DURHAM – The most-disconcerting part of Duke’s 62-22 loss to visiting Louisville wasn’t that it’s the fifth straight blowout loss for the Blue Devils.

It’s that there aren’t any answers of how they can avoid a sixth one.

“I think the worst part about it is we don’t have answers. As players, we don’t have answers,” senior wide receiver Jake Bobo said. “We don’t know – our problems are all over the place.

“Offensively, there are issues there. Defensively, there are issues there. There are issues in special teams as well. That’s the worst part, you can’t place your finger on one thing.”

Duke (3-8, 0-7 ACC) certainly had no answer for Louisville quarterback Malik Cunningham, who became the first player since 1999 to pass for more than 300 yards and rush for over 200.

Cunningham’s night ended with him completing 18 of 25 passes for 303 yards and five touchdowns, and rushing 11 times for 224 yards and two more scores.

Marques Tuiasosopo had 302 passing yards and 207 rushing for Washington in a 35-30 win over Stanford in 1999.

“I don’t think it was schematic as much as it was we just didn’t match him up,” Duke coach David Cutcliffe said of the problems defending Cunningham. “He escaped the blitz, we had people free.

“We had him stopped for lesser gains that turned into touchdowns.”

After Louisville’s first five possessions, the Cardinals had 353 yards on 28 plays – an average of 12.6 yards per play.

Cunningham accounted for 319 of those yards – 163 rushing and 156 passing. The touchdowns were equally distributed, with touchdown runs of 44 and 72 yards and touchdown passes of 48 and 20 yards.

Jalen Mitchell’s 11-yard touchdown run with 1:36 left in the first half gave us our halftime score and, as much as a game can be decided in the first half – that’s what this one felt like.

The Blue Devils got Louisville’s offense to fourth down twice in the first half – both times, Cunningham kept the ball for easy conversions on the ground.

“I told our players after the game … there’s a lot of hard work. Why doesn’t it pay off is no easy answer. Some parts of it went from bad to worse,” Cutcliffe said. “We’re growing and we’re getting better and we’re getting tougher. Otherwise, it truly is a waste.”

Even the bright spots were fleeting for Duke – after Isaiah Fisher-Smith blocked a punt, Gunnar Holmberg was intercepted on a panicked third-down pass three plays later. Fisher-Smith was later ejected for targeting.

Duke sustained drives to reach the Cardinals’ 3- and 10-yard lines, but the Blue Devils stalled each time and settled for Charlie Ham field goals.

A third field goal on the final play of the first half – again, after the Blue Devils drove deep into Louisville territory – made the halftime deficit 35-9.

Of the issues, one is that Duke’s offense is capable of rolling up yardage – but it’s last in the ACC in scoring.

“We preach getting tougher and putting the foot on the gas as we move down the field,” Bobo said. “I would give you an answer if I had one. Unfortunately, I don’t think anyone in this building does.”