Tag: Miami Hurricanes

Jordan Moore enters Catch of the Year conversation with one-handed snag against Miami

Duke wide receiver Jordan Moore reminded Blue Devils fans of his talent with a spinning one-handed catch against Miami on Saturday.

Duke football fans have been pretty desperate for highlights from star wide receiver [autotag]Jordan Moore[/autotag], and he delivered in a big way on Saturday.

The senior paced the team with 835 yards and eight touchdowns in 2023 and started his 2024 season with 18 catches for 233 yards through two games, but he’d only caught 11 passes for 175 yards over the past five contests as he battled back from an injury. He hauled in a one-handed touchdown against SMU in Week 9, part of a three-reception game, but he one-upped himself against the Miami Hurricanes.

On a short third down in the final seconds of the third quarter, Duke quarterback [autotag]Maalik Murphy[/autotag] rolled to his right and lofted a pass to Moore downfield. The redshirt sophomore’s throw was a little behind his star wideout, but even with one defender in front of him and another behind, Moore made sure he came down with the football.

He jumped up and stuck his right hand in the air, snagging the ball and spinning to the ground for the secure catch and a first down in one of the most impressive plays of the season.

Moore made another impressive catch in the first half, a beautiful back-shoulder grab for a 27-yard gain, and he caught a short touchdown on a fourth-and-1 attempt in the opening minutes of the third quarter.

USA TODAY Sports college football expert picks don’t like Duke’s chances against Miami

USA TODAY Sports released its expert picks for Week 10 of the college football season on Thursday, and the panel doesn’t like Duke’s chances.

USA TODAY Sports released its expert picks for the Week 10 battle between Duke and No. 5 Miami on Thursday, and the six-voter panel doesn’t have high hopes for the Blue Devils.

All six voters picked the Hurricanes to remain undefeated, one of many unanimous selections among the ranked teams on the schedule.

The Hurricanes lead the FBS in total offense and scoring thanks to quarterback Cam Ward’s Heisman Trophy-caliber season with 2,746 passing yards and 27 total touchdowns.

Despite some questionable performances of late, such as letting Louisville score 45 points or letting California build a 35-10 lead, the Miami defense remains statistically impressive. The Hurricanes have 26 sacks as a team while allowing 298.9 yards per game, both tops among ACC teams, and their 6.0 yards allowed per pass attempt are second only to the Blue Devils in the conference.

However, those recent performances mean Miami has been on routine upset watch recently. The Hurricanes needed to overcome double-digit leads against the Golden Bears and Virginia Tech in the fourth quarter before beating the Cardinals by one score.

If not for a blocked field goal on the final play of regulation against SMU, the Blue Devils would roll into Coral Gables with a 7-1 record and a ranked victory.

Manny Diaz tries to beat his former program at noon Eastern time on Saturday.

Staff predictions for Week 10 matchup between Duke and Miami

Duke football is gearing up to take on the undefeated Miami Hurricanes on Saturday, check out our Duke Wire staff predictions for the game.

The most intimidating and consequential matchup on the Duke football schedule has arrived.

The Duke Blue Devils, fresh off a heartbreaking overtime loss to the SMU Mustangs, hit the road for a Saturday afternoon game against the Miami Hurricanes. Head coach [autotag]Manny Diaz[/autotag] came within a blocked kick on the final play of regulation from seven wins over his first eight games with the Blue Devils, and now he gets a chance at revenge against the program that fired him three years ago (although Diaz downplayed the idea of any remaining resentment during his Monday press conference).

While Duke’s defense leads the ACC in passing yards allowed, there hasn’t been a challenge like Miami yet because there isn’t a challenge like the Hurricanes to be found. Quarterback Cam Ward, a leading candidate for the Heisman Trophy, has thrown for 343.3 yards per game this season with 24 passing touchdowns, 3 rushing touchdowns, and five interceptions.

Do the Blue Devils have what it takes to slow down the superstar on his home turf? Here’s what our staff thinks.

Ryan Haley, Duke Wire staff editor

There’s clearly a path to getting ahead of schedule against the Hurricanes. Virginia Tech led the Hurricanes by 10 points with nine minutes to play. The California Golden Bears built a 35-10 lead deep into the second half. While Ward and his offense have crawled out of each hole, teams can only play with fire for so long.

However, the Hokies and Golden Bears are averaging 377.0 and 399.6 yards of offense against FBS opponents, respectively. The Blue Devils have only managed 334.0. Wide receiver Jordan Moore looks progressively healthier every week and the passing offense will get a major shot in the arm when he’s at full throttle, but we’re less than two weeks removed from Maalik Murphy throwing for 70 yards on 24 attempts against the Florida State Seminoles.

The Hurricanes, surprisingly, are second in the conference in yards allowed per pass attempt. While the optics of nearly beating SMU in regulation look great, six turnovers in a single game are a staggering and unrepeatable number even against Ward, who can occasionally struggle with ball security. I don’t think 21 points in regulation, even with two missed field goals, fully sold me on the problems being fixed.

Miami 38, Duke 17

Bryant Crews, Staff Writer

Duke fumbled an incredible opportunity last weekend to check even more boxes on an otherwise excellent season. The loss to SMU probably killed any fleeting hopes of making it to the ACC Championship game, and it also cost them a likely addition to the US LBM Coaches Poll.

Duke played outstanding defense (yet again) and forced SMU to make some big mistakes. Couple that with SMU’s blunders, and Duke had six turnovers and didn’t score on any of them. Before we proceed with the rest of this prediction, Jonathan Brewer’s job should be in question come December.

Duke will have to turn the page, prepare to make a trip to Miami, and take on a top-10 Miami team that looks destined for an ACC Championship game behind potential Heisman winner Cam Ward’s arm. He’s been surgical all season long, and he’s far and away the best quarterback Duke will see this year.

The Hurricanes have some terrific skill position talent, and their defense has multiple guys who will be playing on Sunday next year and in the future. It’s the best Miami team in quite some time, and Duke will not have the horses to win. The defense will be enough to give Miami fits for a half, but Duke’s lack of punch offensively will doom them in the second half.

Miami 34, Duke 16

Josiah Caswell, Staff Writer

This weekend, Duke will face the toughest team they’ve faced all year and the toughest they’ll face for the entire season as a whole. Miami has been a force this year, holding one of the best offenses in the nation led by Cam Ward.

The Blue Devils’ secondary and defense as a whole will need to play their best football. Simply put, Chandler Rivers and company will have their hands full.

The thing is, the Canes’ defense isn’t unstoppable. Whether it be through the air or on the ground, Miami’s defense has been susceptible to big plays. If Duke wants to win, they’ll need to avoid the Canes’ strong pass rush and string together big plays. If they can do it, it could be a four-quarter fight. If not? It could get ugly.

Miami 41, Duke 20

Duke’s pass defense, the best in the ACC, set to face high-flying Miami Hurricanes

With Miami and Duke set to face off this week, the game will feature the ACC’s best passing offense against the top pass defense.

The Miami Hurricanes (8-0, 4-0) will host the Duke Blue Devils (6-2, 2-2) in Week 10 of the college football season. While it will be a big-time ACC matchup for the records alone, it will also be a showdown between the best Power Four passing offense and top ACC pass defense.

The Hurricanes average 366.8 passing yards per game, second only to North Texas among FBS teams, and lead the country with 560.8 total yards per game. On Duke’s side of things, the Blue Devils have allowed just 166.6 passing yards per game, good enough for 13th in the nation and first in the ACC.

The Miami offense has averaged 46.8 points per game, also the top mark in the nation. Additionally, the Hurricanes are led by Heisman Trophy candidate Cam Ward at quarterback. Through eight games this season, Ward has thrown for 2,746 yards and 24 touchdowns with five interceptions. He also has 186 yards and three touchdowns on the ground on just 42 carries.

The Blue Devils defense, on the other hand, has allowed just 18.6 points per game, tied with the Alabama Crimson Tide for 20th in the FBS. Additionally, Duke’s 5.44 yards allowed per pass attempt are the fifth-fewest in the nation and more than 0.5 yards better than any other ACC team.

The most notable Duke star has been cornerback [autotag]Chandler Rivers[/autotag]. Through eight games, he’s recorded 27 tackles, three tackles for loss, two interceptions, five pass deflections, and one defensive touchdown. Each of his picks came in the last two weeks, earning ACC Defensive Back of the Week honors after he returned one for a touchdown against the Florida State Seminoles before making the Pro Football Focus ACC Team of the Week for his performance against SMU.

Duke comes in sixth in USA TODAY Sports ACC power rankings ahead of Week 10

After Week 9, Duke ranks sixth in the USA TODAY Sports ACC rankings following a close loss to SMU.

Despite their Week 9 loss to the SMU Mustangs, the Duke Blue Devils stayed put at sixth in the USA TODAY Sports ACC power rankings from Craig Meyer.

The Blue Devils still sit within the top half of the conference after taking a ranked SMU team to overtime thanks to six forced turnovers.

“The Blue Devils very nearly knocked off SMU in a game they had multiple opportunities to win late,” Meyer wrote, most obviously citing the 30-yard field goal that the Mustangs blocked on the final play of regulation.

Duke matched SMU’s touchdown in overtime but opted to play for the win with a 2-point conversion. Offensive coordinator Jonathan Brewer said on Monday that the Blue Devils missed the winning play by about a foot.

Now with a 6-2 record, Duke ranks behind the Miami Hurricanes, Clemson Tigers, Pittsburgh Panthers, SMU Mustangs, and Syracuse Orange on Meyer’s list in order. None of those teams moved up or down in the Week 10 update either.

Looking to rebound from the loss, the Blue Devils will face the undefeated Miami Hurricanes in Week 10. Miami is coming off a 36-14 dominant victory over the Florida State Seminoles, and Duke coach Manny Diaz led the Hurricanes from 2019-21 before being replaced by current coach Mario Cristobal. Diaz insisted on Monday that the homecoming won’t be a revenge game.

Manny Diaz says the Duke defense needs to ‘defend two plays’ against Miami QB Cam Ward

Manny Diaz talked about the challenge Miami quarterback Cam Ward presents on Monday, saying he essentially makes defenses stop two plays.

Miami quarterback Cam Ward wouldn’t lead the Power Four in passing yards and touchdowns through Week 9 if he were easy for defenses to slow down.

The former Washington State quarterback has averaged 343.1 passing yards per game across the Hurricanes’ undefeated start, finding the end zone 24 times against just five interceptions to position himself as a favorite for the Heisman Trophy. He helped erase a 10-point Virginia Tech lead in Week 5 before leading Miami back from a 35-10 hole against California seven days later.

Ahead of his team’s trip to Coral Gables, Duke football coach [autotag]Manny Diaz[/autotag] talked about what makes Ward such a nightmare for opposing teams during his Monday press conference.

“You’ve got to defend two plays,” Diaz said. “The first thing, he’s got great anticipation, very quick release, very accurate, and then he’s a hard guy to get on the ground. He runs around and can make plays scrambling to throw and scrambling to run.”

While Ward doesn’t rip off 40-yard scrambles with the ease of 2023 Heisman winner Jayden Daniels, he’s still more than capable as a runner. He’s amassed 186 rushing yards and three touchdowns on the ground this season.

More than anything else, Diaz highlighted how Ward makes Miami a particularly dangerous team on third down. The Hurricanes have converted 59.8% of those plays into first downs so far in 2024. The Army Black Knights, who sit second among FBS offenses in third-down conversion rate, are only moving the chains on 54.7% of their tries.

“Any quarterback like that at any level puts a high amount of stress on the defense,” Diaz said. “I’m sure everyone has gone into the game saying ‘Hey, we’ve got to try to contain this guy,’ and they’re 0-for-8 in trying to execute that, so how you want to do it and actually being able to pull it off are two different things.”

The elite Duke defense gets its shot at Ward at noon Eastern time this Saturday on ABC.

Manny Diaz, who is not the same man, says he’s ‘at peace’ ahead of the Miami game

The idea of revenge will hang over Duke’s game against Miami, but Manny Diaz said on Monday that he’s at peace with his former program.

Duke and Miami football fans will get reminded a few dozen times before Saturday afternoon, but [autotag]Manny Diaz[/autotag] returns to Coral Gables in Week 10.

The first-year Blue Devils head coach, who was born in Miami, spent three seasons as the school’s defensive coordinator before being elevated to the Hurricanes’ head coach in 2019. He finished with a 6-7 record in his first campaign before going 15-8 between the 2020 and 2021 seasons, giving him a 21-15 overall mark and a 16-9 record against ACC opponents.

In one of the more bizarre sagas in recent college football history. however, the Hurricanes strung out the end of his tenure. The school not-so-secretly courted Mario Cristobal, then the coach of the Oregon Ducks, before ultimately firing Diaz on December 6, 2021.

“I am disappointed in the University’s decision and the manner in which this played out over the last few weeks,” Diaz wrote in a statement shared to X, the social media platform then known as Twitter. “I leave very proud of what we were building and the fight we brought every week.”

Miami announced Cristobal as his replacement on the same day.

If Duke football fans want bloodthirsty revenge from the man in charge, however, Diaz did not sound like a man scorned during his Monday press conference.

“There’s a great saying that no man crosses the same river twice for he’s not the same man and it’s not the same river,” Diaz said. “That’s really the way I look at it. I’ve grown, I’m different as a coach, as a head coach, as a man.”

The Blue Devils have certainly benefitted from that growth. Duke won its first five games of the season for the first time in three decades, and Diaz and his team came within a 2-point conversion of upsetting the ranked SMU Mustangs at home on Saturday night.

Diaz, a defensive coach by trade, has his side of the ball absolutely dialed. Under the supervision of defensive coordinator Jonathan Patke, the Blue Devils held an SMU offense averaging more than 40 points per game to just three touchdowns in regulation thanks to six turnovers and a goal-line stand on fourth down.

Duke ranks second among FBS teams in tackles for loss (71), 10th in yards allowed per play (4.55), and 13th in sacks (24).

Cristobal and the Hurricanes, for their part, threw themselves into the heart of the College Football Playoff conversation after winning each of their first eight games. Quarterback Cam Ward is a Heisman favorite after compiling 2,746 yards and 24 touchdowns through the air, leading the Power Four in both categories.

One detail from Diaz’s press conference felt like it summed up the entire idea of a dramatic homecoming. While the Duke coach will answer question after question about being back in Miami, he actually said he owns a place in the area and returns pretty frequently. The three years since his departure have dulled this into another game on the schedule.

“I’m at peace,” Diaz said simply. “I’ve moved on.”

Duke football completely drops from AP Poll after overtime loss to SMU

The Duke Blue Devils didn’t receive a vote in Sunday’s updated AP Poll after their 28-27 loss to the SMU Mustangs.

After a brief appearance with a few votes last week, the Duke Blue Devils were nowhere to be found in the updated AP Poll on Sunday.

Duke fell behind the SMU Mustangs by 14 points midway through the third quarter on Saturday night, but a pair of touchdown passes from quarterback Maalik Murphy tied the game with less than ten minutes remaining. Despite the defense intercepting SMU quarterback Kevin Jennings twice and forcing another fumble on the closing three possessions, part of a six-turnover day for the Blue Devils, two missed field goals doomed Duke to overtime.

Kicker Todd Pelino actually had a 30-yard attempt to win the game in the final three seconds, but Mustangs defensive end Jahfari Harvey jumped over the line and got his hand up for a deflection. Murphy threw another touchdown in overtime, but a failed 2-point conversion ended the upset effort.

SMU moved up two spots to 20th as they remained one of four ACC teams in the rankings. The Miami Hurricanes broke into the top five after their 36-14 victory over the Florida State Seminoles, and the Clemson Tigers (11th) and Pittsburgh Panthers (18th) also appeared.

The Oregon Ducks, Georgia Bulldogs, Penn State Nittany Lions, and Ohio State Buckeyes remained the top four teams in order.

Duke football will play the Miami Hurricanes on national television next Saturday

The ACC announced its coverage schedule for Week 10 of the college football season on Saturday, including a national slot for Duke vs. Miami.

The Duke Blue Devils are playing a football game in front of a national audience next weekend.

The ACC announced its Week 10 football coverage schedule on Saturday night, and Duke will play the undefeated Miami Hurricanes on ABC at noon Eastern time on November 2.

If Saturday night’s overtime loss to the SMU Mustangs had gone a different way, next week’s game could have been one of the most impactful on the schedule. If not for a blocked kick on the final play of regulation, Duke would have entered Week 10 with a 7-1 record and a chance to put themselves in position for a conference championship appearance.

Even still, the Blue Devils could throw the ACC race and College Football Playoff picture into chaos with an upset of the 8-0 Hurricanes. Miami rolled to a 36-14 victory over the Florida State Seminoles in Week 9, but it trailed California and Virginia Tech by multiple scores in the second half over its past four games.

Duke football coach Manny Diaz coached the Hurricanes from 2019-21. He finished with a 21-15 record, but Miami fired him after just three seasons to pursue current head coach Mario Cristobal.

Miami QB Cam Ward padded his Heisman resume with a slick touchdown catch

Cam Ward can do it all!

Cam Ward’s Heisman Trophy resume was already looking pretty strong before Saturday’s Miami-Florida State game, as he entered Week 9 leading all FBS quarterbacks with 2,538 total passing yards and 24 passing touchdowns.

The Miami Hurricanes passer is usually poised in the pocket and when it falls apart, and he can improvise sometimes with his legs too.

Well, Saturday in No. 6 Miami’s convincing 36-14 win over Florida State to move to 8-0 on the season, Ward showed he’s a quarterback of many talents when he caught his first college career receiving touchdown.

On second-and-goal on Florida State’s seven-yard line late in the fourth quarter, Miami went for a trick play that worked beautifully. Ward took the snap and tossed the ball to running back Damien Martinez, who quickly flicked it to tight end Elijah Arroyo. As Ward headed toward the end zone, Arroyo threw the ball back to his quarterback, and Ward waltzed across the goal line.

Although the two-point conversion attempt failed, the touchdown gave the Hurricanes a 23-7 lead on their way to victory.

Ward finished the game completing 22-of-35 passes for 208 yards, and surprisingly, his only touchdown was his seven-yard catch. It feels like he’s just showing off at this point, but we love it.

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