Recharged Blue Devils score early, often, quickly against Charlotte
Duke put up 53 points against Charlotte on Saturday despite having the ball fewer than 18 minutes in the game.
“It’s almost impossible to do,” Duke coach David Cutcliffe said.
Not this night. Not on Halloween. The Blue Devils scored early, often and very quickly in a 53-19 win over the 49ers at an empty Wallace Wade Stadium that, OK, did have a bit of a creepy feel under a full moon.
Remember 2015? Cutcliffe does. On Halloween night, the Blue Devils were beaten 30-27 by Miami after taking the lead with seconds left in the fourth quarter, only to have the Hurricanes recreate their version of Stanford’s fabled “The Play” as time expired.
After eight laterals on a madcap kickoff return, Miami’s Corn Elder scored the winning touchdown. The officiating crew later was suspended by the ACC but the score stood and Duke lost.
This Halloween another Elder also scored in almost the same spot of the same end zone — Charlotte’s Micaleous Elder, on a 5-yard run. But the Blue Devils had most of the special-team answers, blocking two punts, getting a nice punt return and coming up with a heady play on a Charlotte kickoff.
The 49ers tried to pooch an onside kick in the fourth quarter and raced under it for what they believed was a recovery. But Duke had called for a fair catch on the kick. Charlotte was penalized and the Blue Devils had the ball.
Duke (2-5) knew what to do with it this night. Coming off a bye week, the Blue Devils scored on the second play from scrimmage when Deon Jackson bolted 65 yards. They led 17-0 in the first quarter and 24-0 before Charlotte regrouped and got on the board.
After playing six ACC games in six weeks, after losing five times, the Blue Devils used a bye week to work on their football execution but also recharge and reset mentally. Come game time, the Blue Devils were refreshed and re-energized for their only nonconference game of 2020.
“Coach let us have a few days off and let our bodies rest and also mentally kind of take a break,” quarterback Chase Brice said on a postgame media call. “Going six weeks straight, Power 5 football, ACC, is not easy. Having that bye week kind of got our feet under us.”
Jackson’s run wasn’t the longest of the game for Duke as Jordan Waters had a 70-yarder in the fourth quarter. Mataeo Durant also had a 60-yard burst, and Jackson and Durant each had more than 100 yards and two rushing TDs and Duke six in all, finishing with 274 yards on the ground.
Nor was it all offense. Duke defensive end Chris Rumph II had three sacks. The Blue Devils forced and recoverd two fumbles. The 49ers (2-3) had 42:27 in possession time to the Blue Devils’ 17:33 and ran 87 plays to Duke’s 51 but averaged just 4.0 yards a snap.
“We had a lot of guys make plays,” Rumph said on a media call. “The mentality was finishing. Our whole mindset going into the game was finishing.”
Duke didn’t need the ball long to finish scoring drives. Five were four or fewer plays and the Blue Devils were 7-for-7 in the red zone. After committing 22 turnovers this season, Duke had just one: a fourth-quarter interception thrown by backup QB Gunnar Holmberg.
Not to be overlooked individually was Isaiah Fisher-Smith. The freshman from Greensboro had both punt blocks, setting up scores.
Blue Devils can celebrate again
The Blue Devils’ other victory this season was at Syracuse on Oct. 10 and there was joy in the locker room after that ACC game. But Duke’s win Saturday came at Wallace Wade Stadium, allowing Cutcliffe to show off his victorious dance moves at home.
“Oh, my goodness, good music, good dancing, lots of energy, great team spirit,” Cutcliffe said of the postgame scene. “We’ve needed that.”
Putting up 53 points is a stress reducer and Cutcliffe can be sure the energy level will be amped this week. North Carolina is coming to Wallace Wade Stadium with the Victory Bell, UNC taking it away last season with its 20-17 victory after Duke had won it three straight years.
“We know that feeling in this program and obviously we miss it,” Cutcliffe said. “It’s more than bragging rights. We have a special place for it and when you don’t have it, you miss it every day. It’s also something you have to earn. It’s not easy to come up with it.”
This story was originally published November 1, 2020 at 8:00 AM with the headline "Recharged Blue Devils score early, often, quickly against Charlotte."
