Notre Dame football: 3 takeaways from season-opening win over Duke

Despite a strong start, Duke ultimately falls to Notre Dame football as Fighting Irish prove to be just too much for Cutcliffe’s Blue Devils.

Duke entered their matchup with 10th ranked Notre Dame as a 21-point underdog. Surprisingly, the Blue Devils got off to a spectacular start, specifically on the defensive side of the ball.

The Duke defense stood strong against star quarterback Ian Book early on. Throughout the entirety of the first quarter, the Fighting Irish were held to zero first downs. The Blue Devils were stout on defense, but this stronghold would wind down over the course of the game.

Notre Dame’s offense was a bit confusing throughout the afternoon. At times, they looked unstoppable. Other times, it looked like they couldn’t get anything done. Fortunately for Brian Kelly’s squad, their offense seemed to kick it into gear each time Duke would score. This was absolutely demoralizing for the Blue Devils, who just couldn’t seem to catch back up to the Irish.

Eventually, Notre Dame would pull away as Duke just didn’t have the personnel to outplay the Fighting Irish. Stacking injuries certainly didn’t help out for the Blue Devils’ cause.

While many may not have viewed this as a super exciting game, we definitely learned some things about both teams. Let’s take a look at three takeaways from Saturday’s matchup in South Bend.