TV, betting odds and a bunch of facts to impress your friends about Duke at Notre Dame
Duke quarterback Chase Brice has a favorite expression: “Be great where your feet are. “
Which means?
“When we come into the building here, when we go to the grocery store or go shopping or go anywhere, understand where you are and who you represent. Just be great where your feet are,” Brice said this week leading up to the opener against Notre Dame.
Brice, of course, wants to be great Saturday at Notre Dame Stadium. That’s where his feet will be, on some of the most famous turf in college football.
His plan? “Play fast, play the way I’ve always played, being confident in my decisions.”
How to watch
Saturday’s game will be broadcast on NBC, 2:30 p.m.
Betting odds
On Saturday morning, ESPN had Notre Dame listed as 21.5 point favorites with an 87.8 percent chance to win the game. The over/under is listed at 52,
Quick notes
* Duke’s good in season openers. Under David Cutcliffe, the Blue Devils are 9-3, having won won seven of the past eight.
* OK, so last year’s opener didn’t go so well for Duke but consider the opponent: Alabama. Then ranked No. 2, the Crimson Tide won 42-3 in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game in Atlanta.
* Remember Duke’s last visit to Notre Dame Stadium? It was 2016 when AJ Reed kicked a 19-yard field goal with 1:24 remaining in the fourth quarter. Final score: Duke 38, Notre Dame 35.
* The flip side: Notre Dame has won 18 consecutive games at Notre Dame Stadium, the third-longest winning streak at home for the Irish since the stadium opened in 1930.
* High on the Notre Dame scouting report: Duke’s Damond Philyaw-Johnson averaged 32.29 yards on 17 kickoff returns last season and scored twice. He was second in the ACC and nationally in return average and set a Duke single-season record.
* Punt returns? Junior Josh Blackwell ranked second in the ACC in 2019 with his 10.92-yard average.
* Remember, senior running back Deon Jackson has a new jersey number this year — No. 4, after wearing No. 25 his first three years. No. 4 is his old high school number. Senior safety Marquis Waters will have jersey No. 0 after wearing No. 10 his first three years.
* Talk about experience. Senior defensive end Victor Dimukeje and Waters each have more than 2,000 career snaps to their credit — Dimukeje has 2,043 and Waters 2,017. That’s a lot of football.
This story was originally published September 12, 2020 at 12:01 PM.
