Duke Going For Their Fourth Win Of The Season As They Visit North Carolina

The triangle is made up of three teams and two of them will take on each other Saturday as Duke will travel eight miles down tobacco road as they take the short trip down I-40 to visit their rival North Carolina in late September on the gridiron at Kenan Memorial Stadium as Duke will be going for their fourth win of 2017 while North Carolina will be looking for their second.

Duke is 2.5 favorite over North Carolina. "according to http://scout.com/college/north-carolina/Bolt/UNC-vs-Duke-Spread-Set-107607666

Now in its 105th season of football, Duke opens ACC play on the road against North Carolina on September 23 at 3:30 p.m. ... The game will be broadcast live on ESPNU with Clay Matvick (play-by-play), Kirk Morrison (analyst) & Desmond Purnell (sideline)
• The Blue Devils are 3-0 following last week’s 34-20 victory over Baylor ... The Tar Heels are 1-2 after defeating Old Dominion, 53-23
• Duke owns an all-time record of 499-511-31 in 104-plus seasons
• Saturday’s game will mark the 104th on the gridiron between the two schools, with North Carolina holding a 60-39-4 series advantage ... The series began in 1888 with a 16-0 Duke win ... The Blue Devils won last year’s meeting, 28-27, in Durham ... Duke’s last win in Chapel Hill came in the form of a 27-25 decision in 2013
• This will mark the earliest meeting between the Blue Devils and Tar Heels in series history ... The previous earliest affair was October 10, 1925
• The battle for the Victory Bell began in 1948 with North Carolina earning possession with a 20-0 win ... Head cheerleaders from Duke (Loring Jones) and North Carolina (Norman Spear) decided on the idea, with Jones designing the model and Spear obtaining a bell from an old railroad train ... Red Lewis, Duke’s business manager, agreed to find money in the budget to pay for the bell
• Now in his 10th season as Duke’s head coach, David Cutcliffe is 55-61 with the Blue Devils and 99-90 overall ... Cutcliffe earned ACC Coach of the Year honors in both 2012 & 2013
• Dating back to the 2013 season, the Blue Devils are 31-16 (.660) in their last 47 regular season games
• On November 10, 2016, QB Daniel Jones threw for 240 yards and one TD while rushing for two additional scores as Duke defeated No. 15 North Carolina, 28-27 ... LB Joe Giles Harris  carded 16 tackles as the Blue Devils held the Tar Heels to just six points and 142 total yards after halftime
• With scoring dashes of 50 and 65 yards last week versus Baylor, RB Shaun Wilson pushed his career total of 50+ yard TD runs to six to establish the Duke all-time record ... The previous school standard of four was held by George Clark (1944-47) and Jay Wilkinson (1961-63)
• Under head coach David Cutcliffe, the Blue Devils are 32-5 when allowing 20 points or less
• In the ACC, RBs  Shaun Wilson  (97.7) and Brittain Brown (78.3) rank fifth and sixth, respectively, in rushing yards per game ... Additionally, Brown is tops among rookies
• Duke leads the ACC and ranks second nationally in third-down conversion defense (.118)
• In Week Two against Northwestern, QB Daniel Jones  joined former QB Brandon Connette as the only two players in Duke history to record 300+ passing yards and 100+ rushing yards in a single game "according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=22680&SPID=1843&DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=211668195&DB_OEM_ID=4200

Connette vs. Pitt (2013): 323 & 101
Jones vs. Northwestern (2017): 305 & 108 "according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=22680&SPID=1843&DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=211668195&DB_OEM_ID=4200

3 — Career interception returns for TDs for CB Bryon Fields Jr.  ... The scores came against Tulane (2014), Pittsburgh (2016) and N.C. Central (2017) as Fields joins Wyatt Smith  (1988-91) and John Talley (2003-06) as the only three players in Duke history with three INT returns for TDs
5 — Total passes defended (1 INT & 4 PBUs) by S Jeremy McDuffie against Baylor ... Of the four PBUs, three came on third down snaps
4 — Seasons with 3+ rushing TDs for RB Shaun Wilson, matching the school record previously set by Tom Davis (1941-42-43-44), George Clark (1944-45-46-47) and Jela Duncan (2012-13-15-16)
50-4 — Duke’s record under David Cutcliffe  when leading or tied after three-quarters of action
14.35 — Recorded time for S  Jeremy McDuffie in the 110-meter hurdles to earn all-league honors at the 2017 ACC Track & Field Championship meet ... McDuffie also garnered All-ACC accolades in the triple jump
4 — Career rushing TDs of 50+ yards for RB Shaun Wilson  to rank tied for first in school history along with George Clark (1944-47) & Jay Wilkinson (1961-63)
12 — Fourth quarter & OT wins for the Blue Devils over the past five seasons (games in which Duke was tied or trailing in the fourth period)
14 — Nation’s-best AFCA Academic Achievement Awards earned by Duke
10 — True freshmen to play for the Blue Devils this season, marking the highest total in the David Cutcliffe (9 in 2009)
20 & 10 — Daniel Jones is one of three QBs in Duke history to post 20+ passing TDs and 10+ rushing TDs in a career, joining Leo Hart (23 & 13; 1968-70) and Anthony Boone (38 & 16; 2011-14) ... In 15 career games, Jones has 20 passing TDs and 10 rushing TDs
120 — Rushing yards on 10 attempts for rookie RB Brittain Brown in the season-opener against N.C. Central to become the first Blue Devil since Desmond Scott in 2009 to record 100+ ground yards in a collegiate debut
3,636 — Career all-purpose yards for RB Shaun Wilson, who sits 364 yards shy of becoming the eighth player in Duke history to reach the 4,000-yard plateau
5-6 — Duke’s all-time record in OT games "according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=22680&SPID=1843&DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=211668195&DB_OEM_ID=4200

As for Duke's last game, 

Who would have thought that Duke would be undefeated at this time in September having beaten two good teams in North Western and Baylor? 

David Cutcliffe couldn't have asked for a better birthday present as Duke not only beat Baylor Saturday but improved to 3-0 in 2017 heading into their game with rival North Carolina next week as they travel down tobacco road to Chapel Hill to meet North Carolina on the gridiron. 

 Senior running back Shaun Wilson turned in two touchdown runs of 50 or more yards as the Blue Devils earned a 34-20 Homecoming victory over Baylor Saturday at Brooks Field at Wallace Wade Stadium. Duke heads into ACC play at 3-0, having defeated 21 of its last 27 non-conference opponents. "according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=211667666&DB_OEM_ID=4200

Wilson totaled 176 yards on the ground and another 32 in the air to spearhead the Blue Devils’ offensive attack, while the defensive unit held the Bears to 1-for-12 on third downs and recorded three interceptions on the day. "according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=211667666&DB_OEM_ID=4200

Leading 24-20 at the beginning of the fourth quarter, Duke received a timely pick-six from junior linebacker Ben Humphreys, who tallied his second career interception on the scoring play. The defense forced a three-and-out on Baylor’s next possession and followed that with a Drew Jordan fumble recovery on another failed third-down conversion by the Bears. Austin Parker booted a final 26-yard field goal to seal the game. "according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=211667666&DB_OEM_ID=4200

The visitors put points on the board early, capitalizing on a Duke fumble with a 44-yard touchdown pass from Zach Smith to Denzel Mims for a 7-0 advantage. The Blue Devils responded with a quick scoring drive, capped by a 50-yard Wilson dash to the end zone. The rush was Wilson’s fifth of 50 or more yards for his career, establishing a program record. "according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=211667666&DB_OEM_ID=4200

The game remained tied until redshirt freshman running back Brittain Brown took off on a 34-yard touchdown run that put Duke in front 39 seconds into the second quarter. Despite a Joe Giles-Harris interception later in the frame, the 14-7 score would hold through the end of the half. "according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=211667666&DB_OEM_ID=4200

Duke’s defense opened the third quarter by forcing a turnover on downs, which set up Wilson’s second touchdown run of the game. The senior running back needed just 10 seconds to complete the drive, taking the ball 65 yards down the field. However, the Bears pulled back within a touchdown less than a minute later, when Smith found Chris Platt for 73 yards. That trimmed the Blue Devils’ lead to 21-14 with 11:30 to play in the quarter. "according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=211667666&DB_OEM_ID=4200

Redshirt sophomore quarterback Daniel Jones helped engineer an 11-play, 59-yard drive that resulted in a Parker 45-yard field goal before Baylor countered with Smith’s third touchdown pass of the day. The Bears missed the extra point, making the score 24-20 entering the final quarter. "according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=211667666&DB_OEM_ID=4200

Junior safety Jeremy McDuffie joined Giles-Harris and Humphreys in registering interceptions, with Giles-Harris also carding a team-high 12 tackles in the win. "according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=211667666&DB_OEM_ID=4200

Jones went 20-for-35 for the contest with 193 yards, while the offense as a whole finished with 439 yards. "according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=211667666&DB_OEM_ID=4200

As for North Carolina's last game, they finally got in the win column in 2017 as they routed Old Dominion.

Chazz Surratt gave North Carolina exactly what it needed — a solid, mistake-free performance that allowed the Tar Heels to take control early and end a season-opening two-game losing streak. "according to http://goheels.com/news/2017/9/16/football-tar-heels-dominate-odu-53-23.aspx

Surratt ran for two touchdowns and threw for one as the Tar Heels dominated Old Dominion 53-23 Saturday. "according to http://goheels.com/news/2017/9/16/football-tar-heels-dominate-odu-53-23.aspx

"I thought he made some good decisions, didn't put the ball in harm's way, which was important," coach Larry Feodora said after the redshirt freshman completed 16 of 24 passes for 257 yards. "according to http://goheels.com/news/2017/9/16/football-tar-heels-dominate-odu-53-23.aspx

The game wasn't quite the 80-20 victory the Tar Heels (1-2) handed the Monarchs four years ago but seemed to have the potential for that as North Carolina took a 39-7 lead at halftime. The Monarchs' only points came on a 100-yard kickoff return by Isaiah Harper. "according to http://goheels.com/news/2017/9/16/football-tar-heels-dominate-odu-53-23.aspx

North Carolina, meanwhile, scored three touchdowns, each on a drive lasting under 2 minutes, in a span of 4:12 in the second quarter. After losses to California and No. 14 Louisville to open the season, both with poor defensive efforts, the victory was critical. "according to http://goheels.com/news/2017/9/16/football-tar-heels-dominate-odu-53-23.aspx

"I think winning eases a lot of things," Fedora said. "It was important to get this win and the alternative is not very good." "according to http://goheels.com/news/2017/9/16/football-tar-heels-dominate-odu-53-23.aspx

With students streaming for the exits before halftime, Old Dominion (2-1) turned to 17-year-old freshman Steven Williams Jr., at quarterback. The left-hander used a 19-yard run to set the Monarchs up at the UNC 5 but fumbled the ball away two plays later. "according to http://goheels.com/news/2017/9/16/football-tar-heels-dominate-odu-53-23.aspx

In the second half, with Williams behind center, two pass interference calls against North Carolina aided a drive to Nick Rice's 48-yard field goal. Williams later hit Travis Fulgham for a 71-yard touchdown and Hasaan Patterson for an 18-yard score. "according to http://goheels.com/news/2017/9/16/football-tar-heels-dominate-odu-53-23.aspx

"We did not play well which was why we made the move to go to a true freshman," coach Bobby Wilder said, adding that Williams provided the spark — and the production — Old Dominion's struggling offense had been looking for in its first two games. "according to http://goheels.com/news/2017/9/16/football-tar-heels-dominate-odu-53-23.aspx

He will be the starter going forward, Wilder said.
Jordan Brown ran for 125 yards and he and  Michael Carter each ran for two touchdowns. "according to http://goheels.com/news/2017/9/16/football-tar-heels-dominate-odu-53-23.aspx


SURRATT'S JOB?
Surratt left last week's loss to Louisville with an injury at halftime, and LSU transfer Brandon Harris played well in a relief role.
Surratt showed no signs of being hurt against Old Dominion, but Fedora wasn't ready to declare him the starter going forward.
"I don't know. We have to go back and look at the video and see what he did," he said. "according to http://goheels.com/news/2017/9/16/football-tar-heels-dominate-odu-53-23.aspx


THE TAKEAWAY
North Carolina: The Tar Heels looked bad, especially defensively, in their first two games, but the second game against the most dynamic player in the college game, Louisville's Lamar Jackson. They were much better against weaker competition, which could be a sign of improvements to come, and seem to have a very dynamic and accurate dual-threat quarterback in Surratt, a redshirt freshman. "according to http://goheels.com/news/2017/9/16/football-tar-heels-dominate-odu-53-23.aspx

Old Dominion: Coach Bobby Wilder said this week he thinks his team has closed the size gap somewhat on the line when compared to FBS-level teams, but the gap is still sizeable, and the speed difference only gets exaggerated by the size deficiency across both front lines and at the skill positions. "according to http://goheels.com/news/2017/9/16/football-tar-heels-dominate-odu-53-23.aspx

Will the victory bell remain in Durham or return to Chapel Hill? Will Duke improve to 4-0 on the season or will North Carolina get their second win of the season and improve to 2-2 on the season? 

Kick-off is set for 3:30 pm. The game will be televised on ESPNU. "according to http://goheels.com/schedule.aspx?path=football