Duke will need to play a nearly flawless game to stay close at No. 7 Louisville, which enters the contest as a 35-point favorite at home. If the Blue Devils want to get their first ACC win of the season, they will have to slow down a high-powered offense that leads the nation with 58 points per game. Here are three keys to Friday night's game:
Limit turnovers
Duke quarterback Daniel Jones and the Blue Devils have struggled offensively in the first half of the season due to costly mistakes. Jones was intercepted five times two weeks ago against Virginia, and Duke fumbled twice last week against Army. In order to stay in the game as a heavy underdog, the Blue Devils are going to have to play their best football and resemble the team that took down Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind., Sept. 24. Not only did Duke gain more than 490 yards, but the Blue Devils were able to win the turnover battle 3-1 to spark the major upset. Faced with the possibility of falling to worse than .500 again, maintaining possession of the ball and playing efficient offense will be essential if the Blue Devils want to pull off another momentum-changing upset on the road.
Contain Lamar Jackson
The Duke defense has been plagued by long-yardage plays during the last few games and will need to contain one of the most prolific playmakers in the nation Friday. Lousiville quarterback Lamar Jackson is currently the frontrunner for the Heisman trophy and leads the Cardinals in both passing and rushing yards. He has 14 rushing touchdowns and 28 total scores, with both marks leading the nation.
In order to come away with a victory, the Blue Devils will need to keep Jackson from beating them on the ground. Duke has allowed opponents to rush for 126.8 yards per contest, and Jackson himself has averaged more than 135. For the Blue Devils to keep the game competitive, they will need to keep Jackson in the pocket and make sure to keep the ball out of his hands as much as possible.
Get the Run Game Going
With Hurricane Matthew making life miserable for Jones against Army at quarterback, Duke was forced to return to the run game after passing more than 45 times in three of the team’s previous four games. The Blue Devils lost all three of the games in which Jones had more than 45 passing attempts, and the redshirt freshman was intercepted seven times. When Duke leans more on its running game, the team is 3-0, Jones has only a single interception and the Blue Devils average more than 200 yards on the ground. Starting running back Jela Duncan left last week's game against the Black Knights early with an injury, but is probable to play Friday night.
In order to have a chance of defeating Louisville, Duncan and backup Shaun Wilson will need to help Duke get the ground game going in order to open up passing lanes for Daniel Jones. If the Blue Devils are unable to do this, it’ll be a long Friday night for head coach David Cutcliffe and Duke.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.
Digital Strategy Director for Vol. 115, Michael was previously Sports Editor for Vol. 114 and Assistant Blue Zone Editor for Vol. 113. Michael is a senior majoring in Statistical Science and is interested in data analytics and using data to make insights.