Duke football finished out its season Nov. 30 with a last-second touchdown to win the game against Wake Forest. The throw from quarterback Maalik Murphy ended up being his last in a Blue Devil uniform, as he announced his entrance into the transfer portal Dec. 9, but it was a thrilling end to a massively successful first campaign for head coach Manny Diaz.
The win brought Duke’s record to 9-3 on the season, earning the Blue Devils a trip to the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl Jan. 2 in Jacksonville, Fla. Diaz’s team will face off against the Ole Miss Rebels, led by quarterback Jaxson Dart and offensive mastermind/head coach Lane Kiffin. The Rebels also finished their season at 9-3, however it must be noted they ranked 33rd in strength of schedule, according to ESPN. Ole Miss was eyeing a bid to the College Football Playoff until a shocking late-season loss to Florida, and the Rebels finished up their season with a tough, grueling win over Mississippi State.
While much of the discussion around Ole Miss begins with the dynamic offense, led by Dart, the defense has been the true juggernaut over the course of the season. The Rebels finished the regular season ranked tied at fourth nationwide in scoring defense, giving up just 13.9 points per game. Defensive coordinator Pete Golding has helped his group to stifle the run, a key part of allowing under two touchdowns per game. Ole Miss ranked second in the country in rushing defense this season, giving up just 83.5 yards per game. Spearheading this effort are two big defensive tackles: Walter Nolen and JJ Pegues. The duo combined for 89 tackles and three fumbles recovered on the season.
Watch here as Nolen and Pegues stop a push on a critical 3rd down early in the second quarter against Georgia earlier this season. The two stop a hole from forming, allowing for the linebackers to come in and create a huge stop for the Rebel defense. (6:10)
For Duke, it will be essential to use the running ability of new starting quarterback Henry Belin IV to neutralize the Rebels’ run defense. Look for offensive coordinator Jonathan Brewer to implement some read options and designed quarterback runs to beat the big defensive linemen to the outside.
“Their box is extremely talented and they run a lot of twist games to try and create disruption. But we've seen a lot of twists all year round,” offensive lineman Brian Parker II said. “The read option should help us out, being able to attack them from multiple facets, but it'll definitely be a challenge. Super talented group up front, but I think we're up to the occasion, and it'll be fun.”
When the rush attack does come through, and opposing defenses are forced into pass situations, Ole Miss brings in the threat of elite pass rusher Princely Umanmielen. The fifth-year transfer from Florida was electric for Golding this season, racking up 10.5 sacks and 34 total tackles, including two sacks in the team’s signature win in Athens, Ga. Umanmielen has elite speed to work around offensive tackles and get to the quarterback, and he will certainly be drafted as an edge rusher in the 2025 NFL Draft. Especially on third down, look for him to come after Belin and wreak havoc on the Duke offense.
Watch here as he does just that against Georgia, beating his man to sack quarterback Carson Beck on a third down late in the first half. (8:34)
The Rebels’ defense has been elite this year, and with a new quarterback it could be a long day for the Blue Devils in Jacksonville. Teams generally look to run the ball with an inexperienced quarterback, but that will certainly be difficult for Brewer’s offense against such a tough rush defense. Duke will have to avoid obvious passing situations to keep Belin out of immense pressure, and utilize his rushing ability to present difficult looks for the Rebels, ones that teams have not seen all season with Murphy behind center. It will be a difficult challenge for Diaz and his team, but he was sure to note that it is not one of which they will be afraid.
“[I have] admired them for a long time, and it's a great challenge. [It’s] what we need,” Diaz said. “It's the perfect step of where we are in building our program.”
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