By Vickie Sellers
GAME NOTES
https://goduke.com/documents/2023/12/18/Game_Notes_Troy.pdf
BIRMINGHAM BOWL WEBSITE
DURHAM – Duke makes it’s 16th bowl appearance when it faces off against Troy on Saturday at Protective Stadium
Kickoff is set for 12 Noon (11 a.m. CT), and the game will be broadcast live on ABC.
Duke leads the all-time series between the two schools, 2-0, including a 34-17 victory in Troy, Ala., on Sept. 6, 2014 during the teams’ last meeting. Quarterback Anthony Boone finished the night 27-of-41 for 268 yards and one touchdown while rushing nine times for 47 yards and two scores. David Helton paced the Duke defense with 15 tackles, while DeVon Edwards added 14 tackles, including 10 solo stops, and a pair of forced fumbles.
The Blue Devils have won four-straight bowl games, which entered the bowl season tied for the fourth longest active streak nationally behind Alabama (8), Minnesota (6) and Troy (5). Among ACC teams, Duke holds the longest active streak heading into Saturday’s game.
Duke has seven-plus wins in a single season for the sixth time in the last 10 years. With a win on Saturday, the Blue Devils will have registered eight wins to conclude a season for the 20th time in program history. Additionally, it will mark the first time since 2014-15 in which Duke finished with eight-plus wins in back-to-back years (nine wins in 2022).
Saturday’s ABC broadcast will feature Tom Hart, Cole Cubelic, and Taylor Davis on the call. The game can also be heard on the Blue Devil Sports Network from LEARFIELD through the Varsity app or goduke.com.
HOW TO FOLLOW
Birmingham Bowl
Duke (7-5, 4-4 ACC) vs. Troy (11-2, 7-1 Sun Belt)
Saturday, December 23, 2023 • 12 Noon (11 a.m. CT)
Birmingham, Ala. • Protective Stadium (47,100)
TELEVISION • ABC
RADIO • Blue Devils Sports Network from LEARFIELD
GAME NOTES • Duke Notes (PDF) • Troy Notes (PDF)
LIVE STATS • Birmingham Bowl
TWITTER • @DukeFOOTBALL
GAME NOTES
Ten Blue Devils were honored with ACC recognition at the conclusion of the regular season, including offensive tackle Graham Barton, defensive tackle DeWayne Carter and punter Porter Wilson who also picked up All-America nods.
The Blue Devils join Clemson, Florida State, Louisville and NC State as the only ACC schools averaging 25.0 points or more per game (27.75 ppg, 8th) and allowing 20.0 points or less per outing (19.92 ppg, 4th).
Redshirt sophomore linebacker Tre Freeman leads the team and ranks sixth in the ACC with 97 tackles on the year. The Durham, N.C., native is averaging 8.08 tackles per game and is three stops shy of becoming the first Duke player since Koby Quansah in 2019 to achieve 100-plus tackles in a single-season (105). Over his last eight outings, Freeman has compiled 76 tackles, 5.0 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, one interception, one caused fumble, one pass breakup, and five quarterback pressures.
Graduate running back Jordan Waters ranks fourth in the ACC in rushing touchdowns (12), tied for fourth in points scored by touchdown (72), sixth in yards per rush (5.30), ninth in rushing yards (753), and 10th in rushing (62.75 ypg). The Fairmont, N.C., native has scored one rushing touchdown in eight of Duke’s 12 games this season.
Duke ranks seventh in the ACC, averaging 5.68 yards per play. The Blue Devils have averaged 5.0 yards per play in 7-of-12 games in 2023, missing the mark against No. 11 Notre Dame, No. 4 Florida State, No. 18 Louisville, Wake Forest and Pittsburgh.
The Blue Devils are familiar with Birmingham, Ala., in the postseason, having already played one bowl game in the city, the 1989 All-American Bowl. During the contest, No. 24 Texas Tech defeated Steve Spurrier’s No. 20 Duke, 49-21.
INTERIM HEAD COACH TROOPER TAYLOR
Duke’s interim head football coach, Trooper Taylor, will coach the Blue Devils in their upcoming Birmingham Bowl. Taylor has been on the Blue Devils’ staff since 2019 and served as the associate head coach for the previous three seasons.
LONG AND SHORT DRIVES
Duke has put together 24 scoring drives of eight-plus plays, including 11 drives of 10-plus plays. Additionally, Duke has needed just three or less plays eight times to find points.
TOUGH COMPETITION
Duke faced five nationally-ranked opponents this season, marking the most since facing five in No. 4 Florida State, No. 14 Virginia, No. 19 Clemson, No. 14 NC State, and No. 21 North Carolina during the 1993 season. Duke went 1-4 during those contests this year.
PROGRAM RECORD
Duke concluded the regular season with its program-record sixth home victory of the year following its 30-19 win over Pittsburgh at Brooks Field at Wallace Wade Stadium on Nov. 25. Additionally, Duke finished undefeated at home in ACC play for the first time since 1989.
TURNOVERS LOST
The Blue Devils rank tied for second in the ACC and tied for 22nd nationally in turnovers lost with just 13 on the year. Duke is tied with Virginia Tech in the league and trails Florida State (5).
LOST YARDAGE
The Blue Devils have only lost 158 rushing yards on the year, marking the fewest in the ACC. The next closest to Duke are Miami (163) and Georgia Tech (186).
TOTAL TOUCHDOWNS
Just a season ago, Duke compiled 54 total touchdowns, marking the second-most in program history.
So far in 2023, the Blue Devils have posted 41 total touchdowns (25 rushing, 14 passing, and one fumble recovery and interception for a touchdown) to rank seventh in the ACC. Additionally, Duke reached 40-plus total touchdowns for the 14th time in program history.
LOFTIS STEPPING UP
With injuries to Riley Leonard and Henry Belin IV in 2023, the Blue Devils have turned to freshman QB Grayson Loftis as their starting play caller. Loftis has completed 72-of-134 (.537) pass attempts for 823 yards with eight touchdowns so far during his rookie season.
FRESHMAN PASSING RECORDS
Rookie quarterback Grayson Loftis ranks tied with Spence Fischer (1992) for fifth on Duke’s freshman chart with eight touchdown passes. He is three shy of matching Ben Bennett (1980) and Thaddeus Lewis (2006) for third all-time.
Against Virginia, Loftis finished 26-of-45 passing for a season-high 278 yards with two touchdowns. The 26 pass completions tied him with Zach Asack (vs. Clemson on Nov. 5, 2005) for the 10th most in a single game by a freshman.
With 823 passing yards on the year, Loftis sits 102 and 143 away from tying Bobby Campbell (1997) for ninth and Asack (2005) for eighth in program history, respectively, for passing yards by a freshman.
2,000 x2
During their last outing against Pittsburgh, the Blue Devils reached 2,000 rushing and receiving yards on the year. Over the last 10 seasons, Duke has achieved 2,000-plus rushing and receiving yards on seven occasions, missing the mark in 2016, 2019, and 2020.
FOURTH DOWN DEFENSE
The Blue Devils have held their 12 opponents to just 11-of-25 (.440) on fourth down conversions, a mark that ranks fifth in the ACC and 32nd nationally.
BEST MARK SINCE 1975
Duke’s scoring defense (19.75) is the best mark in program history since 1975 when the defense surrendered just 19.27 points per game.
STAND YOUR GROUND
Duke has two players with 80-plus tackles on the year in Tre Freeman (97) and Jaylen Stinson (82). The Blue Devils are one of five schools in the ACC with at least two players with 80-plus tackles on the year, joining North Carolina, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, and Wake Forest.
Duke has finished with two players with double-digit tackles in a single game four times on the year against No. 9 Clemson, No. 11 Notre Dame, Wake Forest and Virginia.
TACKLES FOR LOSS
In 12 games this season, Duke has compiled 76.0 tackles for loss, led by a team-best 8.5 from DT Aeneas Peebles and N Brandon Johnson. DEs R.J. Oben and Wesley Williams follow closely behind with 6.0 tackles for loss, respectively, on the year.
Over the last two seasons, the Blue Devils have recorded 18 games with 5.0-plus tackles for loss, including 10-of-12 games in 2023. Duke achieved a season high 10.0 tackles for loss against Pittsburgh during its last outing.
DEFENSIVE YARDS PER PLAY ALLOWED
The Blue Devils rank fourth in the ACC and 29th nationally, allowing just 5.15 yards per play. Duke trails Clemson (4.48), Florida State (4.68), and Louisville (5.10).
NET PUNTING
Duke ranks second nationally with a 43.63 net punting average per game.
LIMITING PUNT RETURNS
The Blue Devils held opponents to just 74 punt return yards last season. An average of just 5.69 yards per return. The longest return Duke allowed was a 16-yarder against Kansas. Duke’s opponent yards per return ranked 37th nationally, and ranked fifth in the ACC behind Virginia Tech (2.91), Miami (3.80), Pittsburgh (4.83) and Louisville (5.52).
In Duke’s 12 games of 2023, the Blue Devils have only relinquished 54 yards on 18 returns (3.00). That mark ranks them 15th nationally and first in the ACC.
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