Despite a midseason slump, it looks like redshirt sophomore [autotag]Maalik Murphy[/autotag] might break a Duke football record in his first season with the program.
Thanks to his two passing touchdowns against the NC State Wolfpack on Saturday, the former Texas Longhorn now has 22 for the season, just two short of Anthony Dilweg’s single-season record of 24 that has stood since 1988.
Murphy started the season on a torrid pace, throwing multiple touchdowns in every non-conference game to give him 11 through four contests. He only found the end zone three times in the next three games, but Murphy stacked two more three-touchdown games against SMU and Miami to reach 20 after Week 10.
He hit star senior Jordan Moore for a 45-yard score in the first quarter of Saturday’s 29-19 win, and his nine-yard touchdown throw to Sahmir Hagans gave Duke a 14-point lead at the start of the fourth quarter.
Dilweg’s single-season yardage record of 3,824, also set in 1988, looks out of reach for Murphy, who has only accumulated 2,366 through 10 games. With 634 combined yards against Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, and a potential bowl opponent, Murphy would put together the seventh 3,000-yard season in school history.