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Duke Gridiron Monday: Nov. 27, 2017
11/27/2017 5:05:00 AM | Football
Duke Gridiron Monday starts your work week with a beyond-the-numbers look at Blue Devil football with photos, social media, recaps, #DukeInTheNFL updates and more.
SATURDAY REWIND: Duke 31, Wake Forest 23
Duke quarterback Daniel Jones threw for a career-high 346 yards and two touchdowns and added the game-winning score on the ground as the Blue Devils defeated Wake Forest for the fifth time in the last six years, 31-23, in Winston-Salem.
“There were a lot of happy young men in that locker room,” Duke head coach David Cutcliffe said. “I think the reason there was joy in the locker room was how well we played as a team in the second half. Our entire team played well. All phases. All people. I can't say enough about what we did defensively. We were competing against an extremely gifted offensive team and quarterback. I can't say enough about what Daniel Jones and the offense did as the game wore on. It was a pretty incredible performance in the second half. We just had enough big plays. It was a hard-fought victory that we earned.”
For the second straight week, the Blue Devils rallied from a double digit deficit in the first half to earn a victory. Wake Forest claimed a 17-3 advantage midway through the second period and led at intermission, 17-10. Duke was able to trim the margin to six points after three quarters before dominating the final period on both sides of the ball.
Duke's game-winning drive was highlighted by a 36-yard pass from Jones to Chris Taylor on 4th-and-6 from the Demon Deacon 37 yard line. Jones pushed the pile into the end zone on the next snap and Austin Parker's PAT gave the Blue Devils their first lead of the afternoon. Duke's defense then forced a punt, and Jones directed a 12-play, 74-yard march that ended with Brittain Brown scoring on the ground from four yards out.
Trailing by eight points, Wake Forest turned the ball over on downs with 6:16 left in the final quarter and later drove to its own 37 yard line before Mark Gilbert sealed the win with his second interception of the day.
Linebacker Koby Quansah paced Duke with 10 tackles while T.J. Rahming caught a game-high eight passes for 90 yards.
BOWL BOUND
With the win over Wake Forest, the Blue Devils have reached bowl eligibility for the fifth time in the last six seasons. Bowl selections will be made on Sunday, December 3.
After losing six consecutive games, Duke carded wins over Georgia Tech and Wake Forest to reach the coveted six-win plateau.
“We all looked in the mirror,” Cutcliffe noted. “We all considered where we were. It's called taking ownership. You either run to it or you run from it. We didn't run from anything. We ran right to it. We addressed everything we felt like we needed to address. Even being down 17-3 in this game, nobody ran from anything. Everybody on our team earned this victory.”
FIRST STARTS
Duke shuffled its lineup in the defensive secondary for the Wake Forest tilt, providing safeties Michael Carter II and Dylan Singleton the first starting assignments of their careers.
Carter II produced four tackles and one pass breakup while Singleton contributed nine tackles, one caused fumble, two pass breakups and one quarterback pressure.
The pair was instrumental in Duke holding Wake Forest quarterback John Wolford to 16-of-33 (.485) passing for 191 yards and two interceptions after the senior signal-caller entered the game leading the ACC in pass efficiency having completed 65.4 percent of his throws with just four total interceptions and averaging 260.1 yards per game.
TIGHT END PRODUCTION
While throwing for a career-high 346 yards, Daniel Jones found comfort with all three of Duke's tight ends – Noah Gray, Daniel Helm and Davis Koppenhaver.
Gray hauled in a six-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter, Helm snagged three passes for 70 yards including an 18-yard scoring toss while Koppenhaver caught one pass – a 13-yard strike to convert a 3rd-and-10 snap in the final period.
For the season, the three tight ends have combined for 35 receptions for 344 yards and seven touchdowns.
RECORD BOOK WATCH
Running back Brittain Brown has rushed for 660 yards on the year marking the second-highest single-season total by a Duke rookie. B.J. Hill holds the school standard with 798 ground yards in 1998.
With 90 yards against Wake Forest, Shaun Wilson became the first player in Duke history to compiled multiple seasons with 1,500-plus all-purpose yards.
ACC STATISTICAL NOTES
- Joe Giles-Harris leads all ACC linebackers with 15.0 tackles for loss
- The Blue Devils join Clemson and Virginia Tech as the only three teams to rank among the league's top five in both scoring defense and total defense
- Duke has held its opponents to a 50.3 pass completion percentage – second-lowest in the ACC behind only Virginia Tech (46.8)
PHOTOS OF THE DAY
Duke sophomore cornerback Mark Gilbert gets a hug from cornerback coach Derek Jones following Gilbert's game-sealing interception.
DUKE FOOTBALL TRIVIA
Who holds the Duke bowl game record for passing yards?
TWEETS OF THE DAY
🎳........ ❌ pic.twitter.com/zTlRI4wMxa
— Duke Football (@DukeFOOTBALL) November 25, 2017
Thank you @DukeFOOTBALL seniors!
— Larry Dunson (@dookster49) November 26, 2017
An incredible second half for @DukeFOOTBALL and @DavidCutcliffe! From his halftime interview where he called the shot and said we'd be celebrating after the game to the effort displayed - simply amazing! Congratulations! And bowl eligible! https://t.co/bm1J7TVPkz
— Mujeeb Shah-Khan (@MujeebS) November 26, 2017
This INT by @DukeFOOTBALL's Mark Gilbert (his second of the game) sealed the deal for the Blue Devils! pic.twitter.com/NejuKw7ZKf
— ACC Digital Network (@theACCDN) November 25, 2017
DUKE IN THE NFL
Highlights from this weekend's action around the National Football League:
- Matt Skura's Baltimore Ravens play on ESPN's Monday Night Football against the Houston Texans. Kickoff is set for 8:30 p.m.
- Ross Cockrell got the start at cornerback and tallied five tackles as the New York Giants dropped a 20-10 decision to the Washington Redskins on Thanksgiving night.
- Jamison Crowder turned in an electric performance Thursday night agianst the New York Giants, finishing with a career-high 141 receiving yards on seven grabs and a touchdown as the Washington Redskins picked up a 20-10 victory.
🔥🔥🔥#NYGvsWAS pic.twitter.com/kBBbmznix8
— Washington Redskins (@Redskins) November 24, 2017
The @KirkCousins8-Crowder connection ... AGAIN!
— NFL (@NFL) November 24, 2017
Touchdown, @Redskins! #HTTR#NYGvsWAS pic.twitter.com/aNhURlBPqF
CONTINENTAL TIRE DRVIE AROUND THE ACC
Last week's results:
Pittsburgh 24, No. 2 Miami 14
No. 25 Virginia Tech 10, Virginia 0
Duke 31, Wake Forest 23
No. 3 Clemson 34, No. 24 South Carolina 10
No. 7 Georgia 38, Georgia Tech 7
Florida State 38, Florida 22
Louisville 44, Kentucky 17
Boston College 42, Syracuse 14
N.C. State 33, North Carolina 21
Upcoming schedule:
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 2
Clemson vs. Miami (Dr Pepper ACC Championship in Charlotte, N.C.)
Louisiana Monroe at Florida State
TRIVIA QUESTION ANSWER
Anthony Boone (427 vs. Texas A&M in the 2013 Chick-fil-A Bowl)
#GoDuke
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