There are seven games left on the Duke football schedule after Saturday, but Week 5 can make or break the emotions around head coach [autotag]Manny Diaz[/autotag]’s first season.
The North Carolina Tar Heels come to town, and the Blue Devils could reset some precedents with a triumph. Duke seeks its first win over its rival since 2018, its first 5-0 start in three decades, and Diaz’s first victory over former boss Mack Brown. After national writers questioned whether this team would finish last in the ACC before the season, the Blue Devils could move within one victory of a bowl appearance.
There are questions to answer, as well. Duke won its first four games of the year, but the Blue Devils have only played one Power Four program thus far, and that triumph came in overtime against a 2-2 Northwestern team. Can quarterback Maalik Murphy and his teammates prove themselves against conference competition?
Here are our staff predictions for Saturday’s game.
Ryan Haley, Duke Wire site editor
There are pros and cons to playing a football team that just got publicly embarrassed the week before, and Duke won’t know which one outweighs the other until Saturday afternoon.
On one hand, the North Carolina locker room just listened to its coach question whether or not he should step away from the team (maybe not genuinely, but Mack Brown seems desperate for answers he can’t find at the very least). That theme of disarray has shown up on the field, too. The Tar Heels have tried three different approaches at quarterback since they lost Max Johnson, and they seem mistake-prone with eight turnovers through four games.
However, if the players truly rallied behind Brown in the way those reports indicate, there’s always a chance that the Blue Devils get a team set on proving something. No one has denied the talent on North Carolina’s roster, and a week of focused practice could make Week 4 a thing of the past in Chapel Hill.
Personally, I think UNC’s issues stretch back farther than last Saturday. The Tar Heels gave up 300 passing yards and multiple touchdowns to Charlotte in Week 2, and they currently sit dead last in the ACC in yards allowed per attempt.
Tar Heels running back Omarion Hampton could easily break this game, especially against a Duke run defense that’s given up two 40-yard carries over the last three games. The Blue Devils passing offense couldn’t reach 300 yards against Connecticut or Middle Tennessee, two secondaries that were statistically more vulnerable than UNC. But I still think the Duke defensive line and Jordan Moore contribute enough for the win,
Duke 24, UNC 20
Bryant Crews, Staff Writer
Duke can nearly solidify its season with a win on Saturday. The caveat is that they will need to beat their biggest rival, a game in which the Blue Devils haven’t fared well over the last five matchups. Duke hasn’t beaten UNC since Daniel Jones accounted for 547 yards and four touchdowns in a 42-35 win at Wallace Wade back in 2018.
UNC just got smoked by James Madison, allowing 70 points behind an all-time performance from JMU quarterback Alonza Barnett III. I think UNC will come out motivated and ready to play, and if Duke doesn’t, they will lose this game. Duke can’t run the ball, but the UNC secondary isn’t great. The talent level Duke plays against is about to rise, so this team will have to up its game.
I don’t believe UNC and Mack Brown can get the stench of that 70 points out of their mouths enough to beat Duke, and I have the Blue Devils at home winning a thriller. Maalik Murphy throws for 300 yards and three touchdowns, Jordan Moore goes off for over 100 yards and a score, and Aaron Hall records a sack.
Duke 31, UNC 24