Duke expects to be relatively healthy for UNC

DURHAM – Duke entered the football season with a nearly clean bill of health.

Six games in, it was inevitable that would become a distant memory.

The Blue Devils have seen injury attrition through the first half of the season, in no game more than last week’s 23-20 overtime loss at Georgia Tech.

Fifth-year offensive lineman Maurice McIntyre suffered a season-ending injury early against the Yellow Jackets. Coach Mike Elko said he’ll undergo surgery Thursday; McIntyre started every game at left guard for Duke, but only played seven snaps (per Pro Football Focus) before his injury at GT.

Otherwise, the Blue Devils expect to get everyone who was banged up against the Yellow Jackets back for Saturday night’s game against North Carolina.

“I think everybody else who got hurt Saturday, we anticipate back,” Elko said.

Most of those absences were on the offensive side of the ball – which, in part, gives context to Duke’s season-low 278 yards.

Leading receiver Jalon Calhoun was injured on a punt return before Duke’s offense took the field at GT. Leading rusher Jaylen Coleman didn’t play because of an ankle injury suffered against Virginia.

“We anticipate Jaylen Coleman being back, he was a game-time decision Saturday and just couldn’t get over the hump,” Elko said.

Jordan Waters, the other half of Duke’s two-headed running back combo, was injured against GT and only played 24 snaps. Jaquez Moore played a season-high 34 snaps and led Duke with 59 yards on 12 carries, while freshman Terry Moore played 22 snaps and had 30 yards on five carries.

Missing McIntyre on the offensive shouldn’t cripple Duke, which has been rotating linemen throughout the season. He is one of seven linemen who’s played at least 100 snaps for the Blue Devils.

In his absence, Elko said Jack Burns (at center) and Chance Lytle (at guard) will play more often, and it opens the door for second-year guard Justin Pickett to work into the rotation (43 snaps this season).

Duke’s defense went into last weekend’s game knowing it wouldn’t have defensive end Anthony Nelson or linebacker Tre Freeman available. Elko ruled out Nelson for this week’s game, but said there’s a chance Freeman could return and that it depends on his recovery, and that it could be a game-time decision.

There was good news on that side of the ball, at least in the injury department: Linebacker Dorian Mausi was back against the Yellow Jackets, playing 26 snaps and recording three tackles. He missed the Blue Devils’ wins against N.C. A&T and Virginia.

There was also a non-injury absence that hurt Duke: Linebacker Shaka Heyward committed a targeting penalty – hitting a sliding QB – late in the first half and was ejected for the second half. Because the play happened in the first half, he won’t miss the game against UNC.

“He basically committed to the tackle the same time the slide happened and he didn’t pull off,” Elko said. “You have to pull off. That’s college football nowadays, you have to pull off.”

Duke is one of two ACC teams that doesn’t have an off week until the last weekend of October this season; the other is Clemson.