Tag: maalik murphy

Duke Blue Devils still sit just outside the top 25 in ESPN SP+ rankings

ESPN’s Bill Connelly released the updated SP+ rankings on Sunday, and the Blue Devils remain close to the top of the FBS.

Despite five straight wins to start the season, the Duke Blue Devils still sit outside the top 60 in the ESPN Football Power Index. In the SP+ rankings, however, it’s a very different story.

Bill Connelly released the updated SP+ rankings, which he describes as a balance of tempo and down-to-down efficiency metrics to project future success, on Sunday.

The Blue Devils sit 33rd in the advanced formula thanks to the 14th-ranked defense, and the counting stats back up that defensive prowess. Defensive coordinator Jonathan Patke and his secondary are surrendering 4.9 yards per attempt, the only ACC secondary allowing fewer than six, with six passing touchdowns allowed against four interceptions.

SP+ isn’t as high on the Duke offense, slotting the Blue Devils as the 82nd overall unit in the country. For context, that puts them squarely between Rutgers and Stanford.

Duke has clearly put too much pressure on its defense through the first six games, falling behind by double-digits in each of its first two conference battles. The Blue Devils are 96th in the FBS in total offense (352.5 yards) and 88th in scoring offense (26.3 points).

The rankings leave Duke as the sixth-highest ACC football team after six weeks. The Miami Hurricanes (ninth) and the Clemson Tigers (12th) remain in a contested battle for the top spot in the conference, and the undefeated Pittsburgh Panthers sit one spot above the Blue Devils at 32nd.

Manny Diaz bemoans ‘self-inflicted’ mistake on game-changing fourth down failure

Read what Duke football coach Manny Diaz had to say about Duke’s fourth-and-1 miss during Saturday’s third quarter.

Duke could have tied the game with a field goal in the third quarter on Saturday.

With a little under five minutes left in the frame, the Blue Devils trailed 10-7 and faced a fourth-and-1 from the 9-yard line. Instead of taking the three points, however, head coach [autotag]Manny Diaz[/autotag] weighed how effectively his offense moved the ball down the field (82 yards over the previous 11 plays). He opted for the aggressive play, asking his offense for one more yard to keep the drive churning.

Running back [autotag]Star Thomas[/autotag] took the handoff, but his legs got tangled with quarterback Maalik Murphy. The senior back fell to the ground untouched just behind the line of scrimmage.

After the game, Diaz said the miss felt like the defining play of the game.

“The sad part is, it’s self-inflicted,” Diaz said. “We tripped over each other in the backfield…That’s not unlucky, that’s execution. That’s on us.”

A potential three-point swing doesn’t sound consequential in a game Duke lost by 10, especially considering that the Blue Devils took the lead with a 65-yard touchdown to receiver Sahmir Hagans on the next drive, but what about a seven-point swing? Because Diaz said that, to his eye, the offensive line created a hole for Thomas, and both touchdowns would have given his team a 21-10 lead after three quarters.

“To make that score 11 (after the Hagans touchdown) in our time of ascendancy would have been very important for what they would have come at us with offensively afterward,” Diaz concluded.

Duke football comeback script comes up short against Georgia Tech

The Blue Devils took a second-half lead against Georgia Tech on Saturday, but a sixth straight win was not to be.

Duke football and head coach [autotag]Manny Diaz[/autotag] tried to find more second-half heroics in Atlanta on Saturday night, but the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets flipped the script in the fourth quarter for a 24-14 victory.

The Blue Devils ended Week 5 on an offensive tear, scoring three late touchdowns in their 21-20 comeback victory over the North Carolina Tar Heels, but Duke came out of the gates slow again on Saturday.

Georgia Tech’s Eric Singleton Jr. found a seam up the left side of the field on the opening kickoff, racing all the way to the 40-yard line before being forced out of bounds. The Yellow Jackets marched the ensuing 60 yards over the next 12 plays, including a pair of third-down conversions, for an opening touchdown.

Six players after a quick Blue Devils punt, Georgia Tech quarterback Haynes King found Singleton for a fourth-and-2 conversion to get the Yellow Jackets well into Duke territory again. The game seemed to be on the verge of getting out of hand.

Duke’s defense shored up from there, however. The Yellow Jackets didn’t move the chains again on that drive, and after a false start penalty moved them back to the 44-yard line, Georgia Tech decided to punt. King and his offense only scored three more points before the end of the first half.

The same resolve that helped Duke erase fourth-quarter leads against Northwestern, Connecticut, and the Tar Heels showed itself again. After a defensive pass interference call wiped an untimely interception off the board near the end of the first half, quarterback Maalik Murphy tossed the ball to senior wideout Eli Pancol on a short crossing route.

The fifth-year Blue Devil raced the remaining 20 yards to the end zone, narrowly beating the Yellow Jackets to the right pylon.

Despite being outgained 199-75 over the first 30 minutes, Duke only trailed 10-7 at the break.

At the start of the third quarter, it was Duke’s turn to explode on the opening kickoff. Peyton Jones raced all the way down the right side to the opposing 32-yard line. Less than a minute of game time after Murphy seemingly put up a backbreaking turnover, the Blue Devils had an ideal chance to take command.

Consecutive fourth-down failures stalled two drives deep in Georgia Tech territory, and it seemed like the close-game luck would finally turn for Diaz and his program. Instead, with three minutes left in the third quarter, Murphy found another dime.

The Yellow Jackets brought six rushers on a blitz, but rather than panicking or trying to evade, Murphy rifled the ball off his back foot and hit Sahmir Hagans in stride on a slant. With one less defender in the secondary, Hagans raced all the way to the end zone for a 65-yard score, giving Duke the 14-10 lead.

Right when it seemed like the Blue Devils would pull off another comeback, however, the Yellow Jackets’ offense got going again. After Duke hadn’t allowed a fourth-quarter touchdown in the first five games of the season, Georgia Tech scored two within four minutes to build a 10-point lead with 6:36 left to play.

The Yellow Jackets outgained Duke 122-46 over the final 15 minutes, and thanks to a missed 43-yard field goal from Todd Pelino, the Blue Devils didn’t score in the fourth quarter.

Duke now gets a bye week after its first loss of the season, not playing again until a Friday night game against the Florida State Seminoles on October 18.

Staff predictions for Week 6 matchup between Duke and Georgia Tech

With Duke football is gearing up to take on Georgia Tech this Saturday, check out our Duke Wire staff predictions for the game.

The Duke Blue Devils hit the road for the third time in five weeks on Saturday, traveling down to the Peach State to face off with the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.

On paper, first-year head coach [autotag]Manny Diaz[/autotag] and his roster have all the momentum in this battle. The Blue Devils are undefeated through five games for the first time in 30 years after their massive comeback against the North Carolina Tar Heels, and the Yellow Jackets have lost each of their last two conference games.

However, the Georgia Tech offense poses a different kind of threat. While UNC started three different quarterbacks in its first four games, Yellow Jackets quarterback Haynes King leads the ACC in completion percentage while averaging more than nine yards per attempt.

The last time Duke played a Power Four team on the road, the Blue Devils needed a last-minute field goal to force overtime against Northwestern in Week 2 before two touchdowns in extra time gave them the win. Will this road trip be just as successful?

Here are our predictions for the Week 6 matchup.

Ryan Haley, Duke Wire site editor

The Duke defense passed a huge test against North Carolina running back Omarion Hampton. Even with linebacker Alex Howard shaken up early in the game, the Blue Devils held the conference’s leading rusher to 103 yards on 29 attempts.

Now, they go from the ACC’s best individual runner to one of the ACC’s most potent rushing attacks. King and running back Jamal Haynes both have more than 200 rushing yards already this season, and the Yellow Jackets have 15 rushing touchdowns as a team through five games.

Part of why Duke found success against the Tar Heels came from defensive adjustments in the second half, but quarterback Jacolby Criswell didn’t make them pay for changing their scheme. He completed 53.8% of his passes for 6.4 yards per attempt, and while that might be the best game against the Duke secondary so far this season, King has been exceptionally more efficient in 2024.

If any team has the discipline and experience to limit King and wide receivers Malik Rutherford and Eric Singleton Jr., however, it’s this Duke roster. Georgia Tech’s secondary hasn’t been exceptional or even very good this season, and running back Star Thomas looks unstoppable. I still think the Yellow Jackets emerge victorious, but there’s a much more realistic path to a Blue Devils victory than people admit.

Georgia Tech 27, Duke 24

Bryant Crews, Staff Writer

The vives have been immaculate in the 919 after Duke beat Tobacco Road rival UNC 21-20 in one of the most incredible comebacks in program history. Duke was down 20 early in the third quarter but reeled off 21 unanswered points to beat the Tar Heels and reclaim the Victory Bell for the first time in six years.

Duke is 5-0, and now the Blue Devils must manage their emotions while attempting to travel to Atlanta to take on Brent Key and his Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. The Yellow Jackets, fresh off a loss to the ranked Louisville Cardinals, are 3-2 on the year. Their season started on such a high note after stunning the Florida State Seminoles in Ireland, but now that win looks far from impressive, given how bad FSU has looked the rest of the season.

Nonetheless, Georgia Tech will be up and ready for this game, and Duke will have its hands full with the football that the Yellow Jackets play.

I’ll be honest: I had this penciled in as a loss before the season, mainly because I expected a hangover from the UNC game. Add in Georgia Tech’s style of football and the situational spot with Duke going on the road in the ACC for the first time this season.

I am not a coward and won’t renege on my previous decision. I’m unsure if Duke will be able to match what is likely another fast start from another desperate team in Georgia Tech.

Duke has lost its last three against Georgia Tech, and Saturday will make it a fourth.

Georgia Tech 26, Duke 20

Duke running back Star Thomas keeps delivering on his name in the Blue Devils backfield

With more than 53% of Duke’s offensive production on Saturday, running back Star Thomas looks like the Blue Devils’ heartbeat through Week 5.

The Duke Blue Devils won yet another football game on Saturday, this time a 21-20 comeback victory over the North Carolina Tar Heels, and running back [autotag]Star Thomas[/autotag] once again stole the show.

Thomas ran for at least 100 yards in each of the previous two games, but he put together his best performance yet against UNC. The senior running back picked up 166 yards on the ground and added 45 receiving yards, reaching the end zone twice.

Most of Thomas’s work came after the second half began. After he managed just 44 yards on 12 attempts over the first 30 minutes, the New Mexico State transfer started to wear down the North Carolina defense.

He broke free for runs of 10 and 19 yards on Duke’s first second-half possession to guide the offense across midfield. A few plays later, he caught a check-down pass and raced 29 yards to the end zone, somehow staying in bounds for the Blue Devils’ first points of the game.

https://twitter.com/DukeFOOTBALL/status/1840156778803134778

Thomas scored again from two yards out in the opening minute of the fourth quarter, but his biggest sequence came on Duke’s following go-ahead touchdown march. The Blue Devils faced a first-and-20 after a holding penalty, but Thomas picked it all back up in two plays with a 16-yard catch and a 19-yard run.

Two plays later, the Blue Devils took the lead for good.

“What an inspiration that guy is for our team,” head coach Manny Diaz said after the game. “It just felt like he got stronger and stronger as the game went on.”

The first-year Blue Devil now has 480 rushing yards for the season, 399 of which have come in the past three games. His 211 yards from scrimmage equaled 53.6% of Duke’s offensive production on Saturday, and he’s averaging 5.78 yards per attempt over the last 12 quarters.

The offense has just looked more explosive since Thomas settled into the system. With each successive game, the offensive line is creating larger holes, and Thomas seems to find the right avenues faster and faster. He brings excellent contact balance, able to stay upright through the first tackler, and he rarely gets pushed backward once he collides with a defender.

The story of the first two Duke football games this year centered around how pass-heavy the offense looked, but over the past two games, Thomas has nearly as many rushing attempts (47) as quarterback [autotag]Maalik Murphy[/autotag] has pass attempts (54). With the results looking like they have, it’s hard to argue with the logic behind that decision.

The Blue Devils clinched their first 5-0 start since 1994 and reclaimed the Victory Bell for the first time in six years on Saturday, but Thomas emerging as a potential focal point for the rest of the year outweighs it all.

Maalik Murphy and Chandler Rivers post victory cigar photo after Duke football win over UNC

Duke beat North Carolina for the first time in six years on Saturday. Maalik Murphy and Chandler Rivers celebrated accordingly.

The Duke Blue Devils beat the North Carolina Tar Heels for the first time since 2018 on Saturday, and the locker room made sure to properly celebrate the achievement.

Duke fell behind 20-0 early in the third quarter, but the Blue Devils scored three touchdowns in the final 21 minutes to storm all the way back and reclaim the Victory Bell.

Star cornerback [autotag]Chandler Rivers[/autotag] posted a photo after the game of himself with quarterback [autotag]Maalik Murphy[/autotag], both smoking a victory cigar as the Blue Devils picked up bragging rights over the Tar Heels again.

Rivers made four tackles and broke up three passes on Saturday, nearly coming up with the game-ending interception on the final drive when he got in the way of a throw from UNC quarterback Jacolby Criswell. Luckily, linebacker Tre Freeman picked Criswell off just a few plays later to make sure that didn’t matter.

Murphy completed 15 of his 34 passes for 209 yards and a touchdown, Despite the low completion percentage, the first-year starter went on a six-for-six heater in the third quarter that picked up 106 yards to power two touchdown drives.

The Blue Devils improved to 5-0 for the first time since 1994 with the win.

The best photos from the Duke football comeback victory over UNC

Check out the best photos from Duke’s 20-point comeback over the North Carolina Tar Heels on Saturday.

The Duke football team made some history on Saturday in Durham.

The Blue Devils beat the North Carolina Tar Heels for the first time in six years, bringing the Victory Bell back to campus after it had stayed in Chapel Hill since 2018. They overcame a 20-point deficit in the third quarter, the second-largest comeback in school history, and reached 5-0 for the first time since 1994.

After getting outgained 220-97 in the first two quarters and failing to recover a blocked punt to start the second half, Duke finished the game with 394 yards of total offense. 211 of those came from running back [autotag]Star Thomas[/autotag], who ran for 166 yards and turned a short pass into a 29-yard touchdown to get the chains moving for the Blue Devils.

Edge rusher Vincent Anthony Jr. finished with a sack and 2.5 tackles for loss, and star defensive back Chandler Rivers broke up three passes. When linebacker Tre Freeman got his hands on a pass from North Carolina quarterback Jacolby Criswell with less than a minute to play, the game was over and the celebration began.

Here are the best photos from Duke’s 21-20 victory over the Tar Heels on Saturday.

Duke football storms back with three second-half touchdowns to beat UNC

Duke trailed by 20 points with six minutes left in the third quarter, but three late touchdowns brought the Victory Bell back to Durham.

It looked dire for the first two quarters, but thanks to three late touchdowns and a career day from running back [autotag]Star Thomas[/autotag], the Duke Blue Devils took down the North Carolina Tar Heels for the first time in six years on Saturday.

Last week, the Tar Heels allowed 53 points to James Madison before the end of the first half. In the first two quarters on Saturday, UNC didn’t let Duke score a single point.

Blue Devils quarterback [autotag]Maalik Murphy[/autotag], who’d thrown for at least 210 yards with multiple touchdowns in all four non-conference games, completed seven of his 19 first-half passes for 60 yards with two sacks.

The offense took nearly 30 minutes to drive deep into North Carolina territory, only managing to do so thanks to a fourth-down pass interference call, but even that possession came up empty. Kicker Todd Pelino clanked one off the right upright from 47 yards out to keep Duke entirely off the board.

On the other side of the ball, North Carolina running back Omarion Hampton roamed all over the field for 71 yards on 17 attempts in the first 30 minutes. UNC outgained the Blue Devils 220-97, and thanks to two passing touchdowns from fifth-year senior Jacolby Criswell, the Tar Heels took a 17-0 lead into the locker room.

Duke’s comeback effort was dealt a crucial blow on the first possession of the third quarter as well. The Blue Devils’ special teams blocked a UNC punt deep in Tar Heels territory, seemingly setting up the offense within striking distance.

However, instead of falling on the ball, Duke defensive end Ryan Smith let it roll around for a few seconds before trying to jump on it, and it still popped out of his grasp. The ensuing North Carolina recovery, somehow, gave the Tar Heels the ball back, and UNC added a field goal to their lead by the end of the possession.

While the momentum of the blocked punt didn’t take hold, the offense did finally start to churn in the third quarter. Running back Star Thomas charged the team down the field, breaking off runs of 10 and 19 yards to lead the team deep into North Carolina territory.

Two plays later, Murphy dumped the ball off to the former New Mexico State back and watched some magic happen. Thomas raced to the boundary, shrugging off a would-be tackler and finding a way to keep his cleats on green grass all the way to the end zone for a 29-yard score.

https://twitter.com/DukeFOOTBALL/status/1840156778803134778

Smith got some redemption on the next North Carolina drive, bringing down Criswell for a third-down sack to give the offense the ball with three-and-a-half minutes left in the third quarter. Murphy and senior wideout Jordan Moore capitalized with back-to-back connections, the second one gaining a full 43 yards to set the offense up in scoring position again.

After another UNC pass interference penalty set the Blue Devils up right outside the end zone, Thomas burst in for the score to make it a 20-14 ballgame.

One drive later, with the Blue Devils facing first-and-20, Thomas fought his way through tackler after tackler for runs of 16 and 19 yards to put Duke in the red zone. The two carries put the transfer running back above 100 yards for the third straight game, but it was sophomore Peyton Jones who broke free for a 20-yard touchdown run to give Duke the lead.

https://twitter.com/DukeFOOTBALL/status/1840169941498003621

Thomas finished the game with 166 rushing yards, 45 receiving yards, and two total touchdowns. Murphy completed eight of his last 14 passes, finishing the game with 209 yards and a touchdown.

Two drives later, with North Carolina driving near midfield with a chance for a game-winning interception, safety Jaylen Stinson and linebacker Tre Freeman teamed up for the play of the game. Stinson got a free rush at Criswell, forcing a back-footed throw that sailed helplessly into Freeman’s waiting arms.

The Blue Devils get off to their first 5-0 start since 1994, and Duke head coach Manny Diaz got his first victory over former boss Mack Brown. Duke travels to Georgia Tech for a chance at 6-0 next Saturday.

Duke football game against North Carolina Tar Heels officially sold out

The Duke football team announced on Friday afternoon that the Blue Devils game against North Carolina had officially sold out.

The Duke Blue Devils and North Carolina Tar Heels will play in front of a sold-out crowd at Wallace Wade Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

The team announced on Friday that the rivalry battle officially sold out despite some stormy weather in Durham.

The Blue Devils haven’t beaten North Carolina since 2018, but the Tar Heels seem especially vulnerable this time around. They lost starting quarterback Max Johnson for the season in Week 1 and allowed 70 points to James Madison last week, their second time allowing 300 passing yards in three games.

On the other sideline, Duke is within one win of its first 5-0 start since 1994. The Blue Devils’ secondary has given up 4.2 yards per attempt through Week 4 with three interceptions against two passing touchdowns allowed, and transfer quarterback [autotag]Maalik Murphy[/autotag] is one of three ACC passers with 1,000 yards and 11 touchdowns already this season.

Manny Diaz, in his first season as the Duke head coach, also gets the chance to beat his former boss. He worked for UNC’s Mack Brown as the Texas Longhorns defensive coordinator from 2011-13.

Where did ACC Network rank Maalik Murphy among the conference quarterbacks?

ACC Network’s Tom Luginbill counted Maalik Murphy among the conference’s best QBs on Thursday, but how high did he rank the Duke starter?

First-year starting quarterback [autotag]Maalik Murphy[/autotag] has been incredibly productive through his first four games with the Blue Devils, and Tom Luginbill of ACC Network took notice.

Luginbill ranked the eight best quarterbacks in the conference on Thursday, and he put Murphy eighth on the list after Duke’s 4-0 start.

The Blue Devils clearly want to live and die by Murphy’s arm as he leads the conference with 143 attempts through Week 4. The former Texas Longhorn has thrown multiple touchdown passes in every game this season, including three in each of his last three starts. His 11 scoring throws are the third-most in the ACC and have him nearly halfway to breaking the school’s single-season record.

Murphy has thrown an interception in all four games, but he’s also one of six quarterbacks in the conference with 1,000 passing yards already.

Miami quarterback Cam Ward, a Heisman favorite thanks to his 1,439 yards and 14 passing touchdowns, predictably took the top spot, followed by Clemson Tigers quarterback Cade Klubnik.

https://twitter.com/accnetwork/status/1839347251472146932

The fact that Murphy has been so productive despite failing to connect on a lot of deep attempts could mean big things in conference play. Offensive coordinator Jonathan Brewer clearly trusts his guy to be aggressive downfield, and while Pro Football Focus says Murphy has only completed eight of his 27 deep attempts (at least 20 yards downfield), the margins have felt razor-thin.

Besides, no other ACC quarterback has thrown more than 23 deep passes, so the Blue Devils give themselves more chances at explosive plays than anyone in the conference. Perhaps there’s some positive regression coming against a North Carolina secondary that just gave up five touchdowns to James Madison last Saturday.