Upcoming Event: Football at Cal on October 4, 2025 at 10:30 p.m.
/
10:30 p.m.
Football
at Cal
Game Notes: Pittsburgh
11/1/2021 4:58:00 PM | Football
DURHAM – Duke is back at Brooks Field at Wallace Wade Stadium on Saturday when it welcomes Pittsburgh.
Kickoff is set for 12 p.m. and the game will be broadcast live on ACC Network.
Â
Pittsburgh leads the all-time series between the two schools, 15-9. In the last meeting on Oct. 5, 2019, the Blue Devils fell to the Panthers, 33-30. Duke's last win over Pittsburgh came on Nov. 1, 2014, when backup quarterback Thomas Sirk bulled into the end zone from five yards in the second overtime to lift the Blue Devils to a 51-48 victory.
Saturday's ACCN broadcast will feature Wes Durham, Roddy Jones, Taylor Davis on the call. The game can also be heard on the Blue Devil Sports Network from LEARFIELD through the Varsity app or goduke.com.
Â
HOW TO FOLLOW
Duke (3-5, 0-5 ACC) vs. Pittsburgh (6-2, 3-1 ACC)
Saturday, November 6, 2021 • 12 PM
Durham, N.C. • Brooks Field at Wallace Wade Stadium
TELEVISION • ACCN
RADIO • Blue Devils Sports Network from LEARFIELD
GAME NOTES • Duke Notes (PDF)  •  Pittsburgh Notes
LIVE STATS • GoDuke.com
TWITTER • @DukeFOOTBALL
GAME NOTES
After eight games, senior running back Mataeo Durant finds himself atop the league charts in numerous categories. Most notably, he ranks second in rushing attempts (186), total touchdowns by a running back (9), rushing yards (973) and third in all-purpose yards per game (144.50).
Durant continues to climb up the Blue Devils' all-time rushing chart. Thanks to his 103 yards against Wake Forest during the Blue Devils' last outing, he is currently sixth on Duke's all-time list with 2,294 yards and is 147 away from breaking into the top five.Â
Redshirt junior linebacker Shaka Heyward currently sits tied for sixth in the ACC with 66 tackles. He has two double-digit tackle games this year and has finished as one of Duke's top two tacklers in six of eight games this season.
Duke is one of three ACC schools with multiple players with 530+ receiving yards. Jake Bobo (585) and Jalon Calhoun (531) join Virginia's Dontayvion Wicks (972), Keytaon Thompson (663) and Billy Kemp (562) as well as Wake Forest's Jaquarii Roberson (737) and A.T. Perry (716).
FACING PITTSBURGH IN NOVEMBER
During the David Cutcliffe era, half of Duke's meetings with Pittsburgh have come in the month of November. Saturday's contest will mark the fourth time the Blue Devils and Panthers have battle in this particular month. Of the other four meetings, three were played in October and one in September. As a program, Duke has faced off against Pittsburgh four times in September, 14 times in October and six times in November.Â
THE RISE OF RILEY
At the start of preseason camp freshman quarterback Riley Leonard was Duke's fourth string quarterback. Since then, the rookie has slowly moved his way up the depth chart. Over the Blue Devils' last two games, the Fairhope, Ala., native saw 25 and 14 snaps under center. In his three career games played, Leonard has gone 10-of-18 passing for 126 yards. In Duke's last outing, Leonard scampered in from two yards out for the Blue Devils' lone score. During that five play drive, Leonard rushed three times for 24 yards and connected with Jarett Garner and Jalon Calhoun for two receptions for 45 yards.Â
BOBO BIG UNDER PRESSURE
Senior wide receiver Jake Bobo has become Duke's top target for extending drives. The North Andover, Mass., native had 32 catches in 2020, with 22 of those going for a first down. Bobo has continued that trend in Duke's eight games of 2021. Twenty-eight of his 52 receptions have earned a first down.
Of his 52 receptions on the year:
** 28 have earned a first down
** Three have gone for nine yards
** 20 have gone for eight-or-less yards
** One went for 11 but missed a first down due to a false start on previous play
Bobo currently leads the Blue Devils with 585 receiving yards on 52 catches ... his 52 receptions have him fourth in the ACC and tied for 19th in the country, while his receiving yards place him ninth in the league.Â
CAREER ACCOLADES
Senior Mataeo Durant has rushed for 50-plus yards in 18 career games, topped the 100-yard plateau on the ground 10 times and has 22 rushing attempts of 20-plus yards, including a career-long 64-yard TD jaunt versus Florida State in 2020. He sits sixth on Duke's career rushing chart with 2,294 yards. He has recorded back-to-back seasons with 800+ plus yards to become the second Blue Devil all-time to rush for 800-plus yards in consecutive seasons, joining Steve Jones (1970- 854, 1971- 861, 1972-1,236).
Durant has rushed for 100-plus yards in six of eight games this season, including a stretch of four consecutive. Those four-straight games with 100-plus rushing yards placed him second in school lore behind Randy Cuthbert's six consecutive in 1989. After achieving his sixth 100-yard performance against Wake Forest last Saturday, Durant tied four others for the program single-season record (Steve Jones, 1972; Cuthbert, 1989; Alex Wade, 2002; Chris Douglas, 2003).
ACC LEADERS AMONG TACKLES
Duke is one of five schools in the ACC with multiple players with 55-plus tackles on the year, joining Georgia Tech (four), Virginia (three), Virginia Tech (two) and Syracuse (two). Redshirt junior linebacker Shaka Heyward is tied for sixth in the conference with 66 tackles on the year, while redshirt senior safety Lummie Young IV sits 15th with 55.Â
YOUNG IV SETTLING IN
Redshirt senior Lummie Young IV sits second on the team in tackles with 55. The Anderson, S.C., native has led the Blue Devils in tackles on three different occasions in 2021, including a season-best 10-tackle performance at Charlotte and Virginia.
FORCING PRESSURE
Redshirt sophomore DeWayne Carter is currently tied for first in the nation with five others with four forced fumbles on the year. The Blue Devils have now had a player register 3-plus caused fumbles in a single season in five of the last 10 years. DeVon Edwards led the group during that stretch with five in 2014.Â
#GoDuke
Â
Kickoff is set for 12 p.m. and the game will be broadcast live on ACC Network.
Â
Pittsburgh leads the all-time series between the two schools, 15-9. In the last meeting on Oct. 5, 2019, the Blue Devils fell to the Panthers, 33-30. Duke's last win over Pittsburgh came on Nov. 1, 2014, when backup quarterback Thomas Sirk bulled into the end zone from five yards in the second overtime to lift the Blue Devils to a 51-48 victory.
Saturday's ACCN broadcast will feature Wes Durham, Roddy Jones, Taylor Davis on the call. The game can also be heard on the Blue Devil Sports Network from LEARFIELD through the Varsity app or goduke.com.
Â
HOW TO FOLLOW
Duke (3-5, 0-5 ACC) vs. Pittsburgh (6-2, 3-1 ACC)
Saturday, November 6, 2021 • 12 PM
Durham, N.C. • Brooks Field at Wallace Wade Stadium
TELEVISION • ACCN
RADIO • Blue Devils Sports Network from LEARFIELD
GAME NOTES • Duke Notes (PDF)  •  Pittsburgh Notes
LIVE STATS • GoDuke.com
TWITTER • @DukeFOOTBALL
GAME NOTES
After eight games, senior running back Mataeo Durant finds himself atop the league charts in numerous categories. Most notably, he ranks second in rushing attempts (186), total touchdowns by a running back (9), rushing yards (973) and third in all-purpose yards per game (144.50).
Durant continues to climb up the Blue Devils' all-time rushing chart. Thanks to his 103 yards against Wake Forest during the Blue Devils' last outing, he is currently sixth on Duke's all-time list with 2,294 yards and is 147 away from breaking into the top five.Â
Redshirt junior linebacker Shaka Heyward currently sits tied for sixth in the ACC with 66 tackles. He has two double-digit tackle games this year and has finished as one of Duke's top two tacklers in six of eight games this season.
Duke is one of three ACC schools with multiple players with 530+ receiving yards. Jake Bobo (585) and Jalon Calhoun (531) join Virginia's Dontayvion Wicks (972), Keytaon Thompson (663) and Billy Kemp (562) as well as Wake Forest's Jaquarii Roberson (737) and A.T. Perry (716).
FACING PITTSBURGH IN NOVEMBER
During the David Cutcliffe era, half of Duke's meetings with Pittsburgh have come in the month of November. Saturday's contest will mark the fourth time the Blue Devils and Panthers have battle in this particular month. Of the other four meetings, three were played in October and one in September. As a program, Duke has faced off against Pittsburgh four times in September, 14 times in October and six times in November.Â
THE RISE OF RILEY
At the start of preseason camp freshman quarterback Riley Leonard was Duke's fourth string quarterback. Since then, the rookie has slowly moved his way up the depth chart. Over the Blue Devils' last two games, the Fairhope, Ala., native saw 25 and 14 snaps under center. In his three career games played, Leonard has gone 10-of-18 passing for 126 yards. In Duke's last outing, Leonard scampered in from two yards out for the Blue Devils' lone score. During that five play drive, Leonard rushed three times for 24 yards and connected with Jarett Garner and Jalon Calhoun for two receptions for 45 yards.Â
BOBO BIG UNDER PRESSURE
Senior wide receiver Jake Bobo has become Duke's top target for extending drives. The North Andover, Mass., native had 32 catches in 2020, with 22 of those going for a first down. Bobo has continued that trend in Duke's eight games of 2021. Twenty-eight of his 52 receptions have earned a first down.
Of his 52 receptions on the year:
** 28 have earned a first down
** Three have gone for nine yards
** 20 have gone for eight-or-less yards
** One went for 11 but missed a first down due to a false start on previous play
Bobo currently leads the Blue Devils with 585 receiving yards on 52 catches ... his 52 receptions have him fourth in the ACC and tied for 19th in the country, while his receiving yards place him ninth in the league.Â
CAREER ACCOLADES
Senior Mataeo Durant has rushed for 50-plus yards in 18 career games, topped the 100-yard plateau on the ground 10 times and has 22 rushing attempts of 20-plus yards, including a career-long 64-yard TD jaunt versus Florida State in 2020. He sits sixth on Duke's career rushing chart with 2,294 yards. He has recorded back-to-back seasons with 800+ plus yards to become the second Blue Devil all-time to rush for 800-plus yards in consecutive seasons, joining Steve Jones (1970- 854, 1971- 861, 1972-1,236).
Durant has rushed for 100-plus yards in six of eight games this season, including a stretch of four consecutive. Those four-straight games with 100-plus rushing yards placed him second in school lore behind Randy Cuthbert's six consecutive in 1989. After achieving his sixth 100-yard performance against Wake Forest last Saturday, Durant tied four others for the program single-season record (Steve Jones, 1972; Cuthbert, 1989; Alex Wade, 2002; Chris Douglas, 2003).
ACC LEADERS AMONG TACKLES
Duke is one of five schools in the ACC with multiple players with 55-plus tackles on the year, joining Georgia Tech (four), Virginia (three), Virginia Tech (two) and Syracuse (two). Redshirt junior linebacker Shaka Heyward is tied for sixth in the conference with 66 tackles on the year, while redshirt senior safety Lummie Young IV sits 15th with 55.Â
YOUNG IV SETTLING IN
Redshirt senior Lummie Young IV sits second on the team in tackles with 55. The Anderson, S.C., native has led the Blue Devils in tackles on three different occasions in 2021, including a season-best 10-tackle performance at Charlotte and Virginia.
FORCING PRESSURE
Redshirt sophomore DeWayne Carter is currently tied for first in the nation with five others with four forced fumbles on the year. The Blue Devils have now had a player register 3-plus caused fumbles in a single season in five of the last 10 years. DeVon Edwards led the group during that stretch with five in 2014.Â
#GoDuke
Â
Players Mentioned
WR
/ Football
DT
/ Football
RB
/ Football
WR
/ Football
LB
/ Football
QB
/ Football
S
/ FootballCaleb Weaver Postgame: Syracuse
Saturday, September 27
Nate Sheppard Postgame: Syracuse
Saturday, September 27
Darian Mensah Postgame: Syracuse
Saturday, September 27
Coach Diaz Postgame: Syracuse
Saturday, September 27
