The bell of the Blue Zone stock exchange has just rung again, meaning it's time for our third Stock Watch of the season taking a look at who is rising and falling with their performances for Blue Devil sports teams. Each week The Blue Zone will look at whose stock is on the rise and whose stock has taken a hit from the week in the world of Duke athletics.
Bull Market—Trending Up
- Shaun Wilson: Although he didn't have another 200-plus yard rushing game and coughed up the ball for the first time in his young career, Wilson continues to trend up after a solid seven-carry, 70-yard performance. The true freshman is tied for 21st in the nation with 404 yards on just 28 rushes, averaging 14.4 yards per carry. Wilson has provided the Blue Devil offense with a fresh change of pace to veteran backs Shaquille Powell and Josh Snead, and that should continue this weekend in a South Beach showdown with Miami.
- Duke men's soccer: A thrilling 2-1 victory against top-ranked North Carolina has head coach John Kerr's squad trending up this week after an average start to the season. After trailing 1-0 in the first half, senior captain Sean Davis led the team to two second half goals with a beautiful free kick and an assist on freshman Cameron Moseley's game-winner. Can the victory turn around the season and push Duke into the NCAA Tournament?
- Duke football defense: After the first four games of the season against subpar competition, the Blue Devils are the nation's seventh-best defense in terms of points allowed, only surrendering 11.5 points per game thus far. Saturday against Tulane, the Duke defense registered four interceptions, notched a handful of sacks and stopped the Green Wave twice on fourth down. Although the defense has been far from perfect, it still has exhibited the "bend, don't break" mentality that led it to the ACC Championship Game last season. Against All-ACC running back Duke Johnson this week, if the unit doesn't continue trending in the right direction, the Blue Devils could be handed their first loss of the season
- Thomas Sirk: The backup and ocasionally wildcat quarterback has done nothing but exceed expectations this year, rushing for 173 yards and three touchdowns, and throwing this Tim Tebow-like jump pass to David Reeves two weeks ago at Troy. Against Tulane, Sirk had a breakout game on the ground, rushing for 94 yards on just five carries. Look for Sirk to continue to get touches, especially close to the goal line. The redshirt sophomore has made fans forget all about the absence of Brandon Connette so far.
Bear Market—Trending Down
- Tulane special teams: The Green Wave special teams unit is just downright bad and the unit's poor performance was on display during Saturday's contest. First, it gave the Blue Devils two free points on a safety when the ball was snapped over punter Peter Picerelli's head. Later in the game, in one of the most bizarre plays this season, Picerelli fumbled a high snap and fellow special teamer Rae Juan Marbley recovered, only to helplessly throw the ball into the hands of reserve Duke running back Joseph Ajeigbe, who scored his first career touchdown after snagging the errant pass and taking it to the house.
- ACC Coastal: The Coastal Division continues to trend down after Pittsburgh, Virginia Tech, Miami, Virginia and North Carolina all lost this weekend. Duke and Georgia Tech remain undefeated and have taken care of business this season, albeit against weaker opponents. Still, the Coastal remains the weaker half of the ACC and remains wide open for any team in the division to claim a spot in the ACC title game.
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