Duke Rolls In Opener As They Thrash North Carolina Central

David Cutcliffe's 10th season at the helm of Duke started off Saturday on a high note as they thrashed North Carolina Central in the opener in the Bull City Classic at Brooks Field at Wallace Wade Stadium.

Duke redshirt sophomore quarterback Daniel Jones threw for 213 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for a third, while Brittain Brown chipped in 120 yards on the ground to lead the Blue Devils to a 60-7 victory over NC Central in Saturday night football action on Brooks Field at Wallace Wade Stadium. "according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=211665065&DB_OEM_ID=4200

The 60 points are the most by a Duke team since the Blue Devils’ 67 in the season-opening win over Richmond in 1949. Duke moves to 1-0 on 2017, while NC Central falls to 0-1. "according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=211665065&DB_OEM_ID=4200

Jones’ 213 yards pushed his career total to 3,049 yards, making him the 16th quarterback in Duke history to amass over 3,000 yards. "according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=211665065&DB_OEM_ID=4200

Shaun Wilson ran for 59 yards on nine carries and one touchdown and Aaron Young led the receiving corps with five catches for 89 yards and a touchdown. Seven different Blue Devils in all found the end zone. "according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=211665065&DB_OEM_ID=4200

Wilson opened the scoring for the Blue Devils, capping a seven-play 51-yard drive, with a one-yard plunge into the end zone. Wilson accounted for 45 of the yards on the drive, rushing for 41 and making one catch for four more. "according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=211665065&DB_OEM_ID=4200

Bryon Fields Jr added a defensive touchdown five seconds later, intercepting a short NC Central pass and running it back 28 yards untouched to give the Blue Devils the 14-0 lead just 3:39 into the contest. "according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=211665065&DB_OEM_ID=4200

The Blue Devils’ offense and defense continued to fire on all cylinders through the next 11 minutes, with Brown registering his first career touchdown on his second career carry. Defensively, Duke held the Eagles to 42 yards and only one first down in the opening quarter. "according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=211665065&DB_OEM_ID=4200

Jones dashed for his first rushing touchdown of 2017 just 34 seconds into the second period and Young caught a 54-yards strike from Jones to give Duke the commanding 40-0 advantage midway through the frame. "according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=211665065&DB_OEM_ID=4200

NC Central responded one play later with an 81-yard run from Isaiah Totten down the right side and into the end zone to put the Eagles on the board. "according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=211665065&DB_OEM_ID=4200

Redshirt freshman running back  Quentin Harris capped the first-half scoring with a three-yard scamper to send the Blue Devils into the half up 47-7. Overall, Duke amassed 344 yards of offense in the first half with 188 coming on the ground and 156 through the air. "according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=211665065&DB_OEM_ID=4200

Jonathan Loyd and Noah Gray added touchdowns in the second half and the Blue Devil defense held NC Central to just 24 yards of offense in the final 30 minutes en route to the 60-7 victory. "according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=211665065&DB_OEM_ID=4200

Joe Giles -Harris led the defensive charge with eight tackles, including four solo stops. Dylan Singleton and Tre Hornbuckle had six tackles apiece with Hornbuckle adding in a forced fumble. On special teams,  Austin Parker kicked seven extra points and a 32-yard field goal. "according to http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=211665065&DB_OEM_ID=4200

Duke will return to action Saturday when they host North Western. Kick-off is set for 12:00 pm. The game will be televised on ESPNU. "according to http://www.goduke.com/SportSelect.dbml?&DB_OEM_ID=4200&SPID=1843&SPSID=22666