Duke football vs NC A&T odds, players to watch and Blue Devils’ history vs FCS teams
Coaching just the third game of his career, Mike Elko has a chance Saturday night to match last year’s Duke victory output and surpass the total the Blue Devils obtained in 2020.
After wins over Temple and Northwestern to open the season, Duke looks for its first 3-0 start since 2018 when the Blue Devils play North Carolina A&T Saturday night at Wallace Wade Stadium.
The game will be played in front of a crowd that’s expected to be Duke’s largest since November 2019.
Duke’s annual employee appreciation night is Saturday, meaning all Duke employees get four free tickets. Discounted concessions will also be available. In addition, youth cheerleader and scout night promotions offered ticket packages that have proven popular.
Elko and the marketing staff have also engaged Duke students, by moving their section to behind the visiting bench and offering them free Duke football jerseys, such that they had a strong turnout for the 30-0 season-opener with Temple. That’s expected to continue on Saturday night.
“We’re already hyped,” Duke running back Jordan Waters said Tuesday. “It’s crazy that we’ve grown so much and the fans are loving this. I guess that will happen when you win and people notice it.”
The last time Duke had a home crowd as large as what’s expected Saturday night was on Nov. 9, 2019, when Notre Dame beat the Blue Devils, 38-7, before a crowd of 40,004.
The 2018 season, when Duke finished 8-5, marks the last time the Blue Devils reached a bowl game or posted a winning record.
Duke replaced former coach David Cutcliffe with Elko last December, aiming to get back to that level. So far, the move is a success with wins over two Football Bowl Subdivision teams. After going 2-9 and 3-9 in the last two seasons, the Blue Devils have a good shot at the elusive 3-0 start with N.C. A&T coming to town.
The Blue Devils have not lost to a Football Championship Subdivision team since a 23-21 loss to Richmond in 2011. Since then, Duke has defeated N.C. Central six times, Elon once and N.C. A&T twice without a loss.
This season, the Aggies (0-2) are struggling, losing 28-13 to rival NCCU in the season-opener before dropping a 43-3 game to North Dakota State last Saturday.
Three Duke players to watch
Riley Leonard, QB: The sophomore is off to a solid start having completed 37 of 54 passes (68.5%) for 568 yards with three touchdowns and one interception.
Jalon Calhoun, WR: Leonard’s top target with 12 catches for 198 yards, both team highs. He’s yet to catch a touchdown pass, though. Perhaps that will change on Saturday.
Darius Joiner, DB: Bolted to Duke’s team lead for the season with 17 tackles, including 15 solo stops. He recorded 13 solo tackles in Duke’s 31-23 win at Northwestern on Saturday. This is the norm for Joiner, who recorded 142 tackles while playing at FCS-level Western Illinois last season.
Three NC A&T players to watch
Bhayshun Tuten, RB: Has already carried the ball 31 times this season to gain 147 yards. He averages 4.7 yards per carry.
Zachary Yeager, QB: Proven to be a decent runner, he’s struggled as a passer thus far. Yeager has only completed 45.3% of his pass attempts while being intercepted twice. He’s averaged seven yards per attempt on eight rushes, though, including a 33-yard scamper.
Tyquan King, LB: Leads the Aggies in tackles with 20, but has only one pass break up.
Vegas betting odds
Duke opened as a 27.5-point favorite over the Aggies.
N.C. A&T at Duke game and TV info
Who: Duke (2-0) vs. N.C. A&T (0-2)
Where: Wallace Wade Stadium, Durham
When: 6 p.m., Saturday
TV: Streaming only
Stream: ESPN+
This story was originally published September 12, 2022 at 10:45 AM.