Duke football: 3 takeaways from major upset of No. 9 Clemson

2 of 4

Sep 4, 2023; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils quarterback Riley Leonard (13) passes during the second quarter against the Clemson Tigers at Wallace Wade Stadium in Durham, N.C.Mandatory Credit: Ken Ruinard-USA TODAY Sports /

3. Duke football found ways to score

Quarterback Riley Leonard was the Blue Devils’ offense tonight with 270 of their 374 total yards. He led Duke in passing and rushing. Duke had scoring opportunities early in the game and settled for field goals. It wasn’t until Leonard ran for a 44-yard touchdown in the third quarter that the Blue Devils were able to get across the goal line.

Duke ran the football well, rushing for nearly 200 yards and three touchdowns. Running back Jordan Waters chipped in 63 yards, and fellow back Jaquez Moore had 43 yards. The offensive line did a good job keeping Leonard clean. Clemson did not sack him; they only had four tackles for loss.

Clemson struggled to find its rhythm

There was a lot of buzz when Dabo Swinney went outside of the Clemson family to hire Garrett Riley away from TCU. Everyone saw how Max Duggan flourished in Riley’s offense and saw Cade Klubnik doing the same. That might still happen, but it did not happen tonight.

Clemson ran the football well tonight, rushing for 213 yards and 5.3 yards per rush, but the passing game was out of sync. Klubnik missed some throws, and the receivers had trouble separating (4.9 yards per attempt is proof of that).

Home/Duke Blue Devils