Duke football will be playing against the Boston College Eagles on Saturday, Sept. 19. The game will begin at noon ET on ESPN3. This will be Boston College’s first game of the season under new head coach Jeff Hafley. Let’s break down the matchup.
Duke Offense
Notre Dame was definitely a tough first opponent, but I saw some positive things from Duke out there. Chase Brice gave Blue Devil fans something to be optimistic about, even in a loss. Brice scored Duke’s lone touchdown and threw for 259 yards. What I liked about Brice’s performance is he didn’t throw an interception. I would like to see Duke not give up on the running game. I know Deon Jackson and Mataeo Bryant struggled last week, but the run is a big part of the game. I expect this duo to find better running room than last week.
Duke Defense
I thought the Duke defense played well. I would like to see them shut down the run this week. If the Blue Devils could’ve slowed down Notre Dame running back Kyren Williams a little bit, they could’ve won that game. Outside of that they were able to force Ian Book to have a shaky performance. They also forced an interception and it would’ve been two if not for a penalty that negated the second one. They were able to get three sacks last game. If they do that again, they should be in good shape to win this one.
Boston College offense
Duke will see a new quarterback take over the Eagles’ offense this year. Phil Jurkovec became the starter after transferring from Notre Dame in the offseason. Jurkovec didn’t get a lot of snaps last season since he was the backup to Ian Book, but look for him to try and prove himself against the Blue Devils. Another player Duke must watch out for is running back David Bailey, who averaged 5.7 yards per carry last year. With the departure of AJ Dillon, Bailey should carry the workload for the Eagles this year. Duke struggled with the run last week, so look for Boston College to attack early.
Boston College defense
While the Eagles didn’t finish with a lot of sacks last year, they did force a handful of turnovers last year with 10 interceptions and seven fumbles. Duke will have to keep the turnovers to a minimum this game and if it does turn it over, the defense must make sure it doesn’t turn into points.
Boston College shouldn’t be underestimated, but I expect Duke to win this game. If Duke puts together a solid run game and can force some turnovers, the Blue Devils should put up a solid performance against the Eagles.
