Defense Swarms Middle Tennessee in 45-17 Victory

Saturday, September 21

Murfreesboro, Tenn.

4 p.m. (3 p.m. CT)

Duke University

4-0 , 0-0

Middle Tennessee

1-3 , 0-1

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Duke

Middle Tenn.

Defense Swarms Middle Tennessee in 45-17 Victory

9/21/2024 9:42:00 PM | Football

Box Score Duke Post-Game Notes (PDF)Duke Quotes (PDF)MTSU Notes & Quotes Coach Diaz: Postgame Press Conference Wes Williams: Postgame Press Conference Nicky Dalmolin: Postgame Press Conference Photo Gallery Photo Gallery

MURFEESBORO, TENN. – A trio of first quarter fumble recoveries turned a 7-7 tie into a 28-10 Duke advantage as the Blue Devils downed Middle Tennessee 45-17 on Saturday. Redshirt sophomore quarterback Maalik Murphy threw three touchdowns and graduate tight end Nicky Dalmolin caught two TD tosses en route to earning his first career 100-yard receiving performance.

Graduate running back Star Thomas eclipsed 100 yards on the ground for the second consecutive game while adding two rushing scores and graduate wide receiver Jordan Moore extended his reception streak to 30 games with a 34-yard touchdown reception.

Defensively, the Blue Devils carded 12.0 tackles for loss, 6.0 sacks, forced three fumbles, logged one interception and broke up four passes. Redshirt sophomore Wesley Williams finished with 2.0 sacks and a trio of tackles, while graduate Alex Howard and senior Cameron Bergeron led the team in total tackles with eight apiece.

With the win, Duke improved to 4-0 in consecutive seasons for just the fourth time in program history (1933-34-35-36; 1952-53; 2017-18). Blue Devil head coach Manny Diaz joined Fred Goldsmith (1994), Mike McGee (1971) and Floyd J. Egan (1920) as Duke head coaches to win their first four games.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The two teams quickly traded touchdowns on their opening possessions with the Blue Raiders ripping off a 66-yard run for a score and Duke answering with a 71-yard scoring strike from Maalik Murphy to Nicky Dalmolin.
After knotting the score at 7-7, Duke forced a trio of MTSU fumbles and converted each into a touchdown during the first quarter and broke the game open for a 28-10 lead.
The score remained the same until 1:14 was left in the first half and Murphy found Jordan Moore for a 34-yard strike to push the advantage to 35-10.
Duke opened the second half with a 70-yard scoring march to take a 38-10 lead on a Todd Pelino 23-yard field goal.
With 5:41 to play in the third quarter, a lightning delay occurred with the teams waiting an hour and 41 minutes before resuming play.
Once play resumed, the hosts struck for a touchdown to draw within three scores, 38-17, but Duke defense responded with its fourth takeaway of the game, this time with an interception by DaShawn Stone, and Duke's offense capitalized once again, scoring its fourth touchdown off a turnover with a Star Thomas one-yard push into the endzone.

UP NEXT

Duke is hosts North Carolina next Saturday, Sept. 28 as part of Duke's Centennial Founders' Day and Homecoming. Kick is 4 p.m. ET on ESPN2.

Duke Centennial
In 2024, Duke celebrates its Centennial, marking one hundred years since Trinity College became Duke University. Duke will use this historic milestone to deepen the understanding of its history, inspire pride and strengthen bonds and partnerships, and prepare for a second century of continued excellence and impactful leadership. To learn more, please visit 100.duke.edu

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