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2010 Football Schedule: September
DURHAM, N.C. – GoDuke.com will take a look at the 2010 Duke football schedule in a three part series.
2010 Football Schedule
SEPTEMBER
Game 1: Elon at Duke, September 4
Series: Duke leads, 5-0-1
Elon in 2009: 9-3 overall record … finished second in the Southern Conference regular season with a 6-1 league record … earned a berth in the FCS playoffs … three losses were to Wake Forest, Appalachian State and Richmond.
Duke-Elon Last Year: N/A
Noteworthy: The Blue Devils are 17-2-2 all-time against current members of the Southern Conference, with both losses coming to Furman in 1927 & 1928.
Significant historical Duke win: On its way to an undefeated season at 4-0-1, Duke downed Elon by a 13-6 count on November 13, 1920.
Significant historical Elon win: N/A
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Game 2: Duke at Wake Forest, September 11
Series: Duke leads, 53-35-2
Wake Forest in 2009: 5-7 overall record … finished fourth in the ACC Atlantic Division with a 3-5 league record … defeated Duke, 45-34, on November 28.
Duke-Wake Forest Last Year: Wake Forest spoiled Senior Day at Wallace Wade Stadium with a 45-34 victory over the Blue Devils … Deacon quarterback Riley Skinner completed 28-of-38 passes for 372 yards and five TDs … Duke quarterback Thaddeus Lewis countered with 387 yards and three TDs while becoming just the second player in ACC history to throw for 10,000 career yards.
Noteworthy: The Blue Devils and Demon Deacons, who first met on March 29, 1889 for a 32-0 Wake Forest victory, have met every year on the gridiron since 1967 … Wake Forest has won 10 straight in the series … Duke won 11 consecutive games over Wake Forest from 1931-41 and 12 in a row between 1952-63.
Significant historical Duke win: On November 8, 1986, Duke freshman kicker Doug Peterson booted a 32-yard field goal with seven seconds left to lift the Blue Devils to a 38-36 victory over the Demon Deacons … After Wake Forest took a 36-35 lead with 3:56 on the clock, Duke took possession at its own 18 yard line … Quarterback Steve Slayden directed the game-winning drive that included a 17-yard pass to Jason Cooper on fourth-and-nine from the Deacon 40 yard line … The two squads combined for 945 yards of total offense in the contest.
Significant historical Wake Forest win: In the Demon Deacons’ run to the ACC championship, Wake Forest needed a blocked field goal on the game’s final snap to defeat Duke, 14-13, on September 9, 2006 … Wake Forest claimed its first lead of the day with 1:28 remaining in the fourth quarter on Micah Andrews’ touchdown run … Duke freshman quarterback Thaddeus Lewis, making the first start of his career, marched the Blue Devils to the Deacon nine yard line with nine seconds to play, and, after Duke took a knee and called timeout, Wake Forest blocked Joe Surgan’s field goal attempt to preserve the victory.
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Game 3: Alabama at Duke, September 18
Series: Alabama leads, 2-1
Alabama in 2009: 14-0 overall record … finished first in the SEC West Division with an 8-0 record … won the SEC championship with a 32-13 win over Florida … won the BCS national championship with a 37-21 win over Texas.
Duke-Alabama Last Year: N/A
Noteworthy: Duke head coach David Cutcliffe is a 1976 graduate of Alabama and worked as a student assistant coach under Hall of Fame head coach Paul “Bear” Bryant … Duke’s stadium namesake, Wallace Wade, coached at both Alabama (61-13-2 record from 1923-30) and Duke (110-36-7 record from 1931-41; 46-50), guided both schools to Rose Bowl appearances (1925, 1926, 1930, 1938 & 1941) and led the Crimson Tide to national championships in 1925 and 1926 before being inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1955 … Wade’s bust sits outside the north entrance of the stadium that bears his name in Durham while a bronze statue of the legendary coach stands outside of Alabama’s Bryant-Denny Stadium alongside Bryant, Frank Thomas and Gene Stallings … The Blue Devils are 4-7 all-time against teams that captured the national championship the previous season and hold a 2-1 home ledger in such games with wins over 1937 champion Pittsburgh (7-0 on November 26, 1938) and 1951 champion Tennessee (7-0 on October 4, 1952) and a loss to 1990 champion Georgia Tech (17-6 on November 2, 1991).
Significant historical Duke win: The Blue Devils upended the Crimson Tide in the Sugar Bowl on January 1, 1945 by a 29-26 score for Duke’s first bowl victory … legendary sportswriter Grantland Rice called the game “one of the greatest thrillers of all time” … Duke had two backs top the 100-yard barrier on the ground with George Clark (14 carries for 123 yards) and Tom Davis (27 carries for 101 yards) and each scored a pair of touchdowns … The Blue Devils rallied from a 19-7 deficit and secured the win when Gordon Carver tackled a Tide ball carrier on Duke’s 24 yard line as time expired.
Significant historical Alabama win: The Tide’s 35-12 win over Duke on September 9, 1972 helped build the foundation for the 1973 Alabama squad that went 11-1 and captured the national championship (UPI).
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Game 4: Army at Duke, September 25
Series: Duke leads, 11-9-1
Army in 2009: 5-7 overall record … lost to Duke, 35-19, on September 12.
Duke-Army Last Year: Following a season-opening loss to Richmond, the Blue Devils were seeking their first win of the 2009 campaign with a trip to West Point … Trailing 10-7 midway through the third period, quarterback Sean Renfree came off the bench to complete his first career attempt for a 17-yard touchdown to Brett Huffman … After a Black Knight field goal cut the lead to 14-13, Renfree tossed a 31-yard scoring strike to Donovan Varner, and Leon Wright returned interceptions for touchdowns on consecutive plays from scrimmage to push Duke’s cushion to 35-13 … Army tacked on a late score to account for the final margin of 35-19.
Noteworthy: Army associate head coach Gene McKeehan is the father of Duke assistant athletic trainer Summer McKeehan.
Significant historical Duke win: Behind the return of quarterback Billy Ray, the Blue Devils rallied from a 16-3 deficit in the fourth period to post a 17-16 win over Army on October 13, 1990 in West Point … Ray, who had missed the previous two games due to injury, came off the bench to complete 12-of-20 passes for 177 yards and one touchdown while running back Randy Cuthbert scored the go-ahead touchdown on a six-yard run with 2:48 left in the game … Duke safety Erwin Sampson, who finished the day with 22 tackles, preserved the win with an interception in the final minute.
Significant historical Army win: On October 27, 1945, the top-ranked Black Knights defeated 19th-ranked Duke, 48-13, in front of 44,687 fans at the Polo Grounds in New York, N.Y. … Doc Blanchard, who would go on to win the Heisman Trophy that year, rushed six times for 64 yards, returned six kickoffs for 324 yards and caught a 59-yard touchdown pass … The victory helped Army claim its second consecutive national championship with a perfect 9-0 record.
2010 Football Schedule
SEPTEMBER
Game 1: Elon at Duke, September 4
Series: Duke leads, 5-0-1
Elon in 2009: 9-3 overall record … finished second in the Southern Conference regular season with a 6-1 league record … earned a berth in the FCS playoffs … three losses were to Wake Forest, Appalachian State and Richmond.
Duke-Elon Last Year: N/A
Noteworthy: The Blue Devils are 17-2-2 all-time against current members of the Southern Conference, with both losses coming to Furman in 1927 & 1928.
Significant historical Duke win: On its way to an undefeated season at 4-0-1, Duke downed Elon by a 13-6 count on November 13, 1920.
Significant historical Elon win: N/A
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Game 2: Duke at Wake Forest, September 11
Series: Duke leads, 53-35-2
Wake Forest in 2009: 5-7 overall record … finished fourth in the ACC Atlantic Division with a 3-5 league record … defeated Duke, 45-34, on November 28.
Duke-Wake Forest Last Year: Wake Forest spoiled Senior Day at Wallace Wade Stadium with a 45-34 victory over the Blue Devils … Deacon quarterback Riley Skinner completed 28-of-38 passes for 372 yards and five TDs … Duke quarterback Thaddeus Lewis countered with 387 yards and three TDs while becoming just the second player in ACC history to throw for 10,000 career yards.
Noteworthy: The Blue Devils and Demon Deacons, who first met on March 29, 1889 for a 32-0 Wake Forest victory, have met every year on the gridiron since 1967 … Wake Forest has won 10 straight in the series … Duke won 11 consecutive games over Wake Forest from 1931-41 and 12 in a row between 1952-63.
Significant historical Duke win: On November 8, 1986, Duke freshman kicker Doug Peterson booted a 32-yard field goal with seven seconds left to lift the Blue Devils to a 38-36 victory over the Demon Deacons … After Wake Forest took a 36-35 lead with 3:56 on the clock, Duke took possession at its own 18 yard line … Quarterback Steve Slayden directed the game-winning drive that included a 17-yard pass to Jason Cooper on fourth-and-nine from the Deacon 40 yard line … The two squads combined for 945 yards of total offense in the contest.
Significant historical Wake Forest win: In the Demon Deacons’ run to the ACC championship, Wake Forest needed a blocked field goal on the game’s final snap to defeat Duke, 14-13, on September 9, 2006 … Wake Forest claimed its first lead of the day with 1:28 remaining in the fourth quarter on Micah Andrews’ touchdown run … Duke freshman quarterback Thaddeus Lewis, making the first start of his career, marched the Blue Devils to the Deacon nine yard line with nine seconds to play, and, after Duke took a knee and called timeout, Wake Forest blocked Joe Surgan’s field goal attempt to preserve the victory.
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Game 3: Alabama at Duke, September 18
Series: Alabama leads, 2-1
Alabama in 2009: 14-0 overall record … finished first in the SEC West Division with an 8-0 record … won the SEC championship with a 32-13 win over Florida … won the BCS national championship with a 37-21 win over Texas.
Duke-Alabama Last Year: N/A
Noteworthy: Duke head coach David Cutcliffe is a 1976 graduate of Alabama and worked as a student assistant coach under Hall of Fame head coach Paul “Bear” Bryant … Duke’s stadium namesake, Wallace Wade, coached at both Alabama (61-13-2 record from 1923-30) and Duke (110-36-7 record from 1931-41; 46-50), guided both schools to Rose Bowl appearances (1925, 1926, 1930, 1938 & 1941) and led the Crimson Tide to national championships in 1925 and 1926 before being inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1955 … Wade’s bust sits outside the north entrance of the stadium that bears his name in Durham while a bronze statue of the legendary coach stands outside of Alabama’s Bryant-Denny Stadium alongside Bryant, Frank Thomas and Gene Stallings … The Blue Devils are 4-7 all-time against teams that captured the national championship the previous season and hold a 2-1 home ledger in such games with wins over 1937 champion Pittsburgh (7-0 on November 26, 1938) and 1951 champion Tennessee (7-0 on October 4, 1952) and a loss to 1990 champion Georgia Tech (17-6 on November 2, 1991).
Significant historical Duke win: The Blue Devils upended the Crimson Tide in the Sugar Bowl on January 1, 1945 by a 29-26 score for Duke’s first bowl victory … legendary sportswriter Grantland Rice called the game “one of the greatest thrillers of all time” … Duke had two backs top the 100-yard barrier on the ground with George Clark (14 carries for 123 yards) and Tom Davis (27 carries for 101 yards) and each scored a pair of touchdowns … The Blue Devils rallied from a 19-7 deficit and secured the win when Gordon Carver tackled a Tide ball carrier on Duke’s 24 yard line as time expired.
Significant historical Alabama win: The Tide’s 35-12 win over Duke on September 9, 1972 helped build the foundation for the 1973 Alabama squad that went 11-1 and captured the national championship (UPI).
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Game 4: Army at Duke, September 25
Series: Duke leads, 11-9-1
Army in 2009: 5-7 overall record … lost to Duke, 35-19, on September 12.
Duke-Army Last Year: Following a season-opening loss to Richmond, the Blue Devils were seeking their first win of the 2009 campaign with a trip to West Point … Trailing 10-7 midway through the third period, quarterback Sean Renfree came off the bench to complete his first career attempt for a 17-yard touchdown to Brett Huffman … After a Black Knight field goal cut the lead to 14-13, Renfree tossed a 31-yard scoring strike to Donovan Varner, and Leon Wright returned interceptions for touchdowns on consecutive plays from scrimmage to push Duke’s cushion to 35-13 … Army tacked on a late score to account for the final margin of 35-19.
Noteworthy: Army associate head coach Gene McKeehan is the father of Duke assistant athletic trainer Summer McKeehan.
Significant historical Duke win: Behind the return of quarterback Billy Ray, the Blue Devils rallied from a 16-3 deficit in the fourth period to post a 17-16 win over Army on October 13, 1990 in West Point … Ray, who had missed the previous two games due to injury, came off the bench to complete 12-of-20 passes for 177 yards and one touchdown while running back Randy Cuthbert scored the go-ahead touchdown on a six-yard run with 2:48 left in the game … Duke safety Erwin Sampson, who finished the day with 22 tackles, preserved the win with an interception in the final minute.
Significant historical Army win: On October 27, 1945, the top-ranked Black Knights defeated 19th-ranked Duke, 48-13, in front of 44,687 fans at the Polo Grounds in New York, N.Y. … Doc Blanchard, who would go on to win the Heisman Trophy that year, rushed six times for 64 yards, returned six kickoffs for 324 yards and caught a 59-yard touchdown pass … The victory helped Army claim its second consecutive national championship with a perfect 9-0 record.
