Malik Cunningham, Louisville run over Duke. What we learned in the Blue Devils’ loss
Duke’s ACC losing streak reached a dirty dozen in a manner that’s become all too familiar to the Blue Devils.
Louisville scored five touchdowns in the first half Thursday night to turn the game lopsided and hand Duke a 62-22 ACC loss at Wallace Wade Stadium.
Louisville’s Malik Cunningham had an historic night against Duke’s beleaguered defense, becoming the first college quarterback since Washington’s Marques Tuiasosopo in 1999 to throw for 300 yards and rush for 200.
Cunningham, a junior, rushed for 224 yards on 11 carries, including touchdown runs covering 72 and 44 yards. Cunningham also completed 18 of 25 passes for 303 yards with five touchdown passes.
The Blue Devils (3-8, 0-7 ACC) saw their losing streak in league play reach 12 dating back to last season. All but one of those losses have been by double-digit margins with 10 of the 12 coming by 21 points or more. Duke has now 4-21 in ACC play over the last three seasons.
Cunningham threw for two touchdowns and ran for two more in the first half alone as the Cardinals (6-5, 4-4 ACC) grabbed a 35-9 lead at intermission.
Duke’s defense? Still bad.
The Blue Devils entered the game with the ACC’s worst defense, allowing 499.4 yards per game. Duke was also last in points allowed per game at 38.6. Louisville nearly hit those totals in the first half alone.
While building a 35-9 lead, the Cardinals amassed 418 yards of total offense. Louisville finished with 687 total yards of offense.
Already struggling, the Blue Devils were without two starters in their secondary as safeties Lummie Young (upper body injury) and Nate Thompson (lower body) didn’t play.
Those that did play tackled poorly and covered passively far too often. Louisville scored more points against Duke than any other team has this season, becoming the first team since North Carolina in 2015 to score 60 or more points against the Blue Devils.
Durant edged closer to record
With no bowl game or even a break-even record left to play for, one of the main motivational factors left for Duke is Mataeo Durant’s push for the school single-season rushing record.
The senior running back is chasing the 1,236 yards Steve Jones gained in 1972 to set the mark. Durant entered Thursday with 1,095 and gained 78 more yards on 13 carries.
Heading into Duke’s Nov. 27 season finale against Miami, Durant has 1,173 yards so he needs 64 yards to break the record.
As of now, Durant’s output is No. 3 on Duke’s single-season list. Only Jones and Robert Baldwin (1,187 in 1994) have had better rushing seasons for the Blue Devils.
Duke’s going with a QB shuffle
Quarterback Gunnar Holmberg returned to the starting lineup for Duke after he missed last Saturday’s 48-17 loss at Virginia Tech with upper body injuries. He had started every Duke game this season prior to that.
Holmberg completed 19 of 34 passes for 176 yards with one interception.
Duke freshmen quarterbacks Jordan Moore and Riley Leonard took the remainder of the snaps.
Leonard, who started his first collegiate game at Virginia Tech, played well against Louisville. He completed 13 of 13 passes for 99 yards while also rushing seven times for 70 yards. That included a 35-yard touchdown run.
Fisher-Smith makes big plays — good and bad
Duke to injuries in the Blue Devils’ secondary, sophomore Isaiah Fisher-Smith got his first career start for Duke. The Greensboro native made two notable plays, one memorable for him and one he’d rather forget.
On special teams, Fisher-Smith blocked a Louisville punt in the first quarter -- the third blocked punt the 20 games Fisher-Smith has played in for the Blue Devils.
But in the second quarter, he was called for targeting while tacking Louisville’s Marshon Ford after Ford caught a pass over the middle. Replays showed Fisher-Smith’s helmet making contact with Ford’s helmet and the penalty was upheld after review.
That meant Fisher-Smith was ejected from the game.
This story was originally published November 18, 2021 at 10:48 PM.