Game Synopsis: Playing in front of the home crowd on Senior Day at Wallace Wade Stadium, Duke sent its seniors out in style with a 48-30 victory against then-No. 24 Miami. Using their two quarterbacks interchangeably throughout the contest, the combination of Anthony Boone and Brandon Connette proved too potent for the Hurricanes to handle. Connette accounted for five touchdowns—one through the air and four on the ground—as Duke racked up 358 rushing yards, the team's most in a decade. Miami took a 30-28 lead late in the third quarter, but the Blue Devil defense pitched a shutout in the fourth as Duke surged past the Hurricanes to control its own destiny in the Coastal Division race.
The Quote: "At the beginning of the season, when we got to Greensboro, one of the reporters asked me what my goals were and I said, 'To go to the ACC Championship,'" redshirt senior cornerback Ross Cockrell said. "At the beginning of the season we were picked last.... We continued to play hard and believe in the process, and now we're in a position where we can go out there and control our destiny."
Key Stats: Duke averaged 6.9 yards per rush and ran the ball 52 times, compared to just 24 pass attempts. Despite their dominant effort, the Blue Devils were still outgained by Miami 565-543.
Milestone Alert: Following this win, Duke was ranked at No. 25 in the AP Poll for the first time since the 1994 season. It was also the first time since 1971 that the Blue Devils had defeated two ranked opponents in the same season. Brandon Connette also scored the 29th rushing touchdown of his career, setting Duke's program record.
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