This Saturday, the (4-3) Duke Blue Devils and the (3-3) Miami Hurricanes will match up in the eighth week of the 2022 college football season. Kickoff will be at 12:30 PM EST inside Hard Rock Stadium. Both of these teams have cooled off after hot starts to the year, as they will be looking to pick another conference win in this one.
The Duke Blue Devils are coming into this one after falling to North Carolina, 38-35. Duke's offense looked great in that one, but their defense continued to let them down. They surrendered 380 passing yards, as their secondary will have to be better in this one if they want to take down the Hurricanes on the road.
The Miami Hurricanes are entering this one after taking down Virginia Tech, 20-14. The Hurricanes dominated this game, as they made it very difficult for the Hokies to move the ball. They only surrendered 257 total yards, as they will need their D to s tep up in this one as well.
The Duke Blue Devils suffered a brutal loss to their arch-rivals last week, as they fell to North Carolina. They will now be looking to bounce back and attack, as their offense has continued to impress this season. They are currently scoring 32.9 points per game and averaging 434.4 total yards. This is the 50th most points scored per game and the 48th most yards. They have shown that they can move the ball on the ground or in the air, as Riley Leonard will continue to lead them from the quarterback position. He has already thrown for 1,557 yards, nine touchdowns, and only four interceptions this season. The Blue Devils are also averaging 228.6 passing yards per game, which is the 80th most in the country. Luckily, they are much better at running the ball, as they are averaging the 24th most rushing yards per game. Duke is averaging 205.9 rushing yards, as I would recommend watching for Leonard and Jordan Waters out of the backfield. Waters has already run for 363 yards this season and punched in six touchdowns. He is also averaging 5.0 yards per carry. Leonard leads the team in rushing yards, as he can get the job done with his arm or legs. He has run in five touchdowns, as well. He is the heart and soul of this offense.
On defense, the Blue Devils have some serious work to do. They are giving up too many points, as this has hurt them in the past two weeks. They surrendered 38 points to the Tar Heels last week and 23 to Georgia Tech two weeks back. This season, Duke is allowing 22.3 points per game, which is the 39th least in the nation. They are also only allowing 402.1 total yards, as they have been better at stopping the run. Their front seven has continued to rally toward the ball, as they are giving up the 62nd least amount of rushing yards per game. Unfortunately, their secondary has struggled, though. Duke is giving up 260.6 passing yards per game, which is the 99th most in the nation. Th ey continue to give up big pass plays, which have hurt them in these games. I would recommend watching for Darius Joiner, as the senior DB has been one of the best players on this defense this season. He has already recorded 57 tackles and one interception, as he has continued to ball out.