Duke used three running backs against Alabama, Deon Jackson, Brittain Brown and Mataeo Durant carried the ball 21 times for 102 yards. That’s an average of 4.9 yards per carry. There was one turnover, a fumble lost by Brown.
Quentin Harris threw 22 passes, completing 12 for a modest 97 yards. That’s 4.4 yards per attempt. It gets worse when we factor in the eight yards Harris lost on a sack, dropping the average per play to 3.8. And Harris threw two interceptions.
No big surprise here. Combining veteran running backs with a new quarterback and lots of new faces in the receiver corps, we all expected Duke’s running game to be ahead of its passing game early.