Duke Blue Devils: Rocked By Hurricanes
After starting the season 4-0, Duke fell to No. 14 Miami Friday night as the Hurricanes held the Blue Devils scoreless in the second half.
Duke (4-1, 1-1 ACC) opened its conference schedule by taking the Victory Bell with a road win over UNC. However, the Blue Devils followed that victory with a home loss to Miami (3-0, 1-0 ACC) Friday at Wallace Wade Stadium, 31-6.
The Hurricanes took an early advantage with touchdowns on their first two drives while Duke’s opening drive resulted in a turnover on downs. Austin Parker kicked a 27-yard field goal following Miami’s second score and 36-yarder toward the end of the first half, but those were the only scoring opportunities David Cutcliffe‘s squad could capitalize on.
Daniel Jones finished Friday’s contest with 21 completions on 41 attempts for 166 yards and one interception. Jones also carried the ball 18 times for 31 yards and fumbled once. Johnathan Lloyd was the Devils’ leading receiver with nine catches of Jones’ passes for 82 yards.
Miami’s Malik Rosier threw two touchdowns on 15-of-26 passing for 270 yards and rushed for a touchdown. Ahmmon Richards caught three passes for 106 yards, one of which was a 49-yard strike for six points early in the fourth quarter.
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The Hurricanes also managed to turn Duke’s two turnovers into points on the other end. After ending the Devils’ first drive with a fourth-down sack on Miami’s 24-yard line, the Canes drove down the field on five plays to score on a 27-yard touchdown pass from Rosier to Braxton Berrios.
With less than seven minutes remaining in the first half, Miami forced another Duke turnover, this time on a Michael Pinckney interception. The Hurricanes took over on the Blue Devils’ 40 before kicking a 20-yard field goal.
The final nail in the coffin came when Pat Bethel sacked and stripped Jones, giving Miami the ball on Duke’s 40-yard line. The next play, Travis Homer got the carry for the Canes and took it to the end zone.
Duke will next travel to Charlottesville, Va. as the Blue Devils will take on Virginia Saturday, Oct. 7. Kickoff is slated for 12:20 p.m. from Scott Stadium.