NEW ORLEANS—After a slow start and an early fumble by wide receiver Johnell Barnes, the Blue Devils soon settled down.
Duke leads Tulane 13-0 at halftime at Yulman Stadium after a three-yard touchdown pass from Thomas Sirk to Shaquille Powell and a pair of Ross Martin field goals.
During Duke’s second drive, Sirk completed a 16-yard pass to Barnes. Despite a 14 yard rush by Sirk and a 10 yard rush by Shaun Wilson, Duke’s offense stalled and Martin converted a 32 yard field goal to give Duke a 3-0 lead.
Duke’s defense has showcased the bend-don’t-break style it utilized for much of last year, holding the Green Wave on each of their six third down attempts.
Sirk has shown poise in his first career start, taking the reins from Anthony Boone under center. He has completed 18 of his 25 passes for 167 yards and added 37 yards on the ground. The Glen St. Mary, Fla., native has also used his running ability in broken plays to minimize lost yardage.
Early in the second quarter, a 25-yard punt return by Ryan Smith gave Duke the ball on Tulane’s 39 yard-line—the best field position of the half. Thomas Sirk then led the Blue Devils down the field and Powell capped off the drive with a three-yard touchdown on a shovel pass.
Toward the end of the second quarter, the Blue Devils once again threatened, but only came away with another field goal to end the half up 13-0.
The Blue Devils will have to find a way to finish their drives to secure a win in their season-opener.
Here are some observations from the first half:
- After nursing a leg injury throughout fall camp, Wilson has run for 42 yards on eight carries.
- Freshman wide receiver T.J. Rahming has been impressive in his first career start, catching six passes for 70 yards. He has showed his quickness on the flats and in the middle of the field. Barnes and senior Max McCaffrey have also hauled a combined seven passes for 56 yards.
- Tulane quarterback Tanner Lee has gone after sophomore cornerback Alonzo Saxton II, who is making his first career start with the season-ending injury to Bryon Fields.
- Duke brought backup quarterback Parker Boehme into the game in the red zone early in the second half. After a rush for no gain and an incomplete pass, he left the game.
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