Next Up For Duke Football: Middle Tennessee State On The Road
As the Blue Devils try to move to 4-0
It’s not like Elon, Northwestern and UConn are Murderer’s Row or anything, but we’re not sure everyone saw Duke having a chance to go to 4-0 to start the season.
That’s assuming they beat Middle Tennessee State of course, and making assumptions is a good way to lose.
Duke coach Manny Diaz spent time in Murfreesboro as defensive coordinator earlier in his career and has fond memories of the area. MTSU, as it turns out, is not a small school: it has 27 K undergrads and a lot of passion for their teams.
Like Duke, MTSU is starting over with a new coach, in this case Derek Mason, who used to coach down the road at Vanderbilt. He was fired in 2020 after an 0-8 start, but in fairness, Vandy is a suicide mission in the SEC and it’s not fair to judge him on his performance there. He has a better chance of success in the C-USA.
Like Diaz, he came to prominence as a defensive coordinator and so far he’s 1-2, with a 32-25 win over Tennessee Tech and losses to Ole Miss (52-3) and Western Kentucky (49-21).
Obviously the Blue Raiders are giving up a lot of points - an average of 44.3 ppg. There’s no sign that Duke is going to score that much, at least not based on what we’ve seen so far, but clearly, Middle Tennessee State has work to do on the defensive side.
Consider this though: quarterback Nicholas Vattiato racked up 419 yards last Saturday against Western Kentucky. That’s pretty impressive.
Duke’s defense has been mostly solid and the offense has struggled, though it has come through in the clutch, largely thanks to quarterback Maalik Murphy. If the defense continues to do well and the offense improves, Duke will grow from this game, regardless of the score.
If Duke does move to 4-0, that means they’ll go into the UNC game undefeated and getting close to bowl eligibility again. And that’s a major accomplishment if it happens, particularly in Diaz’s first season.
- Duke football opponent preview: Middle Tennessee State
- Column: What do the numbers say about Maalik Murphy’s impact on Duke football’s offense through three weeks?
- FB: Manny Diaz Press Conference Quotes: Middle Tennessee
- How to watch, stream Duke football at Middle Tennessee as Blue Devils aim for 4-0 start
- Big Blue Raider weekend ahead
- MTSU football vs Duke: Score prediction, scouting report for Middle Tennessee homecoming
- Middle Tennessee standing in way of 4-0 start for Duke
- “We have to turn it into wins” — Blue Raider offense looks to build off what’s worked