WACO, Texas—Losing a starting quarterback to injury is never easy to overcome. That’s why a dominant 21-7 victory last week at Northwestern felt like a loss.
Yet just a week after third-year starter Daniel Jones was sidelined indefinitely due to a broken clavicle, the feeling around the Blue Devils has taken a 180-degree turn thanks to a strong offensive performance from Duke and its new leader under center, Quentin Harris.
Harris put together an eye-opening game Saturday, continuing the Blue Devils’ recent explosion downfield with touchdown passes of 66, 28 and seven yards en route to 174 yards in the air. He also showcased his potential as a dual-threat option, gaining 83 yards on the ground including a crucial 28-yard rush on a third-and-long in the third quarter, which helped the Blue Devils extend their advantage after Baylor had cut the lead to just 10 with a blocked punt return touchdown the previous possession.
“We really wanted to answer that after they scored on the blocked punt,” Harris said. “I was just telling the guys on the sideline that we built up a cushion for a reason. Now we’ve got to go execute, got to score again and increase the lead…. I thought that came at a really big time for us and it helped stretch the lead and stretch the game in our favor.”
Harris clearly felt comfortable leading the Blue Devils Saturday, and much of that was due to Duke’s practice structure. Head coach David Cutcliffe often stresses the need to dig deep into the depth chart, and preparation with the first team throughout the summer and early fall allowed for a seamless transition.
The transition was also aided by a substitution on the offensive line, as Ohio State transfer Jack Wohlabaugh earned his first career start Saturday at center. Wohlabaugh and Harris have worked together on the second team throughout practices developing chemistry and have grown close.
Wohlabaugh was not surprised by Harris’ ability to drive the offense and carry Duke to a tough road victory.
“Quentin has always handled himself like a starter, so when his number was called there was really no surprise as to how he would handle it. We all knew that,” Wohlabaugh said. “We really know each other, we correct each others’ wrongs. So, we work together really well.”
Harris also struggled at times under center Saturday. The redshirt junior completed just 40 percent of his pass attempts and had a stretch of seven consecutive incompletions in the first quarter. Most of those attempts were not close, sailing either high or wide and far out of the receivers’ reach.
Although part of this was due to Baylor's pass rush, Harris feels that his accuracy will grow with time and practice prior to next week’s matchup against crosstown rival N.C. Central.
“I had a couple balls I probably could have been more accurate on,” Harris said. “I kind of want to get the completion percentage up, but at the end of the day it’s a team game and my individual stats don’t matter. As long as we come out on top, I’m happy as can be. I think it says a lot about the team effort we put together to come back after we saw some adversity in this game.”
Harris’ performance is the latest example of the Blue Devils’ ‘next man up’ mentality which showed this week. Following injuries to Jones and star cornerback Mark Gilbert against Northwestern, the Blue Devils have filled in admirably to pick each other up.
Harris said he always prepares like he is going to start so that if his number is called in the middle of the game, like it was against the Wildcats, the transition onto the field is smooth.
“I’ve got to prepare each week like I’m going to be the starter...Daniel went down and I had to step in there and trust my preparation," Harris said. "So nothing really changed for me [this week] on a day-to-day or week-to-week basis, but I’m just really proud of the team effort we put together."
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Digital Strategy Director for Vol. 115, Michael was previously Sports Editor for Vol. 114 and Assistant Blue Zone Editor for Vol. 113. Michael is a senior majoring in Statistical Science and is interested in data analytics and using data to make insights.