The Blue Devils were not at their best Saturday afternoon, but an opportunistic performance allowed them to capitalize on Tulane's mistakes and cruise to a 47-13 win against the Green Wave and still earn solid marks across the board.
Offense: B+
Pass: Redshirt senior quarterback Anthony Boone connected with seven different teammates on 27 attempts Saturday, but finished with just 15 completions for 181 yards on the day. Boone's favorite target, All-ACC wideout Jamison Crowder, received six of those balls, including one reception for 48 yards. But as has been the case in every game this season Boone struggled at times to hit the mark, including on one overthrown ball that resulted in his first interception of the season. The passing game will have to be more efficient against ACC squads that can handle Duke's offensive line in the trenches and slow down the running game.
Rush: Backup quarterback Thomas Sirk averaged 18.8 yards on five carries to lead the Blue Devils in rushing. Sirk, redshirt senior Josh Snead and freshman standout Shaun Wilson contributing the lion’s share of Duke’s scoring, each running the ball in for a touchdown. Duke finished with another solid performance on the ground, racking up 256 yards led by another strong effort up front.
X’s and O’s: Stunning the Green Wave early with their no-huddle offense, Duke looked to power past Tulane with their fast pace of play. The strategy opened up the lead for Duke, as Tulane struggled to keep up in the first half. With Crowder on the receiving end of more Duke passes Saturday, the Blue Devil offense also looks to be falling back on its most dangerous receiver heading into ACC play. Offensive coordinator Scottie Montgomery has not needed to use any of the tricks he has up his sleeve, but might be dialing up some trickery as early as next week at Miami.
Defense: A-
Pass: The Duke secondary frustrated Tulane quarterback Tanner Lee all afternoon, holding the Green Wave passer to just a 40-percent completion rate and picking off three errant passes on the day. Redshirt freshman running back Joseph Ajeigbe and sophomore cornerback Bryon Fields each recorded an interception for a touchdown, with Ajeibe’s late interception returned for a touchdown on a botched punt capping off a wild the fourth quarter. Five forced turnovers helped Duke put away the game early.
Rush: Sophmore safety Deondre Singleton, senior David Helton and returning All-American safety Jeremy Cash each tallied 11 tackles Saturday. The trio’s effort led a Duke defense that conceded 215 rushing yards, but made key stops, holding the Green Wave to a paltry 5-of-18 conversion rate on third down and a 1-of-6 clip on fourth down. Forcing Tulane punter Peter Picerelli to take the field on seven occasions, the Blue Devils controlled the game with strong defensive play.
X’s & O’s: The Blue Devil pass rush kept Tulane’s freshman quarterback under pressure and forced mistakes. Duke capitalized on those mistakes, turning them into points on the board, which gave the team a significant boost. Impressive performances by younger linebackers Zavier Carmichael and Chris Holmes in support of Cash proved to be key to stopping Tulane and Helton, and junior safety Dwayne Norman and redshirt sophomore DeVon Edwards all recorded sacks against Tulane.
Special Teams: A
Junior Ross Martin sunk a 31-yard field goal and was 6-of-6 on extra points to add nine points to the Duke ledger, extending his perfect record for the 2014 season and breaking the career scoring mark in the process. The Blue Devils corrected for previous weaknesses in return coverage, holding the Green Wave to just 12.8 yards per return. Duke also benefited from two bad snaps on Tulane punting attempts, the first resulting in a safety and the second resulting in Ajeibe’s interception returned for a touchdown. Special teams could set the Blue Devils apart from their ACC foes if they continue executing well.
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