HALFTIME: Duke 47, N.C. Central 7

Through two quarters of play in 2017, Duke is in full control against an inferior opponent.

The Blue Devils hold a 47-7 lead against N.C. Central at the end of the first half at Wallace Wade Stadium. Although Duke played a solid half, a number of mistakes by N.C. Central have kept the crosstown visitors out of the game. The Eagles have already helped the Blue Devils to a free 46 penalty yards and a free two points after a bad snap went over the head of sophomore quarterback Micah Zanders for a safety, and Duke has yet to draw any flags.

Duke’s redshirt sophomore quarterback Daniel Jones had a modest showing, going 13-for-18 and throwing for 137 yards, though he didn’t need to do much offensively as the combination of senior Shaun Wilson and redshirt freshman Brittain Brown led the way with 59 and 99 yards on the ground, respectively. 

On the defensive side, redshirt sophomore linebacker Joe Giles-Harris led the way with four tackles, including one sack. Redshirt senior Byron Fields Jr. helped out the offense with a quick pick-six, ending the Eagles' second drive of the afternoon on the first play.

Until running back Isaiah Totten broke loose for an 81-yard touchdown run and gave his team its lone score of the half, N.C. Central had -13 rushing yards, and the team only totaled 134 yards for the half.

Here are some observations from the first half:

• Brown looked hard to bring down. After taking his first career touch 24 yards down the sideline, Brown took his second rush 39 yards to the end zone after running past the Eagles’ front seven and turning the safety around with a late cut. Already with 99 yards on the day, look for the redshirt freshman to do even more damage against the slower NC Central defense.
• Duke head coach David Cutcliffe has chosen to go with punter Austin Parker to knock down field goals for the team over redshirt senior William Holmquist. Parker made his only kick from 32 yards.
• Aaron Young seems to be one of Jones' favorite targets with a team-leading four receptions so far, including a 54-yard touchdown on a deep ball in the second quarter.
• Duke’s special teams looked sharp, limiting NC Central to an average starting field position of their own 24-yard line.
• Aside from the touchdown run from Totten, Duke has looked sharp and avoided major mistakes in all aspects of the game.