Duke Football

No matter the score, a victory over your biggest rival is a win all the same.

Duke overcame a 20-point second-half deficit to beat North Carolina 21-20 in Chapel Hill. The Blue Devils had some fun needling UNC on social media after the game.

🤷‍♂️ pic.twitter.com/wxsPOgw7ch

— Duke Football (@DukeFOOTBALL) September 29, 2024

Most fans associate the Duke-North Carolina rivalry with what unfolds on the hardwood. Their men's basketball encounters have been the stuff of legend.

The bad blood extends across all sports, though, and since 1948, the Blue Devils and Tar Heels have been battling for the Victory Bell in football. UNC owns a 64-41-4 all time advantage and recently reeled off a five-game winning streak.

That came to an end Saturday night.

Duke running back Star Thomas, who ran for 166 yards, brought the Blue Devils to within one score with a two-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter. Then running back Peyton Jones put them ahead on a 20-yard scamper with 5:42 on the clock.

After its next drive ended in a punt, North Carolina had one final chance to move into position for a go-ahead field goal. The Tar Heels got as far as their own 40-yard line before quarterback Jacolby Criswell threw an interception.

"Coach [Manny] Diaz said at halftime," Duke wide receiver Eli Pancol said, per Steve Wiseman of the News & Observer. "He's like, this is going to be something that we're going to look back on in, like, so many years and it's going to be something special. So I can't wait 20 years down the road I'm going to be watching the highlights. It's awesome."

The comeback will live long in the memory for plenty of Blue Devils fans as well.

The Duke Blue Devils are honoring their city with a new secondary logo.

Duke worked with WME Sports to design a secondary logo and revealed the results on Monday. The iconic Blue Devil, who is famously known for wearing headbands with different words on them, is wearing one that says "Bull City" in the new logo.

It is a reference to Durham, North Carolina's, nickname of "Bull City." Duke's campus is located in Durham, and it recognizes as much with this design.

The plan is for the new logo to be featured on campus and at the football team's Wallace Wade Stadium. It will also be included in various merchandising options and marketing campaigns as Duke looks ahead to the future.

Duke University Vice President and Director of Athletics Nina King released a statement on the new logo:

We are thrilled to launch our new mark which pays homage to our hometown nickname, Bull City. As Duke University and Duke Athletics continue to collaborate with the city of Durham, we thought no better time than now, right before kickoff and our annual Durham Day celebration, to showcase on local, regional and national levels the pride Duke has in being a part of Bull City. This mark, which will strategically be used to compliment the Iron D, features the iconic Blue Devil including its signature headband with the Bull City moniker, as well as the 'Bull Hands' which have symbolized and celebrated significant moments on the field of play.

Duke is best known as a men's basketball powerhouse, but the football program has taken notable strides of late. After playing in only two bowl games from 1961 to 2011, it has participated in eight in the last 12 seasons.

The Blue Devils went 9-4 and defeated UCF in the Military Bowl during the 2022 campaign and followed it up with an 8-5 effort and win over Troy in the Birmingham Bowl last season.

The new logo also comes at the start of a new era for the Duke football program, which hired Penn State defensive coordinator Manny Diaz as its new head coach heading into the 2024 campaign.

Diaz is replacing Mike Elko, who left to become the new coach at Texas A&M.

As for the basketball programs, the men's team that has won five national championships is coming off an Elite Eight appearance, while the women's team that has been to four Final Fours is coming off a Sweet 16 appearance.

HEIGHT: 6'3"

WEIGHT: 308

HAND: 10"

ARM: 32⅜"

WINGSPAN: 79"

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40-YARD DASH: 5.09

3-CONE: N/A

SHUTTLE: N/A

VERTICAL: 29.5"

BROAD: 9'0"

BENCH: 31

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POSITIVES

— Highly experienced with proven versatility and a firm understanding of the play's intent.

— Thick build, heavy hands and good square power to deliver jolt and create displacement on contact.

— Uses his frame and strength to cover up, press and steer out defenders on base, overtake and angle-drive blocks.

— Brings a physical, aggressive demeanor when uncovered looking for work. Strains hard to through the whistle in the run game.

— Clear eyes boost play speed when sorting line games and stunts.

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NEGATIVES

— Middling length and lateral quickness lead to razor-thin margin for error with strike timing and hand placement against shifty, skilled pass-rushers and late loopers.

— Tardy strike timing exposes his chest, concedes control and results in a shaky anchor.

— Plays with a perpetual forward lean that saps his balance and sustain ability.

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2023 STATISTICS

— 13 starts split between center (seven) and right guard (six)

— Team captain

— Second-team ACC selection

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NOTES

— Born June 4, 2001

— 4-star recruit from the 2019 class, per 247Sports

— Father played running back for Duke with a brief stint on the Dallas Cowboys; uncle played linebacker at North Carolina before playing for three seasons in the NFL

— In 2019, became the first true freshman to start on Duke's offensive line since Bryan Morgan in 2007

— 58 career starts (and 44 consecutive starts) split between right guard (35), right tackle (11) and center (12)

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OVERALL

Jacob Monk is a five-year starter with 58 career starts, including 13 split between center (seven) and right guard (six) last season in Duke's 60-40 run-pass split, zone-based run scheme with gap principles (G-T counter) mixed in. He regularly switched between center and right guard in-game. Monk has a thick, wide and sawed-off frame with good square power, heavy hands and adequate movement skills.

Monk wins as a run-blocker using his wide-bodied frame, heavy hands and good square power to cover up first-level defenders on angle-drive, base and overtake blocks before pressing and steering them out of the hole. He runs his feet, churns his legs and strains hard to finish, bringing a lunchpail mentality to the field.

Monk is an effective puller with pop on contact and the mass to secure rush lanes. However, he plays with a perpetual forward lean and exposed chest that saps his balance once stacked and leaves him out of position against moves across his face.

In pass protection, Monk excels using shoe, jump and firm sets where he can let his strength and girth grind rushers down while bringing clear eyes against line games/stunts and jolt to adjacent rushers when uncovered. He will get caught with an exposed chest due to tardy strike timing that leads to a shaky anchor, and he will struggle cutting off moves across his face due to middling lateral quicks and length.

Overall, Monk has the size, processing skills, play strength and proven versatility to compete for a backup role on the interior of an NFL offensive line, with enough ability to get a team out of a pinch at center or guard.

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GRADE: 5.8 (Backup/Draftable — 6th-7th Round)

OVERALL RANK: 192

POSITION RANK: IOL24

PRO COMPARISON: Joe Looney

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Written by B/R NFL Scout Brandon Thorn

Visit B/R's NFL Scouting Department hub for scouting reports on all of the top prospects.

Duke tried to get one over on fans by posting an April Fools Day prank saying the university was installing a blue football field.

Fans didn't fall for it.

However, they may have fallen in love with the concept.

The fan reaction to the "announcement" was overwhelmingly positive—enough that Duke officials may want to consider actually making the move.

https://twitter.com/ChrisBunn21/status/1774798874781044754

I mean, that is pretty sweet, but it’s April 1st.

— Jeff LaRue (@JeffLaRue88) April 1, 2024

i know this is a joke but plz do this

— coleee (@NolaBane) April 1, 2024

Who said we didn’t?

— Duke Football (@DukeFOOTBALL) April 1, 2024

Of course, there are two major issues with the potential switch: cost and Boise State. Cost can be mitigated.

Boise State, however, would likely be a major—and potentially expensive—hurdle. The school received a federal trademark on blue field turf in 2011 and has claimed a common-law trademark right to any non-traditional colors.

While Boise State has typically been open to allowing other schools to put colorful turf on their field, an all-blue look might receive some pushback.

As it stands, it's just a joke so no harm no foul.

HEIGHT: 6'2"

WEIGHT: 302

HAND: 10¼"

ARM: 33"

WINGSPAN: 79⅛"

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40-YARD DASH: 4.99

3-CONE: 7.95

SHUTTLE: 4.75

VERTICAL: 32"

BROAD: 9'1"

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POSITIVES

— Good size and frame with decent arm length.

— Has some quickness and burst off the line of scrimmage.

— Has pop in his hands and the upper-body strength to win at the point of attack and stand up linemen when he picks his hand up from the ground.

— Can shed blocks when he lands his hands.

— Solid bull-rusher if he keeps his pads down and hands tight and inside on the blocker.

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NEGATIVES

— Often winds up for his punch and is wide with his hand placement when taking on blocks, exposing his chest.

— Has a habit of standing up out of his stance and playing with a narrow base.

— Subpar lateral movement skills, which leads to him getting reached against outside zone and missing tackles/sacks against mobile quarterbacks.

— Inaccurate with his hands when working pass-rush moves. Often misses or is late and isn't good at playing the offensive lineman's hands.

— Significant dip in TFL and sacks this past season.

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2023 STATISTICS

— 13 G, 41 TOT, 1 SK, 3.5 TFL, 4 PD, 1 FR

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NOTES

— Born Dec. 10, 2000

— 3-star recruit in the 2019 class, per 247Sports

— No major injuries

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OVERALL

The biggest key to DeWayne Carter's game and transition to the NFL is his use of hands.

When he shoots his hands straight from the ground, he has plenty of strength to be a disruptive player. He's hard to move with one-on-one blocks against the run and is solid when taking on double-teams or combo blocks, conceding minimal yardage.

Carter is also a solid bull-rusher when he keeps his pads down and hands inside on the offensive lineman's chest. Granted, a lot of his success in college came against offensive tackles, and he might be less effective versus interior offensive linemen in the NFL if he stays lined up as a defensive tackle on passing downs.

However, the former Blue Devil has a habit of winding up and missing wide with his hands too frequently. While that technical flaw can be fixed, it's concerning that he's an older prospect as a fifth-year senior and still struggles with the consistency of this part of his game.

With that being said, Carter is scheme versatile, as he can play as a 4i- or 5-technique in odd fronts or as a 3-technique in even fronts. That should pique teams' interest on Day 3 of the draft.

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GRADE: 6.0 (High-Level Developmental Prospect — 5th Round)

OVERALL RANK: 166

POSITION RANK: DL17

PRO COMPARISON: Shades of Neville Gallimore

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Written by B/R NFL Scout Matt Holder

Visit B/R's NFL Scouting Department hub for scouting reports on all of the top prospects.

Duke and Manny Diaz have reached an agreement to make him the Blue Devils' next football coach, according to ESPN's Adam Rittenberg.

Yahoo Sports' Ross Dellenger first reported the sides were finalizing a deal.

Diaz has been Penn State's defensive coordinator for the past two seasons. Before that, he coached Miami across three years and compiled a 21-15 record.

The 49-year-old will have reasonably big shoes to fill. Mike Elko, who left to accept the Texas A&M job, led Duke to 16 wins and back-to-back bowl appearances in his two seasons at the helm.

The Nittany Lions have allowed the fewest yards (223.3) and third-fewest points (11.4) per game this season. They rank fourth in SP+ defense, per ESPN's Bill Connelly.

Diaz certainly did enough in Happy Valley to rebuild his coaching stock following his disappointing tenure with the Hurricanes. It probably helps, too, that Miami hasn't exactly thrived since replacing him with Mario Cristobal. Cristobal's winning percentage through two years (.500) is worse than it was under his predecessor (.583) during the same time frame.

In terms of prestige, Duke is a bit of a step down from Miami, but Diaz might welcome the lower scrutiny he'll receive in Durham. Whereas winning eight games with the Hurricanes is considered a disappointment, doing that with the Blue Devils will be cause for celebration.

Diaz's job won't be made easier in 2024 with some key players already entering the transfer portal.

Leading passer Riley Leonard was linked with Notre Dame almost as soon as he put his name in the portal. Jordan Waters and Jaquez Moore, who combined to run for 1,354 yards and 18 touchdowns, are weighing their options as well along with defensive back Jaylen Stinson, who was second on the team with 82 tackles.

Beyond holding together the Blue Devils' recruiting class for 2024, Diaz and his staff will have some work ahead in order to replenish the roster with some ready-made reinforcements.

HEIGHT: 6'5"

WEIGHT: 313

HAND: 9⅜"

ARM: 32⅞"

WINGSPAN: 79¾"

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40-YARD DASH: 4.97

3-CONE: 7.31

SHUTTLE: 4.55

VERTICAL: NA

BROAD: NA

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POSITIVES

— Thick, compact build with a low center of gravity, good core strength and contact balance.

— Above-average initial and lateral quickness seen out of stance, on backside cut-offs, second-level climbs and redirecting against counter moves.

— Very good grip strength, sustain and steer skills to create lateral displacement and rush lanes.

— Understands how to brace and create lift to anchor with his head out of the block.

— Skilled, strong run-blocker on base, kick-out and combination blocks thanks to consistently good pad level, body positioning and finishing skills.

— Renowned leadership qualities, work ethic and drive to improve.

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NEGATIVES

— Sawed-off frame with below-average length.

— Middling length coupled with a tendency to drop his outside foot early in pass protection creates short corners and two-way gos that would be pronounced in the NFL at tackle.

— Inconsistent strike timing in pass protection that can allow rushers quick access into his frame and/or access to his edges.

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2023 STATISTICS

— 9 starts at left tackle

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NOTES

— Born June 1, 2002

— 3-star recruit from 2020 class, per 247 sports

— 39 career starts, with five at center during his freshman season and the rest coming at left tackle

— Duke QB Riley Leonard said that Barton is "arguably the hardest football player that we have, the hardest worker on the field and off the field"

— Attended the 2023 OL Masterminds event in Frisco, Texas

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OVERALL

Graham Barton is a three-year starter inside Duke's 60-40 run-pass split, zone-based run scheme with 39 career starts (34 at left tackle and five at center). Barton has a thick, compact and sawed-off build with a low center of gravity, good core strength and contact balance.

Barton has an advanced understanding of how to win leverage on defenders with positioning, pad level and good quickness to get into initial fits on time. He shows good hand placement with excellent grip strength to sustain, steer and finish blocks at a high level to create rush lanes off of his backside in the zone run game.

Barton is a very stubborn blocker once engaged with the contact balance and core strength to stay attached past initial contact. He is efficient on combo blocks both feeding, overtaking and climbing to intersect second-level targets.

As a pass-protector, Barton wins with good short-area quickness, redirect ability against counters and knowing how to brace, create force through the ground and lift with his hands to anchor with his head out of the block. However, Barton's ability to deal with space on an island at tackle is shaky due to his below-average arm length, lack of girth and inconsistent strike timing that shrinks his margin for error with his technique, leading to short corners and easy access to his frame.

Barton has also been in and out of the lineup this season due to injuries, which has likely factored into some inconsistent performances, specifically as a pass-protector (versus Northwestern and North Carolina). However, he also had a high-quality performance against star Florida State edge-rusher Jared Verse.

Overall, Barton is a stubborn, sticky blocker with the short-area quickness, play strength and competitive toughness to make a successful transition inside and become a solid, dependable starter right away at guard or center in a multiple run scheme. Barton's profile and projection is very similar to Forrest Lamp coming out of Western Kentucky in terms of body type, play style and pro expectations.

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GRADE: 8.0 (Year 1 Starter — Late 1st/Early 2nd Round)

OVERALL RANK: 21

POSITION RANK: IOL2

PRO COMPARISON: Forrest Lamp

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Written by B/R NFL Scout Brandon Thorn

Visit B/R's NFL Scouting Department hub for scouting reports on all of the top prospects.

Duke starting quarterback Riley Leonard will reportedly miss an "extended period of time" due to a toe injury, according to ESPN's Pete Thamel.

The dual-threat signal-caller suffered the injury during the Blue Devils' 23-0 loss to Louisville in Week 9.

Leonard had previously been hampered by ankle issues earlier in the season, which caused him to miss the school's victory over NC State on Oct. 14.

There is currently no definitive timetable for the 21-year-old's return, via ESPN.

"A definitive timetable on Leonard's potential return from this injury has yet to be determined, per sources. It's not a certainty that he'll be back this year, per ESPN sources, although any possibility of a return would come much later in the year."

Leonard has been impressive in 2023, recording 1,102 passing yards and three scores through the air while adding 352 rushing yards and four more touchdowns on the ground. He helped lead Duke to No. 16 in the AP poll rankings earlier in the year, and the team still remains over .500 with a 5-3 record.

With backup quarterback Henry Belin IV dealing with an upper body injury, true freshman Grayson Loftis will make his first career start on Thursday night against Wake Forest.

Head coach Mike Elko discussed the time period of Belin IV's injury in his press conference earlier this week.

"He's been dealing with it since the UConn game," Elko said. "He was a warrior for us and really gritted his teeth and played against NC State and played against Florida State."

While Belin IV is expected to play, it will only be in a limited capacity.

If the Blue Devils win one more contest, they'll be appearing in bowl games in consecutive years for the first time since 2017-18.

Duke will have a chance to do so against Wake Forest and head coach Dave Clawson on Thursday. Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m. ET.

ESPN's College GameDay has aired live at campuses across the nation since the popular college football kickoff show first hit the road in 1993. However, it has never been hosted by Duke University.

That will change this Saturday morning.

Duke will be the site of this week's College GameDay broadcast (9 a.m. ET on ESPN) ahead of the No. 17 Blue Devils' big home matchup against No. 11 Notre Dame. It's an opportunity to make a statement for Duke, which has jumped out to a 4-0 start this season.

The Fighting Irish, who fell to 4-1 with a loss to Ohio State last week, will be looking to play spoiler. But in order to do so, they'll need to win in what will surely be a raucous atmosphere at Wallace Wade Stadium.

Before further breaking down that matchup, here's the schedule for ranked teams in Week 5, along with predictions for each game.

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Week 5 Top 25 Schedule, Predictions

Friday, Sept. 29

No. 10 Utah at No. 19 Oregon State, 9 p.m. ET, FS1

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Saturday, Sept. 30

No. 6 Penn State at Northwestern, noon ET, Big Ten Network

No. 8 USC at Colorado, noon ET, Fox

No. 22 Florida at Kentucky, noon ET, ESPN

No. 1 Georgia at Auburn, 3:30 p.m. ET, CBS

No. 2 Michigan at Nebraska, 3:30 p.m. ET, Fox

No. 24 Kansas at No. 3 Texas, 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC

No. 23 Missouri at Vanderbilt, 4 p.m. ET, SEC Network

No. 13 LSU at No. 20 Ole Miss, 6 p.m. ET, ESPN

No. 9 Oregon at Stanford, 6:30 p.m. ET, Pac-12 Network

Iowa State at No. 14 Oklahoma, 7 p.m. ET, FS1

No. 11 Notre Dame at No. 17 Duke, 7:30 p.m. ET, ABC

South Carolina at No. 21 Tennessee, 7:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network

No. 12 Alabama at Mississippi State, 9 p.m. ET, ESPN

No. 7 Washington at Arizona, 10 p.m. ET, Pac-12 Network

Nevada at No. 25 Fresno State, 10:30 p.m. ET, FS1

Picks in bold.

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Notre Dame-Duke Preview

In Mike Elko's first year as Duke's head coach, he helped get the program back on track. The Blue Devils went 9-4 during the 2022 season, capping their solid campaign with a Military Bowl win over UCF.

Duke has carried over that momentum into 2023, and it will look to keep it going Saturday. The Blue Devils have an opportunity to start 5-0 for the first time since the 1994 season, if they can take down Notre Dame.

It won't be an easy task. Even though the Fighting Irish are no longer unbeaten, their loss wasn't a bad one. Last Saturday, they fell 17-14 to Ohio State, which is now ranked No. 4 in the country.

This will be only the eighth time that Duke and Notre Dame have faced off. The Fighting Irish lead the all-time series 5-2, and they won the most two recent meetings (2019 and 2020). Duke's last win over Notre Dame came in 2016.

But the Blue Devils are better now than in the years just before Elko's arrival. They have a strong running game anchored by senior running back Jordan Waters (258 yards and seven touchdowns) and junior quarterback Riley Leonard (238 yards and four TDs).

With the presence of College GameDay and a marquee primetime matchup, Duke will have a national spotlight. But Elko is more focused on how the Blue Devils will play against the Fighting Irish.

"We're getting a lot of congratulations for GameDay coming here," Elko said, per Aaron Beard of the Associated Press. "I'd rather wait and get some congratulations for how we play the football game Saturday night."

On the other side, Notre Dame may be the betting favorite to win, but it isn't overlooking Duke. The Fighting Irish realize this should be a competitive game, one that could possibly go either way.

"The thing that you respect is how hard they play," Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman said of Duke, per Beard. "They're aggressive. They play extremely hard, and they're sound."

While the Fighting Irish may be a slightly better team, don't count out the Blue Devils, who will surely feed off the energy of their home crowd.

Because of that, the prediction here is that Duke will pull off the upset. The Blue Devils will make a late defensive stand to seal their best start to a season in nearly 30 years.

Prediction: Duke 28, Notre Dame 24