Making the Grade: Duke football vs Army

The Blue Devils defeated Army in a dominating 44-3 victory Saturday afternoon at Michie Stadium. After going 3-1 in a four-game stretch at home, Duke showed no slippage on the road and displayed impressive efficiency on both ends of the field. With starting quarterback A.J. Schurr going down in the first quarter, Army lost control of the game early and was unable to organize a consistent attack against the smothering Duke defense.

Offense: B+

Pass:

Duke met little resistance when throwing the ball downfield against the Army secondary and finished with 243 passing yards total. Quarterback Thomas Sirk connected on 17 of his 27 attempts with one touchdown and no interceptions and found an array of targets. Eight players recorded a reception for the Blue Devils who were led by the seldomly-used Anthony Nash, who finished with five receptions for 57  yards. Duke utilized mostly short passes to set up the running game, while occasionally taking shots downfield with Johnell Barnes and Max McCaffrey. Barnes finished with two receptions for 58 yards—including a 38-yard reception in the third quarter—and appeared to reestablish himself as a focal point in the team's offense. 

Rush:

The running game once again carried the Blue Devil offense with redshirt junior Jela Duncan and senior Shaquille Powell leading the way. Duke scored four touchdowns on the ground and racked up 215 total yards in the victory. Once of the biggest plays of the afternoon was a 43-yard touchdown run from Duncan—his first score of the season—midway through the second quarter to extend the lead to 24-0. The Charlotte, N.C., native also tacked on a one-yard touchdown run later in the fourth quarter. Backup quarterback Parker Boehme also found himself on the field to run the ball as he recorded two short-yardage red-zone touchdowns. 

X’s and O’s

Offensive coordinator Scottie Montgomery must be pleased with the offensive efficiency displayed by the Blue Devils who balanced the run and pass without any turnovers. The team scored six touchdowns in its six red-zone trips and never struggled to move the ball on a weak Army defense. Going forward, it remains to be seen whether Montgomery will be willing to open up the passing attack against better ACC defenses. 

Pass:

Duke has relied on its aggressive defense all season and it did not disappoint Saturday. Although A.J. Schurr left the game early and his team was lost on offense without him, the stout Blue Devil defense held Army to just 55 passing yards. Backup quarterback Ahmad Bradshaw was unable to step up and save his team as he completed just two of his six passes and threw an interception. Through six games this season, Duke has allowed only 47.5 yards passing per game in the first halves and has forced much of its competition to become one-dimensional on offense. 

Rush:

Army's triple-option offense had no luck on the ground against the Blue Devils defense. The Black Knights finished with only 113 rushing yards and an average of 2.3 yards per carry. At the same time, Army lost two of its seven fumbles and further hurt their chance to make the game competitive with sloppy plays at key junctions in the game. The Black Knights failed to accumulate any significant offensive momentum against Duke's steel wall of a defense all afternoon. 

X’s and O’s

Defensive coordinator Jim Knowles did a solid job getting Duke’s defense to record a consistent and effective showing as the team didn't look past its weak non-conference opponent. The Blue Devils have now held their opponents below 10 points in four of its six games this season and continue to show their mastery of the triple-option offense. Both the coverage and the pressure on the line of scrimmage were at a high level all afternoon which made for an easy victory for the road team. 

Special Teams: A

Ross Martin got the job done again after a rock-solid performance last week against Boston College, hitting all three of his field goals in the game. The Solon, Ohio, native is now a perfect 12 of 12 on kicks so far this season and has proven to be a valuable asset for a Duke team that can occasionally struggle to score points. 

The Blue Devils rarely found themselves in punting position Saturday due to their smooth offensive performance. Three-time All-ACC punter Will Monday made only one appearance all afternoon and punted for 40 yards. With Duke frequently forcing Army turnovers, the team received little contribution from its punt returner Ryan Smith who recorded only a yard in his two return.