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UPSET SPECIAL: Duke football beats reigning ACC champion Clemson

Blue Devils outscore ninth-ranked Tigers 22-0 in second half

Published

September 5, 2023

Riley Leonard's 44-yard touchdown run put Duke ahead to stay in the second half. (Photo courtesy GoDuke.com / Duke University athletics).

DURHAM – There was a lot more orange than blue in Wallace Wade Stadium at the start of Monday’s Clemson-Duke football game.

Not by the end, though.

Riley Leonard and the Blue Devils left the visiting Tigers black and blue in a thoroughly dominating 28-7 ACC victory that goes down as one of the biggest home wins in school history.

The North Carolina Tar Heels grabbed a large slice of the college football spotlight Saturday with its convincing triumph over South Carolina in Charlotte. The Blue Devils one-upped their rivals two nights later by scoring the biggest upset of the season thus far.

Duke beat a top-10 ranked team for the first time since the 1989 ACC champion Blue Devils knocked off Clemson 21-17. The Tigers, ranked ninth nationally, had won 12 straight ACC games before Monday, including last year’s ACC title contest.

“This is Duke football. This is what I envisioned Duke could be when I took this job,” coach Mike Elko said in a post-game ESPN interview. “We didn’t play perfect. We just kept battling. We made enough plays to win the game.”

Duke trailed 7-6 at the half, gifting the Tigers a short touchdown drive after a muffed punt. The Blue Devils created three turnovers after the break, though, to keep Clemson off the board the rest of the way.

Junior quarterback Riley Leonard had the highlight offensive play of the game, spinning out of a tackle near the line of scrimmage and racing 44 yards for a touchdown to put Duke up 13-7 with 12:40 left in the third quarter.

Still, with Clemson repeatedly making forays into Duke territory, it seemed the Tigers eventually would gain control of the game. But senior safety Jaylen Stinson had something to say about that, returning a Clemson fumble 55 yards. That set up a nine-yard TD run by junior Jaquez Moore, which sent the Devils ahead 21-7 with 10:33 to go.

Graduate Jordan Waters added the icing with a 36-yard punishing touchdown run at the 3:15 mark for the final margin.

🤷 MAMA THERE GOES THAT MAN❕@Rileyleonard13_ pic.twitter.com/0XI9chHf07 — Duke Football (@DukeFOOTBALL) September 5, 2023

Duke, which went 9-4 a year ago, hadn’t beaten a ranked team since a 2016 victory over then No. 15 North Carolina. Clemson hadn’t lost to the Blue Devils in football since 2004.

The Tigers outgained Duke 422-374 and had more first downs, 29-17. But turnovers and two blocked field goals stymied the reigning ACC champions. The last five Clemson drives went fumble-fumble-turnover on downs-interception-turnover on downs. The Tigers converted on just one of four trips inside the red zone.

Leonard, meanwhile, finished with a workman-like 175 passing yards and 98 rushing yards.

“When the game is on the line he finds ways to make plays,” Elko said of his quarterback.

Duke will certainly vault into the national rankings this week. Who knows how far Clemson will tumble? The Blue Devils were 12.5-point underdogs heading into the contest.

“They did something amazing tonight,” Elko said.