Duke’s struggling football team has at least one area of strength to build upon
From the disappointment of its upset loss at Charlotte last Friday night, Duke at least walked away with one strong area to build upon for possible success.
Fueled by Mataeo Durant’s school-record 255 yards and bolstered by solid offensive line play, the Blue Devils’ rushing attack proved as potent as they hoped.
Though on the wrong end of a 31-28 score, Duke produced 353 rushing yards, averaging a healthy 8.02 yards per attempt.
“I think at the end of the day,” Duke center Jack Wohlabaugh said, “that’s what we want it to be.”
Duke entered the season with hopes Durant, a preseason all-ACC pick at running back, could provide a powerful rushing attack. That certainly occurred as the senior ran for three touchdowns.
Already with 103 yards on 17 carries at halftime, Durant received IV fluids to control cramping on the humid night. He then went out and carried the ball 12 more times in the second half, breaking free for scoring runs covering 59 and 53 yards in the fourth quarter.
Both scores gave Duke a lead only to see Charlotte answer with touchdowns of its own to post the win and cast a dark shadow on Durant’s record night.
“The record is very cool but I’m a very big team first guy,” Durant said after the game. “We wanted to come out and get the win, but we didn’t execute as well as we should have to be able to do that. I wanted to do anything I could to help the team win the game. I’m a very big team first guy so anything the team needs me to do, I’ll do it whenever.”
Depth behind Durant
Duke’s coaching staff knows it has a special talent in Durant. At the same time, they don’t want to overwork him and expose him to injury.
“I do think we have an element in that running back room,” Duke coach David Cutcliffe said. “We’ll see more people and we can rest Mataeo some. We need Mataeo, obviously, to be great in the fourth quarter. But, you know, he managed it.”
Redshirt sophomore running back Jordan Waters helped some, carrying five times to gain 65 yards. He also caught a pass out of the backfield and ran over a would-be tackler on the way to a 43-yard touchdown play.
New starting quarterback Gunnar Holmberg could also help with some carries, although the carries mostly went to the backs at Charlotte.
Freshman quarterback Jordan Moore entered in the fourth quarter for two plays when Duke had a lead and broke free for a 38-yard run. His speed and elusiveness could give the Blue Devils a change-of-pace option use in some situations.
Cutcliffe said the Blue Devils found a rhythm on offense in the second half, particularly with the rushing game. He said their own ‘miscues’ earlier in the game caused that rhythm to arrive later than he hoped.
Now the idea is to bring it early against N.C. A&T on Friday night and keep it rolling throughout the game.
“That is a rhythm that can continue,” Cutcliffe said. “It’s not going to be easy because if we don’t perform balanced, then people stock the line of scrimmage.”
Strong play up front
Speaking of the line, Duke received strong play from its big guys up front. Pro Football Focus analysis of last weekend’s games rated the Blue Devils offensive line performance third-best in the nation.
Having Wohlabaugh back at center, after he missed last season with a knee injury, played a big role. Duke had new starters at the tackles with sophomore Graham Barton on the left side and another sophomore, John Gelotte, on the right.
Maurice McIntyre and Jacob Monk flanked Wohlabaugh as Duke’s starting guards.
“You know, when all else fails, we want to fall back on running the football or even start with that,” Wohlabaugh said. “So I think running the football and getting movement on that opens up a lot of things and can definitely be our strong suit.”
At this point, Duke’s line has another strong suit — depth. The Blue Devils rotated Kade Parmelly and Casey Holmberg at guards with Carson Van Lynn playing some at tackle.
While Wohlabaugh (76 plays) and Barton (69 plays) saw the most snaps, McIntyre (56), Monk (56) and Gelotte (53) were able to stay fresher because Van Lynn (38), Parmelly (33) and Holman (23) proved worthy of playing time.
“We have felt all along that it was a strength,” Cutcliffe said. “We can keep people rested for, maybe, the first time ever.”
If Duke is to find wins in its remaining non-conference games this month before entering ACC play in October, its rushing offense will need to lead the way. Does that mean 255 yards from one back with 50-yard scoring runs every game? While welcomed, that’s not likely.
Instead, Cutcliffe needs the line to remain cohesive and the ball carriers steady with a passing game mixed in to keep defenses honest.
“Let’s not forget how valuable a four-yard run is,” Cutcliffe said.
Game day guide
Who: Duke (0-1) vs. NC A&T (0-1)
When: 8 p.m. Friday
Where: Wallace Wade Stadium, Duke University, Durham
TV: ACC Network
Radio: 96.5 and 99.3 The Buzz and WDNC-AM 620 in Durham and Raleigh. Other statewide radio affiliates here.
Satellite: SiriusXM 84
This story was originally published September 9, 2021 at 1:00 PM.