2022 Game Recaps – Duke is 3-0

The Blue Devils came out firing on all cylinders Saturday night en route to a 49-20 win against the NCA&T Aggies. While the margin of victory makes the game look closer than it was, much of the Aggies’ success came when Duke’s defensive starters were out, this is still an impressive win.

Riley Leonard had a great game under center. He had a 38 yard pitch-and-catch to Nicky Dalmolin, ran for two touchdowns (including one for 56 yards) and, but for confusion on a scissors route, had close to a perfect game. The defensive line looked sharp, too. Aeneas Peebles caused a fumble which DeWayne Carter picked up and took to the house. Ja’Mion Franklin also blew up a play near the goal line. It was a nice game that the Blue Devils had under control from start to finish. Our boys from Durham took the lead on the first drive and never looked back. So, with that, let’s get to the Five Things.

Five Things I Liked:

No. 1 – Jordan Moore. We didn’t see that much of Moore last week against Northwestern. It wasn’t until the second half that we saw him make some plays and get Duke back in the game. Last night, however, Moore had 5 catches for 37 yards including a touchdown in the first quarter. Moore is a big moment type of player who has to be involved early and often. It’s good to see Coach Johns doing that. He really helps get the offense rolling.

No. 2 – Utilization of depth on defense. I noticed from the TV that we were subbing in a lot of bodies early. It was good to see a lot of guys get opportunities to make plays and keep our starters fresh heading into a big, big game against Kansas next week. I’ve talked about depth for a good while now and it’s good to see Coach Elko and the rest of the staff give guys opportunities to make plays.

No. 3 – Riley Leonard. Man, but the kid is looking good. He was 11/12 for 155 yards, tossed two touchdowns and ran for two more. The staff is letting him throw deep, he’s progressing through his reads and he’s running when he has to, not just because he can (although he sure can). Riley is making good decisions with the ball and he’s really coming into his own. I’m excited to see how he holds up in ACC play and, next week, against the Jayhawks. That game is going to be a real test.

No. 4 – Running the ball. Is it just me, or can the Blue Devils run the darned football? Duke ran it 35 times for a total of 222 yards and 4 touchdowns. Jaquez Moore ran for 55 yards with a long of 42, Jaylen Coleman went 10 for 51 and Jordan Waters did, too. Waters also broke off a nice 29 yard run. Factor in the long run from Leonard and it sure seems like the OL is opening up holes for the running back committee. I’ve talked repeatedly about how important running the ball is and I’ll continue to do it. A good running game allows a team to control the clock, rest the defense and get the OL comfortable and generally be in charge of the game. If the Blue Devils can keep running the ball like they did Saturday night, this could be a fun season.

No. 5 – The Nicky Dalmolin touchdown. Just like I love a good running game, I love an offense that gets the ball to the tight end. I won’t go into it again, I’ll just restate how using the tight end puts pressure on the defense. Plus, tight ends block all game and deserve some throws their way. It’s nice to see guys like Dalmolin get a chance to score a touchdown.

Five Things I Didn’t Like:

No. 1 – Not seeing the Dalmolin touchdown in real time. I had a massive TV problem crop up and had to set up my old Sling TV account again. Missed the TD and came in with the game at 7-0. Hated it.

No. 2 – Holes in the defense. Looking at the score and outcome of the game, it’s hard to get too upset about the defensive performance. That said, the Aggies opened up some holes and really ran the ball well after the first quarter. To that point, the Aggies averaged 5.3 yards per carry and racked up 217 yards on the ground. A lot of that could be attributed to garbage time, but the Aggies did have two long drives in the first half. Given that Kansas can, you know, run the ball, this could be an area of concern going forward. And speaking of concerning areas defensively …

No. 3 – Third down defense. Temple was 5/14 on third. Northwestern was 5/17 on third, but 4/6 on fourth. The Aggies were 8/14 on third. That’s a problem. When you take into account all of the drops the Aggies’ receivers had last night, you have to be a little concerned about how this defense will match up against teams with bigger wide receivers and effective ground games. While it hasn’t turned into a problem yet, it sure could against a team like, you know, the Jayhawks. This is an area which will require improvement if Duke wants to make a run. The defense can’t give up conversions on third down or on fourth and still win games.

No. 4 – Empty seats. We heard a lot about the sellout, but a lot of those fans must have gotten the date of the game wrong. It’s unfortunate that a team that is performing so well still can’t fill the stands. That’s not on the team, though. It’s a reflection of the fact that the administration ignored the football program for decades until David Cutcliffe came to town.

No. 5 – Hey, would you look at that, I don’t have a fifth thing. How about that?

On the whole, I’m pretty happy with this Blue Devil team. At 3-0, this group is three wins away from a bowl game. With Georgia Tech looking awful, Virginia being inconsistent and that team in the pale blue not knowing how to play defense, you have to think that Duke has a chance to go bowling. But for that to happen, the Blue Devils are going to have to improve. Penalties weren’t a huge issue last night, so that’s a sign that the team is learning and getting better. Let’s hope we’ll see that in the context of critical downs and stopping the run.

And that’s it for the game recap. Let me know what you think about what I think in the comments or on Twitter.

Go Duke!