Duke Football: Two Blue Devils named ACC Players of the Week

The Duke football team is 2-0 and an impressive win over Northwestern was due in part to these two players who were named ACC Players of the Week.

The Duke football team remained undefeated this season with a statement win on the road over the Northwestern Wildcats by a final score of 21-7. There win was due in large part to quarterback Daniel Jones and linebacker Ben Humphreys, both of whom were named as ACC Players of the Week.

Jones had arguably one of his most efficient performances of his collegiate career by completing 16 of 22 passes for 192 yards and three touchdowns. He completed all of his touchdowns in the second half as the Blue Devils were able to take the lead and extend it to the final score.

"QUARTERBACK – Daniel Jones, Duke, Jr., Charlotte, N.C.Jones completed 16 of 22 passes for 192 yards and three touchdowns before leaving Saturday’s 21-7 win at Northwestern due to injury late in the third quarter • Jones posted a pass efficiency rating of 191.04 with second-quarter touchdown passes of 7, 9 and 52 yards • He became the fourth quarterback in Duke history to throw three or more touchdown passes in a quarter."

However, it wasn’t all good news for Jones as he suffered an injury to his collarbone that required surgery over the weekend. The starting quarterback would be miss at least the rest of September, according to Steve Wiseman of the News & Observer.

The Duke football team also had a stellar individual performance on the defensive side of the ball as linebacker Ben Humphreys led the team with 15 tackles and was named the ACC Player of the Week at linebacker. He also had six solo tackles in the Blue Devils first game against Army.

"LINEBACKER – Ben Humphreys, Duke, Sr., LB, Newport Beach, Calif.Humphreys logged a game-high 15 tackles in a 21-7 road win at Northwestern • Humphreys had five tackles for no gain and one for a loss of three yards • He was credited with tackles on two third-down stops as the Blue Devils held Northwestern scoreless for the final 54:50 and snapped the Wildcats’ winning streak at nine games (longest active streak among Power 5 teams entering the contest)."

The senior linebacker, alongside Joe Giles-Harris, combine to form one of the best linebacker duos in the country. This has become one of the strengths of this defense and the pressure will be on them to continue to lead by example.

In addition to Jones, the Blue Devils also lost star cornerback Mark Gilbert to an injury. However, his outlook isn’t as good as he is expected to miss the remainder of the the season.

The Duke football team will hit the road once again to face the Baylor Bears on Saturday.