Extra Point: Duke football vs. Tulane

The Blue Devils used five turnovers and a host of other Green Wave miscues to dominate 47-13 in their final nonconference game of the season Saturday afternoon at Wallace Wade Stadium.

Revisiting the three keys to the game:

• Don’t rely too much on the big play: Tulane boasts a strong secondary with Preseason All-AAC First Team cornerback Lorenzo Doss and Second Team safeties Darion Monroe and Sam Scofield, so the Blue Devils knew that they would have to defer to the ground game more against Tulane. They did just that. Anthony Boone, Josh Snead, Thomas Sirk, and Sean Wilson all scored rushing touchdowns from within the ten yard line for Duke, which racked up 256 yards on the ground.. The Blue Devils also moved the chains steadily, converting seven of their 13 third-down attempts.
• Come back to Crowder: Jamison Crowder, arguably the Blue Devils’ biggest offensive threat, had trouble matching the stats he put up against Elon and Troy last week against Kansas. He recorded only two receptions for 14 yards. Against Tulane, however, it was a different story. Crowder had six receptions for 119 yards. The Monroe, N.C., native played like the playmaker he is and showed that the Kansas game was just an aberration.
• Continued growth from young linebackers: Duke’s young linebackers stepped up against Tulane. True freshman Zavier Carmichael recorded an interception and five tackles on the day, while redshirt freshman Chris Holmes had six tackles on the day. Although, the young linebackers performed well individually, the entire defensive unit collectively could have been better, as it let up 231 yards on the ground to the Green Wave. Against one of the top backs in the nation next week in Miami's Duke Johnson, the Blue Devil defense will have to generate more of a push up front.

  
  

Three Key Plays:

• On the opening drive, the Blue Devils faced a third and inches situation. Head coach David Cutcliffe opted for his favorite short yardage personnel package with the 6-foot-5 Sirk at quarterback instead of Boone. What is typically a routine quarterback dive play for a yard or two was broken off by Sirk for a 43-yard gain into the Tulane red zone. Sirk then capped off the drive with a one-yard touchdown rush on the same play for a quick score to get his team off to a solid start.
• David Helton’s crushing hit on Tulane quarterback Tanner Lee resulted in a seven-yard sack and a fourth down for the Green Wave. The Duke linebacker put the Green Wave special teams unit in an inauspicious fourth-and-20 situation that resulted in a botched snap by Tulane’s long snapper and a safety for the Blue Devils, putting them ahead 16-7 late in the first quarter.
• Tight end David Reeves' forced fumble on a 45-yard punt by Will Monday in the third quarter was yet another example of Duke’s special teams dominance. The recovered fumble gave Duke ideal field position and an opportunity to extend their lead, which they capitalized on with a Wilson touchdown run to make the score 33-13.

Three Key Stats:

• Six rushers contribute to another monster effort on the ground: The Blue Devils proved that they could spread the ball around on the ground with six rushers contributing to their total of 256 yards against Tulane. Duke’s ability to limit the hits taken by the team’s premier backs, as well as their depth at the position, will prove valuable as ACC-play starts up next week.
• 49.5 yards average punt: Monday showed why he was an All-ACC performer last year and named to the preseason watch list for the Ray Guy Award with a booming average punt distance of nearly 50 yards. His longest punt of the day was 65 yards.
• 160 passing yards allowed: Duke’s veteran secondary limited Tulane’s freshman quarterback to his lowest passing yards total this season, while also managing four interceptions. However, it is yet to be seen how Duke matches up against the more experienced quarterbacks of the ACC. Nonetheless, a performance like this is a testament to Duke’s ability to defend the pass and athleticism in the secondary.

The Duke game ball goes too… Ross Martin

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