Duke football beats NC A&T, 49-20. Unbeaten Blue Devils will face 3-0 Kansas next

Steve Wiseman

Coverage from the game

Live updates from the game

The Duke Blue Devils aim for their first 3-0 start in four seasons when they play the NC A&T Aggies at Wallace Wade Stadium on Saturday night.

The Blue Devils (2-0) already own wins over Temple, 30-0, and Northwestern, 31-23. N.C. A&T (0-2) lost its opener, 28-13, to rival N.C. Central in Charlotte and suffered a 43-3 thumping at North Dakota State last week.

Duke has won its last nine consecutive games over Football Championship Subdivision teams.

The News & Observer’s Steve Wiseman is at Wallace Wade Stadium and will have updates from all the action.

Aggies score again

N.C. A&T continued to move the ball well against Duke’s defensive reserves, this time marching 84 yards on seven plays for a touchdown.

Freshman quarterback Eli Brickhandler’s 6-yard pass to Romello Kimbrough left Duke with a 49-20 lead with 4:10 to play.

First TD for a freshman

Duke running back Eric Weatherly scored on a 14-yard touchdown run giving Duke a 49-13 lead with 7:41 to play. It’s the first career touchdown for Weatherly, a 5-7, 171-pound freshman from St. John’s, Florida.

NC A&T finds the end zone

With his team comfortably in front, Duke coach Mike Elko sent in his reserve defenders with the Aggies back up to their own 3 following an excellent Porter Wilson punt.

N.C. A&T, though, had fun with the move, marching 97 yards to score its first touchdown of the game. Charlie Dixon notched the score on an 8-yard run that left Duke up 42-13 with 12:05 to play in the game.

Blue Devils piling it on

Duke’s second possession of the second half resulted in yet another rushing touchdown.

This time, junior running back Jaylen Coleman did the honors with a 12-yard touchdown run that put Duke up 42-6 with 8:34 to play in the third quarter.

The Blue Devils have three rushing touchdowns -- two by quarterback Riley Leonard.

Leonard breaks a TD run

Duke sophomore quarterback Riley Leonard added to his big night, unleashing a 56-yard touchdown run early in the third quarter to give Duke a 35-6 lead over N.C. A&T.

Leonard had already thrown two touchdown passes and ran for a score in the first half. On Duke’s second play from scrimmage in the second half, his 56-yard touchdown run is the Blue Devils’ longest rushing play of the season.

Duke in control at halftime

Riley Leonard’s two touchdown passes and a rushing score, plus DeWayne Carter’s fumble return for a score, staked the Blue Devils to a 28-6 halftime lead over NC A&T Saturday night.

Leonard completed his first 11 passes of the game before throwing an interception on his final pass attempt of the half. As it is, the sophomore is 11 of 12 for 155 yards with two scores. His touchdown passes covered 38 yards to Nicky Dalmolin and four yards to Jordan Moore.

Leonard ran two yards for a touchdown in the second quarter.

Moore led Duke in receiving at halftime with five catches for 37 yards.

The Blue Devils outgained the Aggies 201 yards to 112 over the first two quarters.

NC A&T’s only points came on a pair of Andrew Brown field goals from 21 and 41 yards.

Leonard strikes again

Duke quarterback Riley Leonard, already with two touchdown passes in the game, added a 2-yard touchdown run giving Duke a 28-3 lead over N.C. A&T with 9:41 to play until halftime.

Leonard completed his first eight passes, including a 41-yard throw to Sahmir Hagans that moved the Blue Devils inside the NC A&T 3. Two plays later, Leonard scampered in for the touchdown.

Aggies on the board

N.C. A&T put together its first solid drive of the game, moving 71 yards on 14 plays to reach the Duke 5. The drive stalled when Duke safety Darius Joiner tackled Jamison Warren after a 2-yard reception on third down.

The Aggies settled for a 21-yard Andrew Brown field goal to cut Duke’s lead to 21-3 with 13:29 to play in the first half.

Big man TD for Duke

The Blue Devils defense got in on the fun, adding a touchdown to put Duke up 21-0.

Junior defensive tackle Aeneas Peebles’ blind side hit and sack on N.C. A&T quarterback Jalen Fowler caused a fumble. Blue Devils defensive tackle DeWayne Carter scooped the ball up and ran 35 yards for a touchdown with 6:53 to play in the first quarter.

Blue Devils double to their lead

After a quick score in its opening possession, Duke was more methodical in increasing its lead to 14-0.

The Blue Devils used a 10-play, 52-yard drive to reach the end zone when Riley Leonard fired a 4-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Moore with 8:12 left in the first quarter.

Leonard is 4-for-4 for 71 yards and two touchdowns over Duke’s first two drives.

Duke Blue Devils defensive tackle Aeneas Peebles tackles North Carolina A&T Aggies quarterback Jalen Fowler, causing him to fumble the ball, during the first half of Dukes game against North Carolina A&T at Wallace Wade Stadium in Durham, N.C. on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022.
Duke Blue Devils defensive tackle Aeneas Peebles tackles North Carolina A&T Aggies quarterback Jalen Fowler, causing him to fumble the ball, during the first half of Dukes game against North Carolina A&T at Wallace Wade Stadium in Durham, N.C. on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022.

Big plays put Duke up quickly

The Blue Devils hit N.C. A&T with two explosive plays in the game’s opening seconds to jump ahead.

Jaylen Stinson’s 67-yard return of the game’s opening kickoff, followed by a Riley Leonard touchdown pass that gave Duke a 7-0 lead just 15 seconds into the game.

Leonard’s touchdown pass went for 38 yards to tight end Nicky Dalmolin.

Pregame update

Duke will have a new starting linebacker Saturday night as Cam Dillon gets the start in place of the injured junior Dorian Mausi.

A starter in Duke’s first two games this season, Mausi was limited in practice this week with a lower body injury.

Dillon, a graduate transfer from Columbia in his first season with the Blue Devils, has recorded five tackles (three solo) in reserve action thus far this season.

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