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Football
vs Blue & White Game
Football Game Notes: at Vanderbilt, Oct. 25, 3 PM
10/21/2008 12:00:00 AM | Football
Duke Hits Road For Music City Showdown
The Duke Blue Devils (3-3, 1-2 ACC) will travel to Nashville, Tenn., on Saturday for a non-conference game against Vanderbilt (5-2, 3-2 SEC) at 3 p.m. in Vanderbilt Stadium. The game can be heard on the Duke Radio Network with Bob Harris (play-by-play), Wes Chesson (analysis) and Anthony Dilweg (sideline) calling the action. Both teams are entering the weekend with two consecutive losses. Duke suffered a 49-31 loss to Miami at home last weekend while Vanderbilt is coming off a 24-14 road loss to Georgia.
2006: Vanderbilt Downs Blue Devils 45-28
Commodores' quarterback Chris Nickson accounted for 400 yards of total offense and five touchdowns as Vanderbilt defeated Duke 45-28 in Durham. Vanderbilt scored 28 first half points for a 28-7 lead at halftime with Nickson rushing for two scores and throwing for two more. Duke trailed 38-7 in the fourth quarter before running back Justin Boyle brought the Blue Devils back with three rushing touchdowns. He finished the game with 14 carries for 113 yards and four touchdowns. Nickson carried the ball 15 times for 150 yards and three touchdowns in the game while throwing for 250 yards and two scores. Wide receiver Earl Bennett caught nine passes for 184 yards and one touchdown.
The Duke-Vanderbilt Series
The Commodores lead the all-time series with Duke, 7-3. The first ever meeting between the two schools came in 1986 when Vanderbilt won 24-18 in Nashville. The Blue Devils won the next three contests in the series with all three victories by four points or less. The Commodores have won the last six meetings with the last game a 45-28 decision in 2006.
Overall Vanderbilt, 7-3
First Meeting Vanderbilt, 24-18 in 1986
Last Meeting Vanderbilt, 45-28 in 2006
Duke's Highest Scoring 37 in 1992
Duke's Lowest Scoring 7 in 2000
Vanderbilt's Highest Scoring 45 in 2006
Vanderbilt's Lowest Scoring 13 in 1991
Current Streak Vanderbilt, W6
Largest Duke Margin of Victory 4, two times
Largest Vanderbilt Margin of Victory 19, 2000, 26-7
Duke's Last Win in Nashville 1988 (17-15)
Vanderbilt's Last Win in Nashville 2000 (26-7)
Blue Devils Drop League Contest With Miami
Duke led 24-14 in the third quarter against the Hurricanes last weekend before Miami scored 35 unanswered points to break away from the Blue Devils. Backup quarterback Jacory Harris led Miami's comeback by accounting for five touchdowns, including a 15-yard run and four passing scores. Harris finished the game with 53 rushing yards on 10 carries while completing 18-of-28 passes for 185 yards and four touchdowns. Duke stretched the lead to 24-14 on a 10-yard touchdown pass from Thaddeus Lewis to Raphael Chestnut. Lewis finished the game with three total touchdowns (two pass, one rush). The Blue Devils forced three turnovers in the game with Adrian Aye-Darko recording two interceptions.
Vanderbilt Scouting Report
The Commodores' defense has caused 18 turnovers in seven games this season with 13 interceptions and five fumble recoveries. The 13 interceptions rank tied for fourth nationally. Myron Lewis, Ryan Hamilton and DJ Moore each have recorded three interceptions. Hamilton also has two fumble recoveries and a caused fumble. Patrick Benoist leads the defense with 65 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and two sacks. The offense has converted when inside the red zone, ranking tied for third in the country with a 96 percent success rate inside the 20-yard line.
Cutcliffe History Against Bobby Johnson
Since Bobby Johnson started coaching at Vanderbilt in 2002, Duke head coach David Cutcliffe has faced him every season except for 2005 and owns a 5-0 record. Cutcliffe held a 3-0 record against Johnson when he was the head coach at Ole Miss. He also helped Tennessee to victories over the Commodores in each of the past two seasons. Since Cutcliffe began coaching as a part time assistant at Tennessee in 1982, he is 23-2 against Vanderbilt. In his only trip to Nashville as a head coach, Cutcliffe came away with a 24-21 victory in Ole Miss' 2003 season opener.
Duke Players From Tennessee
Two Blue Devils are from the state of Tennessee. True freshmen Conor Irwin and Jeffrey Faris each attended Knoxville Catholic in Knoxville, Tenn. Irwin is an offensive lineman while Faris plays cornerback. On the other side, Vanderbilt has three players from North Carolina. Junior Nick Miller is from Matthews while sophomore Austin Monahan and redshirt freshman Bo Cramer are from Charlotte.
Duke vs. The SEC
The Blue Devils have a 52-48-5 all-time record against teams currently in the Southeastern Conference. The two teams Duke has faced the most are South Carolina and Tennessee. Against the Gamecocks, who were members of the ACC from 1953-71, the Blue Devils are 24-17-3. Duke has faced the Vols 29 times with a 13-14-2 overall record. The Blue Devils have also faced current SEC schools Alabama (1-2), Arkansas (1-0), Auburn (3-3), Florida (2-3), Georgia (0-1), Kentucky (4-0), LSU (1-1) and Vanderbilt (3-7).
Campus Connections
Duke and Vanderbilt have two sets of players who attended the same high schools. The Blue Devils' starting center Bryan Morgan and the Commodores' junior safety Joel Caldwell each graduated from Hoover High School in Hoover, Ala. Duke freshman defensive lineman Curtis Hazelton and Vanderbilt senior cornerback Josh Allen each graduated from Roswell High School in Roswell, Ga.
MacIntyre Played For The Commodores
Duke's defensive coordinator Mike MacIntyre played two years at Vanderbilt (1984-85) under his father, George, who served as the head coach of the Commodores from 1979-85. Mike went on to play at Georgia Tech and earn his bachelor's degree in 1989.
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