They say the devil is in the details. But in Durham, the Blue Devils are in the details—and numbers.
Each week, the Blue Zone will dissect five key numbers from last week's action in Duke sports, whether they be historic or underwhelming. This week, let the numbers take you inside football’s impressive opening victory and men’s soccer’s dominant start to the season.
168/3.6
In Duke football’s 34-14 victory Friday night against Army, the Blue Devils’ defense limited the Black Knights to just 168 total rushing yards on 3.6 yards per carry. That is no small feat, considering Army ranked first in the FBS with 362.3 rushing yards per game a season ago on a spectacular 6.0 yards per carry. If Duke’s front seven continues to dominate the way they did against Army, the rest of the league will find it difficult to keep the game on the ground.
Find out the whole story—Duke football's Brittain Brown drives dominant ground game to spark offensive outburst
11.6
Redshirt junior Daniel Jones averaged 11.6 yards per passing attempt during Friday’s contest, a number that places him fourth in the FBS following week one. Last year, the Blue Devils’ offense averaged an abysmal 5.7 yards per attempt, which ranked 122 in the nation. Although a large majority of Jones’ yardage total came from a 61-yard bomb to redshirt junior Aaron Young in the second quarter, without that connection, the Charlotte, NC, native still averaged 8.5 yards over his other 16 passing attempts. Jones’ willingness to fire the ball downfield could be huge if Duke wants to improve upon its 7-6 record from a season ago.
Find out the whole story—Plenty of options: Duke football surges past Army with complete offensive performance
5
Junior Daniele Proch notched two more goals Friday night as men’s soccer remained undefeated with a 4-1 win over San Diego. That brings Proch’s season total to five goals, matching his sum from 2017. The Italian midfielder was already tied for fifth in the nation in goals scored entering Friday’s contest. Proch looks to stay hot as No. 2 Duke (3-0-0) travels to Louisville next Sunday.
Find out the whole story—Proch dominant again as Duke men's soccer stays undefeated in San Diego
411
Women’s soccer defeated Providence 2-1 on Sunday for the third straight win of the season. But that lone goal Duke allowed ended its 411-minute shutout streak, which began Aug. 19 vs. Illinois. The streak spanned a total of three wins and five different contests, with the No. 12 Blue Devils (4-1-1) outscoring their opponents 7-0 during that time period. Duke faces off against Nebraska Thursday night back at Koskinen Stadium.
Find out the whole story—Duke women's soccer holds on against Providence for third straight win
6
Field hockey entered 2018 having won six straight games in the Big Ten/ACC Cup. The annual early-season ritual began in 2015, and Duke had come out with the tournament’s first three titles. But this year a new champion arose, as No. 4 Maryland (5-0) defeated the No. 3 Blue Devils 4-3 (3-1) Sunday in the competition’s finale. Duke looks to bounce back at Princeton this Friday.
Find out the whole story—Duke field hockey suffers first loss to Maryland in Big Ten/ACC Cup
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.