Gunnar Holmberg throws, runs Duke past N.C. A&T as the Blue Devils rebound with a win
North Carolina A&T loaded the line of scrimmage to limit Duke’s potent rushing attack Friday night.
Duke turned to its passing game instead to move the ball down the field before using six short touchdown runs to blow out the Aggies 45-17 at Wallace Wade Stadium.
Though he gained only 41 yards a week after setting the school single-game record with 255 yards in a 31-28 loss to Charlotte, Duke senior running back Mataeo Durant rushed for three touchdowns against N.C. A&T. Quarterback Gunnar Holmberg ran for two scores, both in the second half as the Blue Devils turned their 21-14 halftime lead into a comfortable 42-17 lead.
N.C. A&T (0-2) gave Duke a battle in the first half, putting together a pair of long touchdown drives. The Aggies marched 86 yards on their first possession, using 20 plays to take a 7-0 lead on Kingsley Ifedi’s 1-yard scoring run.
Duke tied the game on Durant’s 19-yard touchdown run before executing a successful onsides kick to regain possession.
Holmberg directed a 52-yard drive from there, including a 34-yard pass to Jalon Calhoun to the Aggies 1. Durant’s 1-yard touchdown run put Duke up 14-7.
Duke’s defense, though, allowed N.C. A&T to march down the field again. The Aggies drove 59 yards on 14 plays with Ifedi’s 5-yard touchdown run tying the score at 14-all with 1:03 left before halftime.
Duke turned aggressive in the final minute of the half, though, with Holmberg calmly leading a late touchdown drive. Holmberg completed a 14-yard pass to Calhoun on a third-down play. On fourth down and six from the Aggies 37, Holmberg fired a 15-yard pass over the middle to Calhoun.
Holmberg’s 20-yard pass to Calhoun on the next play moved Duke to the Aggies 2 and the Blue Devils called timeout with five seconds remaining in the half.
Duke had no timeouts remaining, but Holmberg handed the ball to Durant, who bulled his way up the middle and into the end zone for a touchdown that gave Duke a 21-14 halftime lead.
The Blue Devils beleaguered defense forced the Aggies into a three-and-out to open the second half and a short punt gave Duke the ball at the N.C. A&T 29.
Holmberg fired a 28-yard strike to tight end Nicky Dalmolin and, on third-and-goal from the 1, Holmberg plunged in for a 1-yard touchdown and a 28-14 Duke lead.
N.C. A&T drew closer when Andrew Brown kicked a 26-yard field goal to cut Duke’s lead to 28-17. But the Blue Devils answered with a nine-play 75-yard touchdown drive. Holmberg capped it with a 9-yard scoring run to give the Blue Devils a 35-17 lead.
Freshman Jordan Moore added a 9-yard touchdown run with 1:56 left in the third and Duke took a 42-17 lead into the fourth quarter.
First down
In his first home start for Duke, Holmberg ran the Blue Devils offense well. Duke’s coaches talked all offseason that their new starting quarterback could make plays via the run or the pass and that was on display in this Duke win. Holmberg completed 20 of 27 passes for 270 yards and ran for two touchdowns.
Offsides
After allowing Charlotte to put together four touchdown drives of 75 yards or more in a 31-28 loss last week, Duke’s defense struggled in the same area early Friday night against NC A&T. The Aggies put together a 20-play, 86-yard touchdown drive to start the scoring and added a 14-play, 59-yard touchdown drive in the second quarter.
Touchdown
Or, really, three more of them for Mataeo Durant. The Duke senior running back now has six touchdowns in the Blue Devils’s first two games this season. He had eight all of last season.
ICYMI
Jalon Calhoun loves to see NC A&T on the schedule. Duke’s junior wide receiver caught five passes for 98 yards Friday night, more yards than he gained in any game last season. In fact, the only time Calhoun had more receiving yards in a college game was 105 yards on eight catches on Sept. 7, 2019, against N.C. A&T.
Key numbers
0: Duke turnovers against N.C. A&T, ending a streak of 20 consecutive games where the Blue Devils turned the ball over at least once.
4: Third downs in the third quarter when Duke stopped N.C. A&T from getting a first down. The Aggies were 9 of 10 in the first half.
433: Total yards of offense for Duke in Friday night’s win. It’s the second game in a row the Blue Devils have recorded 400 yard or more of offense.
This story was originally published September 10, 2021 at 11:16 PM with the headline "Gunnar Holmberg throws, runs Duke past N.C. A&T as the Blue Devils rebound with a win."