The Blue Devil offense will have its hands full dealing with a stingy Tar Heel defense Saturday in Chapel Hill when Duke comes calling at Kenan Memorial Stadiuum, looking to bring the Victory Bell back to Durham for the third time in four years. But head coach David Cutcliffe will be without one of his most dangerous offensive weapons, according to Thursday's injury report:
PROBABLE
DE Kyler Brown (leg)
WR Trevon Lee (lower body)
OG Cody Robinson (upper body)
WR Chris Taylor (lower body)
OUT
RB Shaun Wilson (leg)
OUT FOR SEASON
LB Kelby Brown (leg)
CB Bryon Fields (leg)
DT Zach Morris (leg)
DE Taariq Shabazz (leg)
Breakdown: The loss of Wilson—Duke's change-of-pace back at running back with 313 yards and two touchdowns on the season—is a significant blow to the Blue Devil offense, which may need explosive plays in order to move the ball against a stout Tar Heel defense. Explosive plays are Wilson's forte, as his long touchdown run at Virginia Tech two weeks ago was the one big play the Duke backfield made all game. Wilson was injured along with much of the Duke backfield in preseason camp, but with the sophomore speedster sidelined this weekend, expect redshirt junior Jela Duncan to get a larger share of the carries, complementing senior Shaquille Powell.
Taylor and Lee have each missed the past two games, but their return should bring added depth to a receiving corps that has come to life in the past few weeks, fueled by veterans Anthony Nash and Max McCaffrey. Kyler Brown was injured in the win at Army Oct. 10, and having him back up front should aid the Blue Devils in their bid to contain dual-threat quarterback Marquise Williams and sophomore running back Elijah Hood. Robinson has been sidelined since the Northwestern game in mid-September but appears likely to return Saturday.
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