As Duke prepares to take on Troy in the Birmingham Bowl Saturday, the Blue Zone is here with a player from each team who could be the difference-maker in the matchup:
Duke: Jordan Moore
Amidst turnover in the coaching staff and players following previous head coach Mike Elko’s departure, Jordan Moore has the potential to serve as Duke’s greatest offensive weapon as the team pursues a postseason win.
The junior has been a centerpiece for the Blue Devils’ receiving core throughout the season. He reeled in 794 yards, a team high, across his twelve games played. This includes stellar outings against Virginia and Pittsburgh, where he recorded 117 and 106 receiving yards, respectively. In earning this yardage, the Sykesville, Md., found his way to a team-leading eight receiving touchdowns.
Moore as a receiving target will be particularly relevant against Troy’s defense, which has struggled to defend the passing game. The team has conceded an average of 202.92 passing yards per game on 6.50 yards per attempt. Compared to an average of only 103.7 rushing yards allowed with 3.1 yards per carry, leaning into gains in the air could be a focal point for the Duke offense come Saturday.
Stressing the passing game will likely be further emphasized by the loss of Jordan Waters — the Blue Devils’ primary option in the backfield — to the transfer portal. Waters’s 753 rushing yards served as the brunt of the team’s gains on the ground. Paired with freshman Grayson Loftis’s growing comfort in tossing downfield, Moore could ultimately be Duke’s best hope at establishing an edge over the Trojans’ defense and helping the program extend its bowl-game win streak to five.
Troy: Kimani Vidal
Troy is also facing turnover in the coaching staff, as former head coach Jon Sumrall accepted a position as Tulane’s next head coach. Battling the uncertainty during the postseason that comes with new staff, the Trojans will look to fight hard to continue their ten-game win streak after finishing atop the Sun Belt.
Leading the charge is junior running back Kimani Vidal, who has been nearly unstoppable for Troy’s offense all season. Vidal totaled an impressive 14 touchdowns with 1,582 rushing yards in 2023 en route to earning All-Sun Belt First Team honors. He has in the process made his mark on the program, becoming Troy’s all-time leader in single-season rushing yards, single-game rushing yards and career rushing yards. The Marietta, Ga., native is coming off a remarkable performance in the Sun Belt Conference Championship game, where he recorded 233 rushing yards and five touchdowns.
Vidal’s average of 5.7 yards per carry makes him a reliable and efficient source of ball movement that the Blue Devils’ defense will need to contain. Duke has generally found success limiting gains on the ground, having let up only 3.9 yards per carry throughout the season. However, the team has since lost key defensive pieces, including defensive tackle Aeneas Peebles, defensive end R.J. Oben and linebacker Dorian Mausi. It is possible that the Blue Devils’ defense is not able to find the same level of success at stopping the run. Failure to overcome these hits to the roster could mean that Vidal is left unchecked, and Duke’s offense has to fight that much harder to make up the difference.
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