Game synopsis: After scoring a touchdown on its opening drive, Duke seemed ready to dominate the Tigers and leave Memphis with an easy victory. But offensive miscues throughout the first half prevented the Blue Devils from scoring again, and the Tigers returned an interception for a touchdown to tie the game at 7-7. Even worse, starting quarterback Anthony Boone went down midway through the second quarter with a broken collarbone and would not return for the rest of the game, allowing backup Brandon Connette to lead Duke to victory thanks to two fourth quarter touchdown drives. Connette would finish the day with 198 yards and two touchdowns through the air. The Blue Devil defense allowed just one touchdown all day, holding Memphis to a paltry 237 yards of total offense.
The quote: "Our motto for the season is just to finish. Whether it's drives, whether it's plays, we want to finish whatever we started," senior cornerback Ross Cockrell said. "We had a shutout last week, we wanted to keep that going. That's something we talked about—we want to be a great defense."
Key stat: After taking over for Boone in the second quarter, Connette completed 67% of his passes.
Milestone alert: Duke's second straight victory marked the first time since 1998 that the Blue Devils started the season 2-0.
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