Duke Football: 2017 season preview, predictions

Offense

The Duke Blue Devils offense wasn’t terrible in 2016, but they should be a lot more balanced now that quarterback Daniel Jones has a year of experience under his belt. Jones was thrown into the proverbial fire last season but he still managed well. He threw for 2,836 passing yards, 16 passing touchdowns and nine interceptions. He also did work with his legs, rushing for 486 yards and seven touchdowns.

While he was the leader of the offense, he was also the bulk of it. Wide receiver T.J. Rahming had 70 receptions for 742 receiving yards and a touchdown, but after him, the production dropped off a bit.

Rahmind along with fellow wide receivers Johnathan Lloyd (301 receiving yards, three touchdowns) and Chris Taylor (315 receiving yards, one touchdown) should see more receptions as Duke looks to stretch the field more on offense. Jones ranked 10th in the ACC last season in passing yards per attempt (6.6).

Jones will need to improve his accuracy a bit, too. He threw five interceptions against the Virginia Cavaliers last season.

Finding balance on offense

The Blue Devils have a playmaker in the backfield in running back Shaun Wilson, they just have to use him. Wilson ran for 623 rushing yards and four touchdowns next to running back Jela Duncan. Entering his senior year, he should be ready to breakout and do more as the featured back.

The Duke offense ran for 153.6 rushing yards per game last season, way down from their average of 193.0 in 2015. They will need their offensive line to get some more push up front so the running backs can produce.

They ranked 111th in the FBS in points per game (23.3) last season after ranking 47th in 2015. Producing more rushing yards certainly can produce more points, at least in theory. The Blue Devils have enough talent to be a middle-of-the-pack team in the ACC, they just have to use it.