The Blue Devils won their fourth game this season, blowing out visiting Navy 35-7. Duke redshirt junior quarterback Anthony Boone returned from a Sept. 7 collarbone injury to replace an injured Brandon Connette and throw for 295 yards and three touchdowns. After the Midshipmen tied the game 7-7, the Blue Devils took control of the game and scored 28 unanswered points, inching closer to bowl eligibility.
Revisiting the three keys to the game:
Treat The Game As A Must-Win: There were not many scenarios in which Duke would get to a bowl game without a victory against the Midshipmen. On both sides of the ball, Blue Devil players played serious and clean football. Duke overcame some early penalties, including one on the opening kickoff, and made big plays. There was no time to get acclimated to the game for quarterback Anthony Boone, who led the offense, throwing for three touchdowns through the air. The Blue Devil defense looked much better against the triple option, only giving up 319 yards of total offense compared to 469 last month against Georgia Tech. The defense also forced three turnovers which swung the momentum Duke’s way.
Devote All Attention To Stopping The Run: Utilizing the triple-option, there was no doubt that Navy was going to run the ball into the heart of the Blue Devil defense. Although Midshipmen had success running the ball early in the game, the Duke defensive unit had greater success stopping the Navy offense in the second half, holding the Midshipmen to only 73 yards of offense. Overall, the defense continues to show improvement, holding the nation’s eighth ranked rushing attack to only 230 yards on the ground.
Get Out To An Early Lead: Although the game remained scoreless until the second quarter, two Anthony Boone touchdown passes gave the Blue Devils 7-0 and 14-7 leads in the first half. Duke prevented Navy from tying the game at 14 when the defense forced Navy sophomore quarterback Keenan Reynolds to fumble the ball deep inside Duke territory at the end of the first half. From there, the Blue Devils never looked back, scoring 21 unanswered points in the second half.
Three Key Plays
- After catching everyone off guard and starting at quarterback for Duke, Boone drops back with 9:35 to play in the second quarter and lobs the ball over the middle to redshirt junior wide receiver Isaac Blakeney, who makes the catch for a 27-yard touchdown. This touchdown pass was Boone’s first of the season and the seventh of his career.
- With the Blue Devils leading 14-7 late in the second quarter, redshirt senior defensive end Kenny Anunike sacks Reynolds, who fumbles the ball behind the line of scrimmage. Duke linebacker Kelby Brown recovers the fumble and prevents the Midshipmen from tying the game before halftime.
- Leading 28-7 early in the fourth quarter, Boone hands the ball off to sophomore running back Shaquille Powell who runs to his left and finds the endzone from seven yards out for his first touchdown as a Blue Devil. This score give Duke a comfortable 28-point lead.
Three key stats:
- The Blue Devils win the turnover battle 3-0. Going up against a powerful Navy offense, Duke knew that it would have to win the turnover battle to gain the edge. The first turnover came at crucial time, when Anunike forced Reynolds to fumble inside the Blue Devil 10-yard line. In the second half, Duke would stall two Midshipmen drives, as redshirt sophomore safety Jeremy Cash recorded his second interception of the season and defensive tackle Carlos Wray scooped up a fumble late in the fourth quarter. Offensively, the Blue Devils took care of the football, with the lone scare coming in the second quarter when junior wide receiver Jamison Crowder was stripped of the ball, but center Matt Skura recovered it.
- Duke holds Navy to 319 yards of total offense. Coming into the game, there were major questions surrounding the Blue Devil defense, which was allowing more than 450 yards of total offense per game and 28 points per game through its first five games. But the defensive unit shook off its prior performances and held the Midshipmen to just seven points and only 73 second half yards.
- Duke’s time of possession is 34:49. The Blue Devils had not dominated the time of possession since their September 7 game at Memphis, but reversed the tide and kept the ball away from the powerful Navy offense. This also kept the Duke defense off of the field, allowing them to catch a breather while the offense consistently drove down the field.
And the Duke game ball goes to… Anthony Boone
Welcome back Anthony Boone. No one was expecting Boone to come out and throw 38 passes for the Blue Devils, but he stepped in after quarterback Brandon Connette, who had started the last three games, injured his ankle in practice. Boone shook off some early rust to complete 31-of-38 passes for 295 yards and three touchdowns. Boone’s near perfect play was a major reason why Duke cruised to its fourth victory of the season.
And the Navy game ball goes to… Cody Peterson
The Midshipmen defense had trouble stopping the Blue Devil offense, but the senior linebacker from Olympia, Washington did all he could, recording 12 tackles, including a sack on Boone in the first half. Peterson’s performance stuck out on a day when the Navy defense gave up 435 yards of total offense.
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