First Look: Duke football plays No. 6 Miami as Manny Diaz returns to face Hurricanes
Duke suffered an emotional loss, losing 28-27 in overtime to No. 22 SMU despite forcing six Mustangs turnovers while not turning the ball over itself.
Now the Blue Devils have to hit the road to face another ranked team in No. 6 Miami and there’s even more emotional baggage to go along with that.
The son of a former Miami mayor, Manny Diaz, Duke’s first-year head coach, has a long history with Miami’s program. He was Miami’s defensive coordinator from 2016-18, before being elevated to head coach from 2019-21. He posted a 21-15 record in that role before being fired so Miami could hire Oregon head coach Mario Cristobal.
Now, Saturday at noon, Diaz will coach against Cristobal and the Hurricanes, back at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium.
Key matchup: Duke defense vs. Miami offense
Miami possesses a high-powered offense this season, led by quarterback Cam Ward. The Hurricanes average an ACC-best 48.4 points per game while producing a conference-best 560.8 yards per game.
Ward is a leading candidate for not only the ACC player of the year award, but a possible Heisman Trophy winner. He’s completed 68% of his passes this season, throwing for 343.3 yards per game with 24 touchdown passes and five interceptions.
It’s the most serious test of the season for Duke’s defense, which is having a strong season of its own. The Blue Devils have allowed 327 yards per game, No. 4 in the ACC, and 18.6 points per game, No. 2 in the ACC.
Duke leads the ACC in tackles for losses (71) by a wide margin. But the Blue Devils only had two in their loss to SMU.
The Blue Devils will need to be at their stingiest against Ward and the Hurricanes.
Player to watch: WR Eli Pancol
With senior wide receiver Jordan Moore limited to a reserve role due to injury, Duke has turned to senior receiver Eli Pancol as its biggest weapon in the passing game.
Moore has 34 catches for a team-best 481 yards this season. But Pancol, after catching 11 passes for 138 yards and a touchdown against SMU, now has a team-high 36 catches with 446 receiving yards.
Even if Duke’s defense is playing well, Miami figures to be able to put up points. Duke’s offense, with quarterback Maalik Murphy, will need to counter with big plays. Pancol will need to be a part of that for the Blue Devils to pull the upset.
Vegas betting odds
Miami is a 20.5-point favorite over Duke with the over-under total at 56.5 points.
Duke at Miami
Teams: Duke Blue Devils (6-2, 2-2 ACC) at Miami Hurricanes (8-0, 4-0 ACC)
Where: Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida
Date: Saturday, Nov. 2
Time: Noon
TV: ABC
Stream: DIRECTV Stream, fuboTV, Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, SlingTV
This story was originally published October 28, 2024 at 5:00 AM.