Duke reverses subject, knocks off Clemson

DURHAM – Duke made so many errors within the first half towards Clemson on Monday night time that it was stunning the Blue Devils trailed.

Clemson made a lot of the errors within the second half and it means Duke ended faculty soccer’s opening weekend with the most-resounding win throughout the nation.

Duke beat No. 9 Clemson 28-7 in what become a dominating show at Wallace Wade Stadium, the Blue Devils notching their first top-10 win since 1989.

Quarterback Riley Leonard ran for a 44-yard landing on the fifth play of the second half to offer Duke a lead and that’s about as boring because the play may sound. It was a third-and-3 draw wherein Leonard was hit by a few Tigers behind the road of scrimmage, however he saved his toes and escaped down the sideline, tight-roping into the top zone.

Duke blocked two subject targets on this sport, the second of which got here on the following possession.

The Blue Devils added a landing to go up two touchdowns with 10:33 left, Jaquez Moore scampering into the top zone from 9 yards out.

That got here after the second fumble by Clemson inside Duke’s 10-yard line; this one was returned deep into Clemson territory by Jaylen Stinson, who had been injured a number of performs earlier and on the opposite aspect of the third-fourth quarter swing.

Dorian Mausi intercepted a tipped move over the center — Clemson’s third turnover of the second half — with 5:01 left, successfully sealing the consequence.

Duke beat itself greater than Clemson did a lot of something within the first half, which is how we acquired to halftime with the rating at 7-6 within the Tigers’ favor.

Clemson’s landing got here when Jalon Calhoun muffed a punt and the Tigers recovered deep in Duke’s territory. Duke held robust on two runs from contained in the 5-yard line, however the third-and-goal move to Will Shipley simply cleared a blitzing Brandon Johnson’s attain, and Shipley powered into the top zone.

The opposite self-inflicted wounds weren’t as expensive however nonetheless reverberated. False begins within the second quarter turned a few third-and-2s into third-and-7s; an offside penalty negated an interception by Al Blades Jr.; Jeremiah Lewis dropped an interception on the sport’s first possession; and Duke failed to attain on a drive that reached first-and-goal inside Clemson’s 5-yard line.

Duke went high-tempo on its first drive and it labored — simply not all the best way into the top zone. The Blue Devils acquired completions to a few totally different receivers for 16, 22 and 19 yards however stalled inside Clemson’s 5-yard line and settled for Todd Pelino’s 22-yard subject aim.

Pelino kicked one other subject aim, this one in every of 42 yards, on the second play of the second quarter. The large play of that possession was a 28-yard catch-and-run by Jaquez Moore out of the backfield.

In between Duke’s pair of subject targets was the Blue Devils’ first blocked subject aim since 2018 (Joe Giles-Harris).

Clemson’s offense strung collectively an honest drive — its just one that crossed midfield within the first half — earlier than stalling and sending out Robert Gunn III out for a 41-yard try.

Ja’Mion Franklin’s huge left hand acquired a bit of the kick to maintain Clemson off of the scoreboard.

The one factors Duke allowed within the first half got here when Calhoun gifted the Tigers the ball on the Blue Devils’ 18-yard line.