2018 Opponent Series: Duke - Nov. 17
Over the next two weeks, we will be giving you an inside look at every opponent on Clemson's schedule. The road to a fourth straight ACC Championship and another College Football Playoff trip begins September 1 against Furman.
2018 Opponent Series
- Sept. 1 vs. Furman
- Sept. 8 @ Texas A&M (Premium)
- Sept. 15 vs. Georgia Southern
- Sept. 22 @ Georgia Tech
- Sept. 29 vs. Syracuse
- Oct. 6 @ Wake Forest
- Oct. 20 vs. NC State (Premium)
- Oct. 27 @ Florida State (Premium)
- Nov. 3 vs. Louisville
- Nov. 10 @ Boston College
After losing six straight games during the 2017 season, the Duke Blue Devils finished the season with three consecutive wins including a bowl victory. Heading into 2018, David Cutcliffe wants to continue to focus on improving his team's consistency.
“These guys, the demands are consistent. We try not to get mad and be raising cane about something. We try to challenge them properly every day. So from January to December, I hope our demands are the most consistent in all of college football, not just from staff but the players themselves, and that's a big part of climbing out of a ditch, as they called it,” Cutcliffe said at ACC Media Days.
Duke returns redshirt senior quarterback Daniel Jones for his senior season. The Charlotte, N.C. native will have a plethora of talent to work with, including 3 returning wide receivers in T.J. Rahming, Chris Taylor and Jonathan Lloyd, which makes Jones excited.
“I think we have people who can shake it up and make people miss in small spaces, maybe some of the shorter stuff, and I think we have guys who can really push it down the field with their speed and kind of more long-distance speed,” Jones said.
“I think that's exciting as an offense, just how many different ways we can throw the football, and we'll continue to grow with that throughout camp and throughout the season.”
Duke’s defense only allowed 20.2 points per game in 2017, and that has caused them to get some preseason publicity, but redshirt junior linebacker Joe Giles-Harris knows there is room for improvement in order for them to be the type of defense they want to be.
“If you're going to beat Duke's defense, you'd better give it your whole shot. That's our goal. That's what we think about. You never want to beat yourself. So I think being more consistent, doing the little things, paying attention to film a little bit more, knowing the playbook a little bit better, I think that will all pay off for us,” Giles-Harris said.
Duke Blue Devils
Head coach: David Cutcliffe, eleventh year
Last season: 7-6 overall, 3-5 in ACC play; defeated Northern Illinois 36-14 in the Quick Lane Bowl
Returning starters: 7 offense, 8 defense
Players to Watch
Daniel Helm (Tight end, RsSr.) - David Cutcliffe raved about the 6’4, 255-pound redshirt senior, saying that he looked “really good.” Helm looks to have a great final campaign for the Blue Devils after 22 receptions for 261 yards and two touchdowns in 2017.
Mark Gilbert (Cornerback, Jr.) - The All-ACC preseason pick looks to have a strong junior campaign for the Blue Devils as he had six interceptions last year. The Fayetteville, N.C. native is also a candidate for the Jim Thorpe Award.
Chris Taylor (Wide receiver, RsSr) - After missing the contact portion of spring practice, Taylor looks to come back strong after a strong 2017 season where he had 25 catches for 332 yards and one touchdown.
2018 Schedule
Aug. 31 (Fri.) - vs. Army
Sept. 8 - at Northwestern
Sept. 15 - at Baylor
Sept. 22 - vs. North Carolina Central
Sept. 29 - vs. Virginia Tech
Oct. 13 - at Georgia Tech
Oct. 20 - vs. Virginia
Oct. 27 - at Pittsburgh
Nov. 3 - at Miami
Nov. 10 - vs. North Carolina
Nov. 17 - at Clemson
Nov. 24 - vs. Wake Forest
HOME games in bold