Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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38 SEPT. 30, 2023 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED GAME PREVIEW: DUKE BY JACK SOBLE DUKE RUNNING GAME VS. NOTRE DAME RUN DEFENSE Duke has an outstanding running game. In Sports Info Solutions' points earned per play metric, the Blue Devils rank 11th in the Football Bowl Subdivi- sion at 0.182. A big part of what makes Duke so dangerous is the fact that it can beat teams with its running backs, graduate student Jordan Waters and junior Jaquez Moore, or its quarterback, junior Riley Leonard. The 6-foot-4, 212-pound Leonard is a tank, plain and simple, and he averaged 8.3 yards per carry entering Week 4. According to Pro Football Focus, Leonard was 10th in the country in yards after contact per attempt out of players with at least 13 designed carries. Notre Dame needs to prepare for the possibility that Leonard could take off and run on every play, but Waters and Moore (7.5 and 6.3 yards per carry, respectively) are good enough that the Irish can't exclusively key in on the quarterback. On the Notre Dame side, the Irish are 85th in the country (including FCS teams) in points saved per run play with 0.375. In Week 4 against Central Michigan, the Irish allowed almost 5.5 yards per carry to the Chippewas' two running backs, and some of that was due to poor tackling. They did well to contain athletic NC State graduate student quarterback Brennan Armstrong in Week 3, but he didn't have the running backs or receivers to back him up. If Duke wins this game, dominating on the ground will be a big reason why. Advantage: Duke DUKE PASSING GAME VS. NOTRE DAME PASS DEFENSE While Leonard's biggest strength is his rushing ability, he is no slouch as a passer and his support- ing cast is among the strongest in the ACC. Leonard averaged 8.2 yards per attempt through three games and has only been sacked once, which is a credit to both him and his offensive line. That line is led by senior offensive tackle Graham Barton, who by some evaluations is a potential first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Notre Dame totaled only 6 sacks through Week 3, despite being cred- ited with 69 total pressures. Leonard has opted for the dink-and-dunk route more often than not, posting a low average depth of target of 6.9 yards. That plays well against the Notre Dame secondary, led by cornerbacks Cam Hart, a graduate student, and Benjamin Morrison, a sophomore, which has been almost untouchable on deep passes. Fortunately for the Irish, they've also been tough to beat in the underneath passing game. Notre Dame ranked 12th in the nation with 5.23 passing yards allowed per attempt through four games. One of the teams ahead of the Irish — No. 4 with 4.65 yards per attempt allowed — is Clemson, whom the Blue Devils faced in Week 1. Leonard played well and didn't turn the ball over against On PaPer Redshirt senior wide receiver Jalon Calhoun, a preseason first-team All-ACC selection by Phil Steele's College Football Preview, led the Blue Devils with 14 receptions for 182 yards and 1 score through three games. PHOTO COURTESY DUKE ATHLETICS