Game Synopsis: After struggling in back-to-back losses to Georgia Tech and Pittsburgh, Brandon Connette proved he was capable of stepping up in Anthony Boone’s absence by commanding another big offensive performance in a 38-31 victory against Troy. Connette accounted for 35 of the 38 points scored and helped the offense jump out to a 28-21 halftime lead. The Trojans tied things up in the third quarter, but Connette answered by leading a 10-play, 75-yard drive capped off by a three-yard touchdown run to give Duke a 35-28 lead. This game was one of the first in which the Blue Devil defense began to hold strong in the fourth quarter. Troy’s three fourth-quarter drives resulted in two punts and an interception by Jeremy Cash on the final play of the game to seal the victory for Duke.
The Quote: “[Brandon Connette] took care of the football, which is his number one job,” Duke head coach David Cutcliffe said. “[He made] good, solid decisions. There’s a lot of decisions made in our run game and he managed that well.”
Key Stats: Duke racked up 514 yards of total offense, marking the second week in a row the Blue Devil offense topped the half-century mark after totaling 532 yards against Pittsburgh. The defense also managed to hold the Trojans to 51 yards in the fourth quarter, something that would be a sign of things to come in the future.
Milestone Alert: Connette combined to rack up 379 total yards on offense and add a career-high five touchdowns—throwing for three and running for two. The two rushing touchdowns—the 22nd and 23rd of his career— gave Connette the all-time Duke record for most career rushing touchdowns by a quarterback.
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