Duke Eyes 3-0 Start With Aggies Looming

The 2-0 Duke Blue Devils will play at home this weekend in front of a sold out crowd Saturday night when they host the North Carolina A&T Aggies (0-2) out of Greensboro, NC. The game will be broadcast on the ACC Network starting at 6 PM.

Coach Mike Elko gave high praises of the Aggies and welcomes the oppotunity for his ball club to rise to the occasion. ” Coach Sam Washington has done a really good job with that program in the last few years,” Elko said. “I’ve got a lot of respect for what we see on film.”

Aggie Tendencies

• NC A&T stacks the box 6-7 players to stop the run.

• Speed on the outside – playing 4-6 backers.

• They run a West Coast offense – spreading you out.

Triple Threat

Duke receivers Eli Pancol, Jalon Calhoun and Jordan Moore will present problems for the Aggies with their ability to stretch the defense with their speed and produce yards after the catch. Jordan Moore has been utilized in the backfield and at wideout this season, so expect mix coverages from Coach Washington to match speed with speed. Eli and Jalon became the first duo since 2015 to both top 100 yards in a single game. The Duke offense ranks fourth in the ACC in total yards per game (480.5).

Key to the Game

Starting fast this week is a focal point for the Blue Devils, but applying pressure every offensive possession is key. Against Northwestern, Duke was able to capitalize on their first three offensive drives of the game. Key defensive stops, including a game sealing forced fumble in the fourth quarter, helped Duke prevail despite the miscues, three-and-outs, and missed field goals that almost cost Duke a 21 point lead.

Game Notes:

• Junior defensive back Jaylen Stinson earned ACC Player of the Week honors following Duke’s 31-23 win over Northwestern. Stinson was tabbed the conference’s defensive back of the week after he logged 11 tackles, forced one fumble and broke up one pass. With 12 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, he jarred the ball loose from Northwestern running back Evan Hull who was less than a yard from the goal line. The ball was recovered by Duke’s Brandon Johnson in the end zone to seal the Blue Devils’ victory.

• The Blue Devils currently rank fourth in the ACC with 480.5 total yards of offense per game. Duke put up 500 yards against Temple in its opener and then recorded 461 against Northwestern. The Blue Devils also find themselves fourth in rushing (196.50) and passing (284.00) offense in the conference.

• After finishing the 2021 season last in the ACC in turnover margin, the Blue Devils are tied for first in the league and tied for fifth nationally in the category with +2.50 turnovers per game. Duke leads the conference and is tied for third in the country with five fumble recoveries.

• 2022 marks the first season in which Duke, North Carolina, NC State and Wake Forest have all started 2-0. 1892 was the first year in which they all fielded a team.

• The Blue Devils have yet to trail in a contest to start the 2022 season. The last time Duke won eight consecutive quarters was when it begin the 2017 season. he Blue Devils were in front during their opening eight quarters before tying Baylor 7-7 in the first frame of a contest on Sept. 16.

• In non-conference regular season games held at Brooks Field at Wallace Wade Stadium, Duke is 20-3 (.870) in its last 10 seasons. The Blue Devils’ last out-of-conference regular season loss at home came against No. 15 Notre Dame in 2019. Prior to that the last time Duke dropped a non-conference game at home was in 2015 in a contest with No. 23 Northwestern.

• The Blue Devils returned three of its top four rushers from a year ago, including quarterback Jordan Moore, who ran for 221 yards on 44 attempts (5.0) with three touchdowns. After two games in 2022, Duke is fourth in the conference in rushing offense with a mark of 196.5 yards per game. Leading the charge are redshirt juniors Jaylen Coleman and Jordan Waters. Coleman has compiled 126 yards on 19 attempts with two scores, while Waters has recorded 123 yards on 15 carries with two touchdowns.

• During Duke’s last outing at Northwestern, Waters found paydirt twice for his first career multi-score game. He finished the contest with a career-high 91 yards on 10 carries, including Duke’s longest rush of the year, a 42-yard touchdown run. Coleman had 11 carries for a career-high 83 yards, including a 16-yard rushing score. Both players are averaging over 6.5 yards per rush with Waters at 8.2 and Coleman 6.6.