Tag: maalik murphy

Duke football ‘couldn’t have asked for’ a better script in NC State win, Manny Diaz says

After a blown lead against Miami in Week 10, Manny Diaz and Duke found a way to right their wrongs against NC State on Saturday.

Duke football fans would be forgiven for experiencing a wave of déjà vu in the second half of Saturday’s game against NC State.

Seven days after the Blue Devils built a 28-17 lead in Miami only to watch the Hurricanes score five second-half touchdowns, Duke scored the first 12 points of the game in Raleigh.

“It set up the scenario that, if we could have scripted it, we really couldn’t have asked for it any better,” head coach Manny Diaz said after the game. “Up two scores on the road again in league play and could we close? And could we finish?”

When the Wolfpack tied the game at 12 points apiece with a fourth field goal midway through the third quarter, any Duke fans watching at home might have felt a pit in their stomach.

Instead, the offense and defense made the plays they needed on Saturday. [autotag]Maalik Murphy[/autotag] and [autotag]Jordan Moore[/autotag] converted a second-and-20, Murphy ran for a 3-yard touchdown, and safety Terry Moore intercepted a pass.

When Murphy and Sahmir Hagans connected for a 9-yard touchdown after Moore’s pick, the Blue Devils had a 14-point cushion with 14 minutes to play. Kicker Todd Pelino even expunged some demons with a 49-yard field goal with 2:06 to play, making it a two-score game and effectively icing the Wolfpack on their own senior night.

They could close and finish indeed.

Maalik Murphy needs just three more passing touchdowns to break a Duke football record

With two more passing touchdowns against NC State on Saturday, Maalik Murphy sits on the doorstep of a Duke football record.

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.

Maalik Murphy and the Duke defense spoils NC State’s senior night with 29-19 victory

Duke football ruined NC State’s senior day on Saturday thanks to some big plays from quarterback Maalik Murphy and the Blue Devils defense.

Duke desperately needed to move the chains late in the third quarter.

After racing out to a 12-0 lead in Raleigh against the NC State Wolfpack, four field goals from the in-state rivals left the Blue Devils locked in a tie game. With the offense nearing 30 consecutive scoreless minutes, quarterback [autotag]Maalik Murphy[/autotag] faced a second-and-20 from well within his own territory.

The redshirt sophomore hit the back of his drop, but with the edges of the pocket constricting around him, he pushed back toward the line of scrimmage and let the ball fly toward senior wideout [autotag]Jordan Moore[/autotag].

Moore caught the pass a few yards short of the sticks, creating a manageable third down, but he didn’t stop there. He brushed off a tackle and beat the Wolfpack defense to the sideline, somehow getting all 20 yards the Blue Devils needed.

Six plays later, Murphy pushed his way forward for a three-yard rushing touchdown to take a 19-12 lead, and Duke never gave up the advantage again en route to a 29-19 victory.

After allowing 497.5 yards per game to the two best offenses in the conference (SMU and Miami) over the last two weeks, the Blue Devils’ defense bounced back in a big way against the Wolfpack.

After Duke punter Kade Reynoldson pinned NC State within its own 5-yard line for their first possession, defensive linemen Wesley Williams and Aaron Hall wrecked a read-option run on second down and pulled down freshman quarterback CJ Bailey for a safety to give the Blue Devils the lead.

On the second play of NC State’s next drive, Bailey scrambled past the sticks before linebacker Ozzie Nicholas punched the ball out for a fumble, creating Duke’s FBS-leading 12th recovery of the season and giving the offense the ball in enemy territory.

That ensuing drive tacked on three more points thanks to a 50-yard field goal from Todd Pelino, and after two more three-and-outs, NC State finished the first quarter with 41 yards and one first down in 13 plays.

The two biggest plays of the night came from veteran safeties Jaylen Stinson and Terry Moore. NC State star receiver Kevin Concepcion snuck behind the Blue Devils’ secondary on third and goal in the second quarter and made a leaping grab, but Stinson tackled him toward the back line to make sure he couldn’t bring his feet down in bounds.

In the fourth quarter, with the Blue Devils leading by seven, Moore corraled a tipped ball for an interception on the positive side of the field. He made it all the way to the NC State 20-yard line before getting tackled, setting up the touchdown that made it a two-score game.

Duke’s defense finished the game with eight tackles for loss, upping their total to 85 for the season, and the Wolfpack only managed 263 yards of offense for the day.

Murphy eventually won the day by extending his strong recent form. One week after his first career 300-yard game against Miami, the former Texas Longhorn completed (six of his first seven) passes for 102 yards, highlighted by a 45-yard scoring strike to Moore in the middle of the first quarter that made it a 12-0 ballgame.

Moore, who spent the first half of ACC play recovering from an injury, also found the end zone against the Mustangs and Hurricanes. He finished Saturday’s game with three catches for 76 yards, including that critical 20-yard conversion, as he looks like a prominent feature of the offense once again.

After his 245 passing yards and two touchdowns against NC State (even without including the go-ahead rushing touchdown), Murphy is now up to 2,366 yards and 22 passing touchdowns for the season, bringing him within two scores of the single-season school record with two games left to play.

Now 7-3 for the season and back to .500 in conference play, the Blue Devils get a bye week before hosting Virginia Tech on November 23.

Staff predictions for Week 11 matchup between Duke and NC State

Duke is gearing up to take on NC State on Saturday, check out our Duke Wire staff predictions for the game.

The Duke Blue Devils need to right the ship a little bit in Week 11 of the college football season.

Manny Diaz won his first five games as the school’s head coach, the first time that Duke started 5-0 in three decades, thanks to a 20-point comeback against the North Carolina Tar Heels to open ACC play.

However, despite reaching the precipice of an upset against ranked teams in each of the past two weeks, the Blue Devils have now lost three of their last four. Diaz nearly enacted some revenge on his former program in Miami last Saturday, building an 11-point lead over the undefeated Hurricanes before five late Miami touchdowns put the game away.

Now, Duke travels to Raleigh for a rivalry battle with the NC State Wolfpack in desperate need of a get-right win. The Wolfpack have won their past two games to reach 5-4 on the season, but both victories came against California and Stanford, teams with a combined 1-9 record against ACC opponents.

Here are our staff’s predictions for Saturday’s in-state battle.

Ryan Haley, Duke Wire site editor

NC State true freshman quarterback CJ Bailey deserves his flowers for his work replacing former Coastal Carolina star Grayson McCall. With the Wolfpack’s preseason starter forced to medically retire after a head injury, Bailey has thrown for 1,141 yards with nine touchdowns and two interceptions across his last four games.

However, while the Duke pass defense got boatraced by Miami quarterback Cam Ward, he’s a leading Heisman Trophy candidate. The Blue Devils entered Week 9 within the top five in the FBS in yards allowed per pass attempt, and they’ll continue that form. On top of that, a Duke offense that’s finally put together back-to-back games over 390 total yards will feast on an NC State defense that ranks 13th among ACC teams in yards allowed.

Duke 30, NC State 20

Bryant Crews, Staff Writer

Saturday’s game in Raleigh is a gut-check moment for Duke. This season can slide off the rails if Manny Diaz doesn’t have his team ready to compete. Duke let ranked wins over SMU and Miami slip away over the past two weeks and now heads to Raleigh after two straight losses to take on a local rival in a hotly contested game. CJ Bailey replaced Grayson McCall after he medically retired and has done a really good job. He looks like the guy for the future.

I still believe though that Duke is the best college football team in the state of North Carolina this season, and they get back in the win column with a win on Saturday. Maalik Murphy builds on his recent performance and tosses two touchdowns while the ground game also adds a score, too. Duke gets a strip sack and an interception on defense.

Duke 27, NC State 16

Josiah Caswell, Staff Writer

Duke has had a tough schedule over the last few weeks, but it finally gets a little bit easier this week. NC State has struggled from the get-go, and with a backup quarterback, the Blue Devils should be able to get a win here as long as they can hold onto the ball and do what they’ve done all season long.

The most interesting storyline I will be watching, however, is the return of running back Jordan Waters. He spent five years with the Blue Devil for five years and had a career year in 2023 before he transferred to an in-state, conference rival. How will he do, and how will the Duke defense handle his return?

Duke 34, NC State 13

Duke football drops from top 30 in USA TODAY Sports re-rank after third loss in four games

After three losses in the last four games, the Duke football team finally dropped from the top 30 of the USA TODAY Sports re-rank.

In another world, the Duke Blue Devils are 8-1 with back-to-back ranked wins on their resume, but after failing to close out SMU and Miami in consecutive weeks, USA TODAY Sports writer Paul Myerberg finally dropped the Blue Devils from his top 30 on Monday.

Myerberg updated his ranking of all 134 FBS college football teams after Week 10, and in light of their 53-31 loss to the Hurricanes, the Blue Devils slipped down four spots to 32nd.

Seven days after losing to the Mustangs in overtime after a blocked kick on the final play of regulation, Duke built a 28-17 lead over the conference favorites with a short touchdown pass from [autotag]Maalik Murphy[/autotag] to [autotag]Jordan Moore[/autotag] on the first possession of the second half. Miami quarterback Cam Ward couldn’t be held down forever, though, and he finished with 400 yards and five touchdowns as the Hurricanes scored 35 points in the final 23 minutes for the three-score win.

After five straight victories to open the season, head coach Manny Diaz has now lost three of his last four games. Duke also fell to Georgia Tech on the road in Week 6.

The Blue Devils remain among Myerberg’s top ACC teams. The Hurricanes shifted up one spot to fourth, and the Mustangs (11th), Clemson Tigers (19th), Pittsburgh Panthers (22nd), Louisville Cardinals (26th), and Syracuse Orange (28th) are the only other members of the conference above Duke.

Duke’s Maalik Murphy secures first career 300-yard game in loss to Miami

Despite a loss to Miami, Duke quarterback Maalik Murphy set a new personal record with his first 300-yard passing performance.

Duke fell to the Miami Hurricanes on Saturday, but the defeat didn’t fall entirely on the offense. The Blue Devils scored 31 points, their second-most in a game this season and their most against a Power Four team, and took a 28-17 lead early in the second half.

The offensive explosion wouldn’t have happened if not for a productive performance from quarterback [autotag]Maalik Murphy[/autotag], who surpassed the 300-yard mark for the first time in his career.

Murphy finished Saturday’s game 25-for-41 for 325 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions. He’d come close to the milestone before, throwing for 291 yards against Elon in the opener and picking up 295 yards against SMU in Week 9.

Sahmir Hagans was a big help to Murphy, hauling in nine catches for 139 yards and a score. The Blue Devils were unable to match Miami’s five second-half touchdowns, but the Duke offense kept pace with the Hurricanes for three quarters.

Murphy has now thrown for 2,121 yards and 20 touchdowns this season, climbing into a tie for fourth in single-season school history in the latter category.

Maalik Murphy becomes ninth Duke quarterback with 20 passing touchdowns in a season

Maalik Murphy’s three passing touchdowns against Miami moved him into a tie for the fourth-most in a single season in Duke history.

Duke quarterback [autotag]Maalik Murphy[/autotag] lit up the scoreboard again on Sunday against the Miami Hurricanes despite the loss.

The redshirt sophomore finished with 325 yards and three touchdowns, and as a result, he moved into a tie for the fourth-most passing touchdowns in a single season in school history.

Murphy’s performance gave him 20 touchdowns for the season, a mark only eight other Blue Devils quarterbacks have matched in one year.

The former Texas Longhorn has thrown for 2,121 yards, 20 touchdowns, and eight interceptions through nine games this season. While he turned the ball over four times, his three-touchdown day helped Duke put up 31 points against the Hurricanes, the team’s best total against a Power Four opponent.

Murphy now sits alongside names like Ben Bennett (1982), Steve Slayden (1987), Thaddeus Lewis (2009), and Riley Leonard (2022). The three quarterbacks still ahead of him are, in order, Anthony Dilweg (who threw 24 in 1988), Daniel Jones (22 in 2018), and Thaddeus Lewis (21 in 2007).

With three games remaining on Duke’s schedule for the regular season, plus a likely bowl game, Murphy will have a great chance to take Dilweg’s record for himself. Duke will play NC State, Virginia Tech, and Wake Forest for those three games.

Manny Diaz says Duke football ‘didn’t respond well’ to Miami retaking the lead

Duke led Miami by as many as 11 points on Saturday, but head coach Manny Diaz said his team got in its own way after the Hurricanes battled back.

The Duke Blue Devils went on a 28-3 run midway through Saturday’s game against the Miami Hurricanes, opening up an 11-point lead after halftime, but Miami closed with 35 of the game’s last 38 points for a comfortable 53-31 victory.

After the game, head coach Manny Diaz said the team got in its own way once the Hurricanes started to pull away.

“We didn’t respond well after, I think it was the one touchdown drive that made it eight (an eight-point Miami lead),” Diaz said. “I don’t think we responded very well after that.”

That touchdown Diaz is referring to, a 49-yard catch-and-run from Miami quarterback Cam Ward to wideout Jacolby George, came with 12:56 left in the game. The Duke offense had scored points on five of its previous seven possessions, but the Blue Devils punted three times and turned the ball over twice after that point.

Diaz highlighted how the offense failed to convert a third-and-5 opportunity on the following possession, and even after star defensive back [autotag]Chandler Rivers[/autotag] intercepted Ward to give the Blue Devils another chance to tie the game, they only gained four yards for an instant three-and-out.

When the clock hit triple zeros, Miami won the fourth quarter 21-3 and won the second half 36-10.

“It’s a great lesson for our guys that you have to execute at a high level for 60 minutes against really good football teams, especially in their stadium,” Diaz concluded.

Turnovers and explosive plays cost Duke football a major Miami upset, Manny Diaz says

Duke built a lead over Miami on Saturday, but as head coach Manny Diaz said after the game, turnovers and big plays turned the tide.

The Duke Blue Devils built a strong lead over Miami on Saturday afternoon, but the undefeated Hurricanes scored 35 of the game’s last 38 points for a comfortable victory.

According to first-year Duke head coach [autotag]Manny Diaz[/autotag], two main culprits held the Blue Devils back from a season-changing upset.

“It’s a game of turnovers and explosive plays,” Diaz said after the game. “It’s hard to beat anyone on the road if you lose those two battles and it’s definitely hard to beat a team as talented as they are, and I thought that was the telling difference in the second half.”

The Hurricanes offense entered the game leading the FBS in scoring (46.8 points per game) and total offense (560.8 yards), and quarterback Cam Ward was already on the short list of Heisman Trophy contenders with 2,746 passing yards and 28 total touchdowns through eight games.

Duke paced the ACC in yards allowed per pass attempt through Week 9 and held Ward to 138 yards in the first half, but after winning the turnover battle 10-0 over the previous two games, the Blue Devils coughed up the ball three times in the final two quarters.

Each giveaway set the Hurricanes up across midfield, and Miami scored 21 points off turnovers for the game.

“Giving an offense like that short fields,” Diaz continued. “The quarterback is good enough as it is, and to have breakdowns in our coverage to leave guys wide open allowed them to get separation on the scoreboard and really take control of the game.”

Duke quarterback [autotag]Maalik Murphy[/autotag] threw for a career-high 325 yards and three touchdowns, but he also tossed three interceptions and fumbled the ball away. Three of those mistakes came after the Hurricanes moved within three points in the third quarter.

“It’s what happens, right?” Diaz said. “When you fall behind and you’ve got to drop back to try to come from behind, you’re going to put the ball in harm’s way.”

The defense stopped limiting the Hurricanes over the final 30 minutes as well. 18 of Ward’s 41 attempts resulted in a first down or a touchdown, including nine completions of 20 yards or more. The Blue Devils allowed touchdowns of 34, 49, and 66 yards.

“A lot of it was leverage and tackling,” star defensive back Chandler Rivers said after the game. “Getting the ball down, playing another play. We didn’t do a good job of that and then they exposed that.”

Five of Ward’s last eight throws picked up at least 20 yards, including his last two scoring passes, and the Miami quarterback averaged 9.76 yards per attempt for the game.

“We just made mistakes that just cost you a football game,” Diaz concluded.

The best Duke football photos from the Week 10 loss against Miami

Check out the best Duke football photos from the Blue Devils’ Week 10 trip to Miami.

The Duke football team built a 28-17 lead over the undefeated Miami Hurricanes on Saturday, but the Blue Devils couldn’t close the door on Heisman Trophy candidate Cam Ward.

[autotag]Maalik Murphy[/autotag] put together the first 300-yard game of his career and threw three touchdowns for the fifth time this season, but he turned the ball over four times as the Hurricanes ended the game on a 35-3 tear that ballooned the final score into a 22-point victory.

While head coach [autotag]Manny Diaz[/autotag] and his team might feel like they’ve let two straight games get away from them after the blocked field goal against SMU, the Blue Devils are still 6-3 with a second-half lead in eight of their first nine games. With battles against NC State, Virginia Tech, and Wake Forest left on the schedule, nine wins remain very much in play.

Here are the best photos from Duke’s Week 10 trip to Miami.