Notre Dame Football: Five Problematic Duke Blue Devils

Notre Dame football returns to the road for what could be a tougher game than expected against Duke.

The term “trap game” gets thrown around way too much these days. But that’s exactly what Notre Dame football could be dealing with come Saturday.

The Duke Blue Devils are 4-4 on the season, with two of their losses coming by three points each to Pitt and North Carolina. Duke also holds an impressive 45-10 beatdown against Virginia Tech in Blacksburg. Now the Blue Devils host Notre Dame in primetime on the ACC Network.

Duke’s ACC Coastal chances are likely over given the remaining schedule, but this isn’t a conference game and they have nothing to lose. A loss for Duke is to be expected. A win could turn the whole season around and light a fire for the remaining three games.

Notre Dame, on the other hand, is coming off a late win against Virginia Tech in a game where execution was poor to say the least. Still, big time performers showed up when they were called upon. Chase Claypool and Kyle Hamilton are as big a reason for the victory as anything.

It’s clear those players, along with Ian Book, will be essential for a Notre Dame win. But for a Duke win, these five players will need to have huge games.

Quintin Harris, QB

After sitting behind Daniel Jones for three years, Harris is finally getting his shot at the spotlight and nobody to share it with. The redshirt senior is a very intelligent player. In addition to Duke, he had Ivy League offers from Yale and Harvard — and had the bloodlines to go with it. Harris’ father Kevin played at Georgia from 1982-1984 as a receiver and defensive back.

Harris has been good this year. He’s completing 61 percent of his passes for 1500 yards and 13 touchdowns. No doubt Duke head coach David Cutcliffe would like to see Harris cut down on his interceptions, as he already has seven. Harris can also hurt you with his legs, rushing for 408 yards and six touchdowns. Only two quarterbacks have shown the ability to run on the Notre Dame defense: Jawon Pass for 67 yards and Quincey Patterson for 77.

Deon Jackson, RB

Duke’s top running back is in the midst of a down season, although that can easily be attributed to Harris’ running abilities. Jackson was the lone Blue Devil voted as a pre season member of the All-ACC team. Jackson can do some damage running, catching and returning.

Although his numbers were better last season, don’t mistake that for a regression in talent or ability. Jackson has 487 rushing yards and 142 receiving yards. He’s also a good kick returner, although he hasn’t gotten as many chances as last year. In 2018, Jackson returned 23 kicks for 502 yards. This season, he’s only had two returns for 43 yards.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise if Jackson sees a lot of touches this week and is the most productive player on the Duke offense.

Jalon Calhoun, WR

Calhoun has had a long road to Duke. As a quarterback, he originally committed to Georgia Tech in June of 2018 but backed out and instead chose Duke. He’s just a freshman, and at 5’11″, 185 pounds, he certainly plays like he’s a lot bigger.

Calhoun currently sits fifth among freshman in receptions with 37, just seven behind Purdue’s David Bell. Calhoun has 294 yards and three touchdowns. His best game came against North Carolina A&T, an 8 catch, 105 yard performance. He’ll need a performance similar to that and less like his showing against Virginia (4 catches for 3 yards).

Victor Dimukeje, DE

A 6’2″, 265 pound junior. Dimukeje has been Duke’s best asset at getting to the quarterback. He was only a three-star recruit, but he proves that sometimes stars aren’t all they’re cracked up to be. Dimukeje was also a Notre Dame recruiting target at one point.

Dimukeje has proven to be one of the most difficult players to block off the edge. Georgia Tech was a victim of that in their game, as they simply couldn’t block Dimukeje one on one. He has 28 tackles with 6.5 sacks this year. His 6.5 sacks are third in the ACC and tied for 24th nationally. By the time it’s all said and done, Dimukeje could go down as one of the best defensive linemen ever at Duke, and a big performance in the national spotlight against Notre Dame would be a great addition to that legacy.

Koby Quansah, LB

Quansah has been the most reliable and dependable player on the Duke defense. He’s done a great job of replacing Joe Giles-Harris, who was one of the most underrated linebackers in the country. Quansah may also be of the best success stories in the entire NCAA.

The team leader in tackles is currently tied for 47th in the nation as well as 5th in the ACC. Quansah has 73 tackles, which is already a career high. He was uncharacteristically quiet last week with only six tackles. He’s had 11 or more tackles in four games, including 11 against Alabama. Quansah will absolutely be looking for a bounce back performance on Saturday.