Preview: Getting physical

DURHAM – Being more physical than Temple, a team picked to finish last in the AAC, was one thing.

Being more physical than Northwestern, a Big Ten team known for its physicality, was another.

Duke, and particularly its offensive line, answered the challenge in front of it last week and are in the early stages of founding what coach Mike Elko wants his program’s identity to be.

“We went into the game with a chip on our shoulder,” running back Jordan Waters said earlier this week. “Coach Elko put a chip on our shoulder that we weren’t physical enough. And that we were going to the Big Ten, playing a physical team.

“So we had a chip on our shoulder and as you (saw), the O-line moved them boys easily.”

There’s no specific number that illustrates physicality better than rushing yardage, both for and against.

That final tally last weekend was 221 rushing yards by Duke; 76 rushing yards against Duke.

It’s a toss-up as to which number factored heavier into Duke’s road win. Despite the lopsided yardage, Duke only had one more rushing attempt than the Wildcats – the Blue Devils having turned their offense one-dimensional.

And yet, it was Waters’ 42-yard run up the middle for Duke’s second touchdown that really seemed to establish the tone of the day. Right tackle John Gelotte pulled and crushed a linebacker in the hole, and Waters bounced off a couple of tackle attempts and rumbled into the end zone.

“I saw John come through and just throw somebody,” Waters said. “I saw (offensive lineman Jacob) Monk do his job and like I said, all I did was hit my holes and after that, it was gone.”

Waters is a fourth-year running back who made his first start at Northwestern. The 6-foot, 214-pounder served as Mataeo Durant’s backup last season and now splits duties in the Blue Devils’ backfield with Jaylen Coleman and Jaquez Moore.

Waters said he was nervous in his first start – until seeing how fired up the offensive line was.

“My heart was just racing but after the first drive, seeing how the O-line was blocking, that made me confident and I was good,” Waters said.

Confidence breeds more confidence and success – both of which the Blue Devils are looking to build in Saturday night’s game against North Carolina A&T.

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Here’s a primer on what you need to know for Saturday night’s game:

Time: 6 p.m.

Location: Wallace Wade Stadium.

TV: ACC Network Extra/ESPN+

Announcers: Mike Morgan (play-by-play), Mike Glennon (analyst), Jalyn Johnson (sidelines).

Forecast: Sunny/clear, temps in low-80s to start game and mid-60s by game’s end, winds around 5 mph.

Series; last meeting: Duke leads 2-0; Duke won 45-17 in 2021.

Records: N.C. A&T 0-2; Duke 2-0.

Stat to watch: 505.5 yards per game | 271.0 yards allowed per game.

The first is Duke’s offense this season; the second is the average yards allowed by N.C. A&T’s defense through two games – the 18th-best clip in the FCS.

There’s got to be some kind of middle ground here – though here’s another reminder that N.C. A&T has played low-possession games, which leads to low-yardage totals.

Duke’s offense has been clicking at a high level for the majority of its first two games. Offensive coordinator Kevin Johns’ system has proven effective and quarterback Riley Leonard has proven to be up to the task of running it.

There’s another weird aspect here: N.C. A&T has outgained opponents by 4 yards – 546-542 – this season.

The Aggies have scored one touchdown and given up 10.

Matchup to watch: N.C. A&T running back Bhayshal Tuten (No. 33) vs. Duke linebackers Shaka Heyward (No. 42) and Dorian Mausi (No. 8).

Not many teams Duke plays will have a running back as good as Northwestern’s Evan Hull, who had 278 yards of offense last week – 213 of which came on 17 catches.

Every team Duke plays, though, will have film of what Hull did and will test Heyward and Mausi in coverage in similar ways that Northwestern used Hull.

Tuten had a nice game on the ground against North Dakota State last week – 24 carries, 127 yards – but it was his receiving skills in the season opener against North Carolina Central that matter for this segment. The second-year running back had seven catches for 55 yards against the Eagles.

Quote of the week: “Our practices have become a lot more physical. We want that to be something we can hang our hat on. … We knew that was the rhetoric, right? We knew that the reason people thought we were a two-touchdown underdog was because we wouldn’t be able to go up there and match a Big Ten team’s physicality.

“And so yeah, we took that personally. Of course we did.” – Coach Mike Elko

Opposing player to watch: Tyquan King, linebacker (No. 10).

N.C. A&T’s leading tackler is a second-year linebacker from a powerhouse South Carolina high school (Dillon) who’s already piled up 20 tackles this season.

The 6-3, 215-pound King had 11 tackles in the opener against N.C. Central, along with a TFL and pass break-up, and then had nine tackles last week against North Dakota State.

He’s undersized for a middle linebacker but makes up for it with quickness and closing speed on ballcarriers. King had 33 tackles in nine games last season as a freshman and has had a nice start in what looks like a breakout sophomore season so far.

Young Blue Devil to watch: Jordan Moore, slot receiver (No. 8).

It might not feel like it because he was put into packages last year, but it’s worth remembering Moore is a second-year player.

And he’s only been playing receiver for about a month.

Moore has a touchdown in each of his first two games, with his toe-tapping score at Northwestern last weekend registering high in both degree of difficulty and magnitude of situation, coming in the fourth quarter with Duke’s 21-point lead having become five.

Whether or not Moore extends his touchdown streak to three games might be academic; he’s worth watching simply because of his rapid development as a receiving threat.

Don’t forget about: Sahmir Hagans, wide receiver (No. 85).

When your quarterback throws for 240 yards and has two 100-yard receivers, there’s not much else for others.

That was the case last weekend; Jalon Calhoun racked up 108 yards on 10 catches and Eli Pancol had 106 yards on four catches.

Hagans was without a catch against the Wildcats after showing a glimpse of his growth with a 39-yard touchdown catch against Temple in the opener. The 5-10, 195-pound Hagans was a standout performer in fall camp.

The bet here is that Hagans bounces back from the goose egg.

Prediction: This is all about focus for the Blue Devils.

Coming off of an emotional rollercoaster of a win, in front of what seems like it’ll be an electric atmosphere, Duke has to block out anticipation of a 3-0 start and ignore the assumption that it should blow out an FCS team.

It’s easier said than done – and feels like another early test of Elko and this staff.