single career tackle. 

“[Head coach David Cutcliffe] is so proud of how we have battled through all this adversity, starting with Mark’s injury,” Hudzick said. “They’re so proud of how we’ve all stepped up and done our jobs so well. [Defensive backs coach Derek Jones] has been preaching to us that it’s going to take all of us in order to be successful. Injuries happen every day, so we all have to be ready to step up.”

In a likely blowout, the Blue Devils will be able to showcase their depth, though this time it should be more of a choice rather than a necessity for Cutcliffe. 

Following the matchup against N.C. Central, Duke will stay in Durham to host No. 13 Virginia Tech Sept. 29 at 7 p.m.

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