Miami vs. Duke: Scouting the Blue Devils
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The Blue Devils are no push-over like they may have been in years past. First-year head coach Mike Elko has massively improved the Duke football program in just under a year’s time.
Duke got off to a 3-0 start to the 2022 season but has tapered off with three one-possession losses. Duke has hung with every team on its schedule, which is something Miami can’t say.
Take a look to see what this Duke squad brings to the table when the Blue Devils take on the Hurricanes this weekend.
Offense
Leading the Blue Devils at the helm is Riley Leonard, who’s been pretty efficient not only as a passer but as a runner.
Leonard is extremely inconsistent when throwing between the hashes. He’s attempted the majority of his passes down the middle and he's found himself tossing the majority of his interceptions in that area. As a matter of fact, all four have come while throwing over the middle.
Despite the inconsistencies down the middle, Leonard has also tossed
the majority of his touchdowns over the middle with five of his nine touchdowns coming in that vicinity. Leonard is completing 65.7% of his passes on the year while averaging 222.4 yards per game.
The senior duo of Jalon Calhoun and Eli Pancol will provide a good test for Miami's secondary. Calhoun is the leading wideout for Duke with 29 receptions for 411 yards and two touchdowns while Pancol is just behind him with 296 yards.
As mentioned, Leonard is efficient on the ground, and he’s been Duke’s best weapon as he leads the team in rushing and is second in rushing touchdowns. Duke has 18 rushing touchdowns on the year, with five coming from Leonard and six coming from tailback Jordan Waters.
Duke’s rushing attack is the main thing Miami has to account for as all four of five of Duke’s leading rushers are averaging more than five yards per carry. Waters is just shy of five yards per carry as he’s averaging 4.97, so extremely close.
Defense
Duke has struggled to generate turnovers at a consistent rate with only three on the year. What the Blue Devils lack in creating turnovers, however, they make up for with their ability to create plays behind the line of scrimmage.
What’s odd about the defense is that two of the top leading tacklers behind the line of scrimmage are defensive backs. Darius Joiner and Brandon Johnson are the top two defenders for Duke not only in the backend but all around the field. The defensive backs have combined for two interceptions and 7.5 tackles for loss.
The Blue Devil front hasn’t been the best at getting sacks as they only have 13 on the year. However, the Canes will still have to account for Ja’Mion Franklin and DeWayne Carter who have been a force inside for the Blue Devils. The duo boasts 2.5 sacks each.
The Blue Devils haven’t had the best play out of their linebackers. The one consistent member of the group is Shaka Heyward, who ranks second on the team in tackles with 51. Heyward has been one of the best linebackers in the ACC ever since he stepped on the field in 2019. Heyward also has the highest coverage grade of all Blue Devils according to Pro Football Focus. Dorian Mausi is a quick linebacker that excels in run defense, but is a liability in pass coverage.
Speaking of pass coverage, that's an area Miami could really take advantage of. Duke's highest-graded pass-coverage defender per PFF is Heyward. It's not uncommon for linebackers to have high grades as they're not usually in one-on-one coverage like defensive backs are, but it's not great for Duke.
Duke's safeties are far superior to their cornerbacks as shown by the coverage grades. Johnson is Duke's highest-graded cornerback (min. 100 coverage snaps) at 70.3 while Joiner is the highest-graded safety with a 71.9 grade. The Blue Devils are allowing 260.6 passing yards per game.
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