Duke once again takes care of business against B1G foe Northwestern to go 3-0 on the season. Here’s who earned helmet stickers this week:
BRIAN’S PICK: JALON CALHOUN
Senior WR Jalon Calhoun had his first breakout game of the season. Calhoun grabbed 5 receptions for 112 yards. For those of you doing the math, that is almost 23 yards per catch against the Northwestern Wildcats. While the passing game for Duke has taken a back seat (for now) to the rushing attack, Calhoun has been able to perform when needed. The lowest average yards per catch Calhoun has had so far this season has been 6.4 yards against Clemson. As it stands, Calhoun needs to average 75 yards/game for the remainder of the season to better his total of 873 receiving yards from last season. I think the Northwestern game was only a preview of the things to come, as Duke takes on a Connecticut team that just allowed 284 yards to Florida International. Could this weekend’s game against the Huskies be the one that kicks the passing game into another gear? More than likely. And don’t be surprised if Jalon Calhoun has another stout performance.
JAMIE’S PICK: RILEY LEONARD
This week was a tough one…wait, who am I kidding? My helmet sticker this week goes to none other than QB1 Riley Leonard. He was able to help the offense absolutely control this game. The scoreboard showed Duke had 38, but it felt like they could have had 50 or more if they wanted.
Once again, Riley was a HUGE part of that. He was 15-20 for 211 yards. He didn’t pass for a touchdown, but Riley is in a stretch currently where he has been incredibly accurate with the ball. He’s 27 for his last 32. And it’s not just his accuracy that’s been amazing. If you watch Riley, you will see him go quickly through his progressions, while making the right decision with the ball 99% of the time. The NFL scouts have to love seeing that. This Saturday was another incredibly efficient game for Riley finishing with a QBR of 88. He is top 3 in the league in QBR right now. But, once again, where he did his most damage was on the ground. He had 13 carries for 97 yards and 2 touchdowns including an electrifying 33 yard run, where he eluded a potential loss in route to a big run. For his big day against Northwestern, Riley Leonard gets my helmet sticker.
JOSH’S PICK: MYLES JONES
After another shut-down performance from the Duke defense, my helmet sticker goes to graduate transfer cornerback Myles Jones. Jones arrived at Duke in January after an injury-ridden career at Texas A&M. After getting his body right during spring practice, Jones earned a starting spot in the Duke secondary.
This past Saturday, Jones picked off a Ben Bryant pass en route to a 38-14 dismantling of the Wildcats. This was Jones’s second interception in as many weeks. Jones also pitched in with a tackle for loss and another pass break up. His leadership has been key to Duke’s success in the secondary so far. For that, he earned my helmet sticker.
SCOTT’S PICK: KENDALL JOHNSON
Another week, another win, and another hard choice on who to pick for this week’s helmet sticker. Now for some there may have been a little confusion on who the player was wearing #42 on the field Saturday for Duke. Many may not understand what I am referencing, but my choice for this week’s helmet sticker is freshman LB Kendall Johnson who has been wearing #17, but for the Northwestern, Kendall was wearing #42. Kendall was able to get his first career sack in the game this past Saturday (which will be 1 of many that he will have in his Duke career). He finished the game with 5 total tackles which tied him for 5th most tackles in the game. Duke winning the first 3 games in a commanding fashion had paved roads for many young guys to get in game reps. As Coach Elko has said if something happens with penalties or injuries, Duke has adapted the next man up mentality. I see a bright future for Kendall as he goes forward. Let’s Go Duke!