David Cutcliffe will kick off his third season at Duke with a Sept. 4 home game against in-state FCS squad Elon, the school announced yesterday. The Phoenix finished last year with 9-3 and in the FCS Top 10, where it was joined by Richmond, the FCS team that spoiled the Blue Devils' 2009 opener in Wallace Wade Stadium. Elon head coach Pete Lembo called his team's 2010 slate "the most challenging schedule" he had put together, pinpointing the matchup with Duke as the highlight of the schedule.
As ACC Now noted, Cutcliffe has started every Duke season with an FCS opponent. In his first game at Duke, he led the Blue Devils to a resounding 31-7 win over James Madison before dropping last year's opener against Richmond, 24-16.
Although Duke has not officially released its schedule yet, it will also feature non-conference games against Army, Navy and defending BCS champion Alabama, which comes to Wallace Wade Stadium with the reigning Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram Sept. 18. That seems distant, especially in the middle of basketball season, but for Alabama fans, there is no offseason. Tickets are already up for auction.
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