How to watch Duke football as the Blue Devils play ACC newcomer SMU in a key league game
One thing Duke hasn’t had the chance to do during its strong start to this football season is play a ranked team.
Well, the Blue Devils get that chance in each of the next two Saturdays, beginning with No. 22 Southern Methodist when the Mustangs come to Wallace Wade Stadium on Saturday night.
SMU (6-1, 3-0 ACC) is one of four teams still unbeaten in ACC play, along with No. 9 Clemson (6-1, 5-0 ACC), No 6 Miami (7-0, 3-0 ACC) and No. 19 Pitt (6-0, 2-0 ACC)..
With Miami up next on the road on Nov. 2, Duke (6-1, 2-1 ACC) must contend with SMU first.
That means facing a Mustangs defense that’s the best in the ACC at stopping the run this season. SMU leads the ACC in fewest rushing yards allowed per game (87.0) and fewest yards allowed per carry (2.64).
Duke’s rushing offense, statistically, is low among ACC teams. The Blue Devils average 112.4 yards per game (No. 14 in the ACC) and 3.47 yards per carry (also 14th).
At the same time, that rushing offense played key factors in both of Duke’s ACC wins, its 21-20 comeback win over North Carolina and last Friday’s 23-16 win over Florida State with strong second-half production.
“It’s like every part of the team,” Duke coach Manny Diaz said. “It has room for improvement, but I do think that we have been able to stay committed to it. That allows us to help protect our defense, and it has paid dividends in the second half of games.”
Though he wasn’t the starter when the season began, Star Thomas is No. 6 in the ACC with 616 yards rushing this season. He’s had three games with 100 yards or more and fell just short of a fourth when he ran for 88 yards against FSU.
Diaz isn’t concerned that the running game has started slowly this season. It’s the cumulative effect, he said, that pays off as games progress.
“Our o-line continues, and tight ends continue to improve every week,” Diaz said. “The running game is going to be really important against a team that rushes a passer as well as SMU does.”
Kickoff time + TV channel for SMU at Duke
The game is scheduled to kick off at 8 p.m. Saturday with ACC Network televising. ACC Network is available on major cable and satellite services like Spectrum, DirecTV and Dish Network.
Streaming options for Blue Devils-Mustangs matchup
In addition to ESPN+, streaming options to watch Friday’s Duke-SMU game include fuboTV, DirecTV Stream, YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV and Sling TV.
Betting odds
SMU is an 11.5-point favorite. The over-under total is 48.5 points.
SMU at Duke game and TV info
Teams: SMU Mustangs (6-1, 3-0 ACC) at Duke Blue Devils (6-1, 2-1 ACC)
Where: Wallace Wade Stadium, Durham
Date: Saturday, Oct. 26, 8 p.m.
TV: ACC Network
Stream: DIRECTV Stream, fuboTV, Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, SlingTV
Series history: While this is the third time Duke and SMU have met in football, it’s the first time since 1956. The Blue Devils won the previous two meetings, with the first coming in 1952.
This story was originally published October 24, 2024 at 6:00 AM.