Hurricanes Begin Conference Play On Road Against Undefeated Duke
Follow CBSMIAMI.COM: Facebook | Twitter
DURHAM (CBSMiami) – For the 8th time in the last nine years the Miami Hurricanes will open ACC play on the road.
The Canes will meet the Duke Blue Devils under the Friday night lights in Durham, North Carolina.
Off to a 4-0 start, Duke is led by quarterback Daniel Jones and a defense that ranks 2nd in the nation in allowing the fewest rushing yards per game, just 66 per contest.
Jones is a redshirt sophomore that stands 6-foot-5, 215 pounds. He will be making 17th straight start and is 8-8 since taking over under center.
Jones is a dual threat quarterback, throwing for 904 yards, 5 touchdowns and 2 interceptions.
Over his last 11 games, Jones has thrown 15 touchdowns and just 3 interceptions.
The Hurricanes run defense must be ready and up for the challenge that Duke will present.
The Blue Devils have two running backs with over 300 yards and as a team is averaging 227 rushing yards per game.
They've run the ball 202 times and thrown it 148 times. They want to run, run, run then hit you downfield off a play action pass.
Wide receiver TJ Raming, a former Army All American leads Duke with 24 catches and does most of his work on crossing patterns and bubble screens.
He caught 10 passes for 117 yards in last year's game against Miami and has 24 catches this season.
Miami prides itself on being able to run the ball and so far this season is averaging 285 yards per game.
Mark Walton is coming off a 204-yard game against Toledo and will be called upon to carry the load against Duke.
The Blue Devils believe they have their best defensive front four in the last 10 years.
Duke is allowing just 66 yards a game on the ground, but this will be the best offense they have seen this year.
Duke plays with five defensive backs on just about every down. Miami will need to get the ball to their speedy receivers.
Sophomore wideout Ahmonn Richards is expected back for this game and should give the passing a game a boost.
The Hurricanes enter this game riding a 7-game winning streak dating back to last season and during the streak, Miami is winning by 20 points per game.
The keys for the Canes will be to win the battle of the run game and win on 3rd down.
It's interesting to note that Duke converts 3rd downs 44 percent of the time and have held their opponents to 7-50, an amazing 14 percent success rate.
Finally, Miami has more talent, but they must match Duke's execution.
The Blue Devils will not beat themselves with penalties and negative plays.
GAME NOTES
- This is the 15th meeting between Miami and Duke. The Canes lead the series 12-2.
- Miami is 11-4 under Mark Richt. In the 11 wins, Miami has won by an average of 26 points.
- Miami has opened ACC play on the road every year since 2009.
- Friday is the Hurricanes first visit to Wallace Wade stadium since this happened: