Behind Enemy Lines: Q&A with Duke Football Writer
Conor O'Neill, the publisher of Deacons Illustrated and Devils Illustrated, answered our questions in preparation for Saturday's game between Wake Forest and Duke. O'Neill can be followed on Twitter @ConorONeill_DI. Read his answers below:
Just how good has Riley Leonard been for Duke this season?
"So, I’ll put it this way: I think Drake Maye is an easy choice for first-team All-ACC quarterback, and then I think your second and third-team picks come from any of Sam Hartman, Jordan Travis and Leonard.
That Leonard is in that category speaks volumes about how far he’s come for Duke this season. He’s given the Blue Devils’ staff everything they could’ve asked for, as far as being a balanced QB they can tailor gameplans around.
READ: Wake Forest Football vs Duke - Line, Preview and Predictions
Leonard went from afterthought in the preseason hype about the ACC’s QB strength to one of the best in the league, and he’ll hardly enter next season with the same lack of fanfare."
Where can Leonard put his mark on the game? How can he hurt Wake Forest?
"Leonard is an accurate passer who can stretch the field when called upon, and he’s thrown at least one touchdown pass in every game this season.
His legs have made him a difference-maker, though.
He’s fifth in the ACC in rushing yards with 621 — 20 more than Wake’s leading rusher, Justice Ellison — and averages 5.8 yards per carry, also fifth and remarkable for a QB, considering sack yardage counts against rushing yards.
Leonard rushed for 83.8 yards per game in the four games leading up to last weekend’s loss to Pittsburgh. He had minus-4 yards against the Panthers, as they were one of the only teams to put a clamp on Duke’s zone-read rushes."
Does Leonard have a go-to guy or does he spread the ball around?
"Duke has two receivers who you’d consider go-to guys.
Jalon Calhoun is a fourth-year speedster who leads Duke in receiving yards (637 on 45 catches), and Jordan Moore is a second-year converted QB who leads the Blue Devils in catches (49 for 567 yards).
Calhoun has been a steady contributor in years past and ascended to the No. 1 role when Jake Bobo transferred to UCLA following David Cutcliffe’s resignation last year. Moore has followed the Kendall Hinton path — he started taking slot receiver reps in fall camp and quickly emerged as one of the better slots in the ACC, with tantalizing potential moving forward, given how new he is to the position."
READ: Duke head coach Mike Elko on matchup with Wake Forest
Where has Duke shown the most improvement on defense?
"Turnover margin isn’t the only way to turn around a program, but it’s the most popular.
Duke was abysmal in both hanging onto the football in recent seasons and in taking it away from opponents, and both of those trends have been reversed. The Blue Devils have the best turnover margin in the ACC (plus-14), and it’d still be third in the ACC without the outlier of Miami committing eight turnovers in an October game.
Nickel Brandon Johnson has been the source of several takeaways, with two interceptions, two fumble recoveries and one fumble forced. Defensive tackle DeWayne Carter has forced three fumbles and recovered three, also."
How will the Blue Devils’ secondary match up against Wake Forest’s depth at receiver?
"Wellllllll … that depends on what Wake’s depth at receiver looks like, given the uncertainty that Donavon Greene and/or Jahmal Banks play after leaving last weekend’s game.
While that might make things easier — emphasis on the last syllable — it’s still a mismatch in Wake’s favor. North Carolina and Wake Forest have the best WR corps in the ACC and UNC had 380 passing yards against Duke earlier this season.
Duke has gotten a nice contribution from grad transfer Datrone Young (Iowa State) at cornerback, while freshman Chandler Rivers has moved into a starting role at the other spot.
Duke’s safeties — grad transfer Darius Joiner (Western Illinois) and sophomore Jaylen Stinson — have played well, but there isn’t much depth behind them."
How does Duke beat Wake Forest?
"It’s hard for me to envision Duke winning a shootout — though, not impossible.
Turnovers, obviously, would go a long way in swinging the balance toward Duke’s favor. If Sam Hartman makes some of the same mistakes he made during the three-game losing streak, the Blue Devils could build a multi-score lead and shorten the game with their strong rushing attack."
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Score prediction?
"Maaaan … I’m picking a 30-30 tie. When was the last time there was one of those in college football?
(the trivia answer here is in 1995, Wisconsin and Illinois tied 3-3, which is all kinds of gross)
I try to never give score predictions in these and that’s just when I only cover one of the teams. There’s no chance I’m picking in a game involving both teams I cover."
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