DUKE RUNNING GAME VS. NOTRE DAME RUN DEFENSE
Junior running back Deon Jackson has yet to record a 100-yard game this season, but he has shown consistency with a 60.9-yard average that can be penciled in essentially every time out. In the 20-17 loss to North Carolina Oct. 26, Jackson enjoyed his best game of the year with 91 yards and 4.8 yards per carry.
Dual-threat fifth-year senior quarterback Quentin Harris adds 51.0 rushing yards per game and leads the Blue Devils with six rushing touchdowns to effectively complement Jackson in Duke’s ground game.
Heading into November, Duke ranked 66th nationally with 166.1 rushing yards per game.
For the Irish, stopping the run was an area of steady improvement until that ill-fated night at Michigan. In their 45-14 rout of the Irish, the Wolverines gashed the Notre Dame rush defense for 303 yards on 57 carries in one of the worst run stoppage efforts since Irish head coach Brian Kelly arrived here 10 seasons ago.
