Third and goal: Duke looks to stand tall against the imposing Tide

Coming off a successful 2018 season that included a victory in the Independence Bowl, the Blue Devils begin another campaign on Saturday with a trip to Atlanta in a matchup with No. 2 Alabama. Quentin Harris will be making his first appearance as QB1 after starting two games last year, and the new look offense will have a tough first test against the Crimson Tide. The Blue Zone gives you three keys to the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game:

Don't Roll Over

It would be easy for the Blue Devils to take the field and let Alabama do what seems like the inevitable, but that's not why David Cutcliffe scheduled this game. Duke could play a perfect contest and still may lose on Saturday, but the primetime slot against the most accomplished college football program of all-time is the perfect way to show the country what the Blue Devil program is about. A hard fought game could set the tone for a great season, but letting the Tide turn into a tsunami could also set a poor tone that carries into future games.

Attack Between the Tackles

On Wednesday, Alabama announced that star linebacker Dylan Moses would be sidelined for the year after suffering a torn ACL. Nick Saban will likely turn to true freshman Shane Lee to replace the 2018 All-American. Although the Crimson Tide's linebacking corps is still undoubtedly stacked with talent, Duke can use their skilled rushing duo of Deon Jackson and Brittain Brown to gain solid yards on early downs against Alabama's inexperienced unit. Furthermore, the Blue Devils have a lot more experience on the interior of their offensive line with two freshmen starting at offensive tackle, so look for Cutcliffe to utilize the power back Brown in both early down and short yardage situations.

Double Jerry Jeudy

For as much praise as the Duke secondary has been getting recently, they will certainly get a huge test when facing off against Jeudy, who won the Biletnikoff Award last season as the best wide receiver in the country. The consensus All-American is a dangerous deep threat, averaging over 18 yards per catch in each of his first two years. With Michael Carter II moving back to safety after a successful 2018 campaign at cornerback, the Blue Devils should utilize his skillset and make Jeudy's day as difficult as possible with a double-team. The Alabama wideout will still get his catches, but Duke should come in with the mindset that someone else needs to beat them.