Duke football rolls to fourth win. Three takeaways from Blue Devils’ 45-17 win at MTSU

A big first quarter propelled Duke to its fourth consecutive win to start the college football season.

The Blue Devils scored four touchdowns in the first period and endured a lengthy weather delay before completing a 45-17 win over Middle Tennessee State on Saturday night at Johnny “Red” Floyd Stadium in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

Duke quarterback Maalik Murphy fired three touchdown passes and Blue Devils running back Star Thomas turned in his second consecutive game with more than 100 yards while scoring two touchdowns.

After Duke built a 35-10 halftime lead, the game was delayed for one hour and 40 minutes due to lightning and rain during the third quarter.

It’s the second consecutive season Duke has started 4-0. The Blue Devils play nothing but ACC opponents the rest of the regular season, starting with rival North Carolina (3-1) at Wallace Wade Stadium on Saturday at 4 p.m.

Here are three takeaways from Duke’s win over MTSU:

Murphy keeps delivering

Duke’s starting quarterback, who joined the program as a transfer from Texas last December, turned in another strong performance. He completed 14 of 21 passes for 216 yards with three touchdowns and one interception.

Murphy averaged a healthy 15.4 yards per completed passes.

His three touchdown passes give him 11 through four games. He’s now completed 92 of 143 passes for a 64.3% completion percentage this season.

Tight end Nicky Dalmolin caught two touchdown passes, including a 71-yard scoring strike in the first quarter on Duke’s first possession after MTSU had taken an early 7-0 lead on Jaiden Credle’s 66-yard touchdown run.

“That’s kind of a gut punch to give up a run like that,” Duke coach Manny Diaz said. “It was just a cheap one. We just felt like that’s going to bug everybody because you want to get off to a great start. But for the offense to come back and answer right away was huge.”

Both of Dalmolin’s touchdown catches came during Duke’s 28-point, first-quarter onslaught. Dalmolin caught four passes for 100 yards as Diaz said Duke had a feeling the tight end would be open for big plays against MTSU’s defense.

“For him to go over 100 yards,” Diaz said, “we had a feeling that would happen during the course of the week and it was great to see him come up with the first really big play of the game.”

Murphy, Dalmolin and Thomas, who gained 111 rushing yards at running back, helped Duke finish with 340 yards. The Blue Devils averaged 6.1 yards per play.

They did so with an offensive line that had to be shuffled due to left tackle Bruno Fina being held out of the game due to injury. Right tackle Brian Parker moved to left tackle with starting guard Justin Pickett moving to right tackle. Eric Schon, a graduate transfer from Holy Cross, got his first Duke start at guard.

Despite all that plus MTSU changing defenses throughout the game as it tired to stop Duke, the offense had a solid day.

“Those guys up front, that would already be a little bit of adversity,” Diaz said. “And then to play against a completely different style of defense that what you had anticipated in practice and all the plays that you had set up, the find success to get Star Thomas back over 100 yards again on 17 carries was very encouraging.”

Thomas started for the second game in a row in place of the injured Jaquez Moore (lower body injury).

Duke defense creates more havoc

The Blue Devils benefited from four MTSU turnovers with Duke recovering three fumbles and intercepting one pass. The Blue Devils’ offense converted all four turnovers into touchdowns.

Entering the game No. 2 nationally in tackles for losses, the Blue Devils tallied 12 more against the Blue Raiders. Six were quarterback sacks.

Linebacker Alex Howard had 3.5 tackles for losses, including 1.5 sacks, while also recovering a fumble. A transfer from Youngstown State, Howard entered the game leading Duke in tackles with 28 and he added eight more against MTSU. Six of those were solo stops.

Diaz said having a player like Howard playing the “Will” (or weak-side) linebacker in his defensive scheme makes the system work best.

“We are at best when we have a dynamic Will that can finish a play and make plays behind a lot of scrimmage,” Diaz said. “It’s a great coming together of a scheme that’s really made for Alex and Alex really being made for the scheme.”

Targeting penalty sidelines Stinson again

Jaylen Stinson tied for Duke’s team lead in tackles, with seven, in last week’s 26-21 win over UConn, but the Blue Devils played most of Saturday’s game at Middle Tennessee without the senior safety.

Stinson was penalized for targeting, earning him an ejection from the game, in the first quarter. He was called for hitting MTSU quarterback Nicholas Vattiato above the neck as he slid to the turf following a 5-yard scramble.

That sent Stinson to the sideline for the rest of the day. He will be available again when Duke plays UNC on Saturday.

It’s the second targeting penalty he’s been called for in Duke’s past five games. The first happened in last season’s Birmingham Bowl against Troy. Since that one occurred in the second half, Stinson had to sit out the first half of Duke’s season-opening 26-3 win over Elon on Aug. 30.

Against MTSU, Duke put freshman DaShawn Stone in at safety to replace Stinson. He recovered a fumble later in the first quarter and later intercepted a pass. Stone finished with two solo tackles against the Blue Raiders.

Duke saw a second player called for targeting when Wesley Williams received that penalty for a hit on Vattiato late in the second quarter. But that call was reversed after the mandatory replay review, which allowed Williams to stay in the game.