Extra Point: Duke football vs. N.C. Central

Duke continued its promising season start to the season Saturday night with a crushing 55-0 victory in the Bull City Classic against N.C. Central. Thomas Sirk had yet another strong game for the Blue Devils and paced a balanced offensive attack that hit its stride in the second quarter. Defensively, Duke shutout the Eagles and made moving the ball downfield difficult all night. The strong performance on both sides of the ball have to make head coach David Cutcliffe pleased heading into next week's contest against Northwestern.

Revisiting the three keys to the game:

• The emergence of a deep threat

Thomas Sirk didn’t face much opposition in the passing game and consistently connected on short passes to his receivers. That being said, the quarterback also made an effort to connect on deep balls  throughout the game and the results were mixed. After throwing a near-interception in the first quarter,  the Glen St. Mary, Fla., native hit wide receiver T.J. Rahming for a big completion of 59 yards in the second quarter. In the early going, Rahming has appeared to be the wideout most capable of using his speed and ability to separate to make game-breaking plays in the passing game. 

• Continued strong play from the defensive front 

The Blue Devils displayed more of the intensity and tenacity they showed in the season opener against Tulane Saturday. Facing N.C. Central’s potentially dangerous stable of running backs, Duke held the Eagles to only 54 yards rushing on 27 carries and prevented their opponents from getting into manageable third-down situations. The Blue Devils defensive front also recorded two sacks in the contest and never gave N.C. Central quarterback Malcolm Bell a clean pocket to throw from. 

• Don’t overlook N.C. Central’s special teams

Duke was definitely well-prepared for the Eagles’ special teams unit. Punt returner Mike Jones was surrounded with blue helmets all night and lost one yard in his only punt return of the night. Jones was also held to just 39 yards in his two kick return attempts combined, which prevented N.C. Central from ever getting solid field position. Moreover, the Blue Devils’ defense made it tough for the Eagles to establish any promising field goal position and forced the team into eight three-and-outs. 

• Sirk records a 68.2-percent completion rate 

Although Sirk was not as trigger-happy as he was against Tulane and attempted only 22 passes on the night, the quarterback convert 15 of those 22 attempts and showed impressive accuracy in the short passing game for the second consecutive contest. 

• Duke finishes with a 29-9 edge in first downs 

The Blue Devils huge edge in the first down category has much to due with their tremendous offensive efficiency and solid defensive performance. On offense, Duke shredded the N.C. Central defense to the tune of 655 yards in total and scored on three consecutive drives to end the first half and put the game out of reach. Meanwhile, the Blue Devil defense held the Eagles to just 1-of-14 on third down and helped stall N.C. Central's drives before they progressed downfield.

Three key plays:

• 5:34, first quarter: On fourth-and-one, N.C. Central commits an ill-advised offsides penalty that not only costs them possession, but also continues a drive that ended with a 24-yard touchdown pass from Sirk to Shaquille Powell to give the Blue Devils a 7-0 lead. 
• 13:33, second quarter: Sirk decides to take matters into his own hand, picking up 23 yards on a designed quarterback run to put the Blue Devils in Eagles territory. 
• 2:43, third quarter: With the game well out of reach, Sirk delivers a short pass to running back Shaun Wilson near the line of scrimmage. Wilson would do the rest, making defenders miss on his  89-yard scamper to the end zone to give Duke a commanding 41-0 lead. 

And the Duke game ball goes to…Thomas Sirk

After a stellar performance in the first game against Tulane, the Glen St. Mary, Fla., native stayed hot in a dominant home victory against N.C. Central. Sirk stuffed the stat sheet, going 15-of-22 for 315 yards and three touchdowns. For the second consecutive contest, Sirk did not thrown an interception which is a positive sign for a first-year starter. The quarterback also showcased his ability to serve as a dual threat and finished with 86 yards rushing on the night—including a 6-yard run into the end zone in the second quarter. Sirk's offensive versatility has become a strong component of the Blue Devils’ success so far in the new season.

And the N.C. Central game ball goes to…Khalil Stinson

Although his team suffered a blowout defeat, senior wide receiver Khalil Stinson still made his presence felt in the game. The wide receiver recorded four receptions for 54 yards and was the Eagles' most effective option in the passing game. Through two games, Stinson is the team's leading receiver with nine catches for 95 yards and a touchdown. Look for the junior to continue his strong play throughout the season for N.C. Central.