No. 10 Irish welcome Blue Devils in inaugural ACC campaign

Posted September 10, 2020 7:00 am

By The Associated Press

File-Notre Dame quarterback Ian Book (12) throws a pass during the first half of the Camping World Bowl NCAA college football game against Iowa State Saturday, Dec. 28, 2019, in Orlando, Fla. Head coach Brian Kelly has seen growth in the 6-foot, 208-pound Book since quarterbacks coach Tom Rees became the team's new offensive coordinator prior to the team's Camping World Bow victory over Iowa State. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack, File) The Associated Press

Duke at No 10 Notre Dame, Saturday at 2:30 p.m. ET (NBC).

Line: Notre Dame by 20.

Series record: Notre Dame leads 4-2-0.

WHAT'S AT STAKE?

After finishing 2019 with an 11-2 record following a 33-9 victory over Iowa State in the Camping World Bowl, Notre Dame gave up its independence for the first time in its 133-year football history after COVID-19 impacted its original schedule. The Fighting Irish, members of the Atlantic Coast Conference in all sports other than hockey, will be eligible for the title as they begin a 10-game league schedule against a Blue Devils team coming off a 5-7 campaign.

KEY MATCHUP

Notre Dame QB Ian Book vs. Duke's defense. Last Nov. 9 in Durham, Book ran for a career-high 139 yards and threw for four touchdowns and 181 yards as the Fighting Irish totaled 469 yards in an 38-7 victory. The Blue Devils' 4-2-5 defense returns ends Victor Dimukje and Chris Rumph II and cornerback Mark Gilbert.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Duke: QB Chase Brice. A graduate transfer from Clemson, Brice beat out Chris Katrenick and Gunnar Holmberg in camp. With the Tigers, Brice completed 60% of his passes for 1,023 yards and nine TDs and rushed for 187 yards and one TD in 25 games.

Notre Dame: S Kyle Hamilton. The 6-foot-4, 219-pound sophomore finished with 41 tackles and a team-high four interceptions (one for a touchdown) during his 2019 freshman campaign. He will anchor a rebuilt secondary that graduated four players to NFL rosters.

FACTS & FIGURES

Duke is 9-3 in season openers under coach David Cutcliffe, while Notre Dame is 8-2 under coach Brian Kelly. '¦ The Blue Devils beat Irish 38-35 in South Bend during the midst of a 4-8 Notre Dame campaign in 2016. '¦ The Irish are 33-6 since then and are picked to finish second behind No. 1 Clemson in the ACC regular season. Duke is predicted to finish 12th out of the 15 schools. '¦ The Irish have an 18-game winning streak at Notre Dame Stadium, which will be filled to a quarter of its 77,622 capacity because of COVID-19. Only Clemson (23), Ohio State (21) and UCF (20) have longer home streaks among FBS schools.

FILE - In this Dec. 28, 2019, file photo, Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly watches warmups before the Camping World Bowl NCAA college football game against Iowa State in Orlando, Fla. Notre Dame heads to spring practice with question marks at various spots, but not at quarterback where Ian Book will be returning for the Fighting Irish. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack, File) The Associated Press

FILE - In this Saturday, Nov. 9, 2019, file photo, Clemson's Chase Brice (7) passes the ball against North Carolina State during the second half of an NCAA college football game in Raleigh, N.C. Brice, who backed up Trevor Lawrence at Clemson the last two seasons, has graduated from Clemson and now heads to Durham to start graduate school at Duke with two seasons of college eligibility remaining. (AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker, File) The Associated Press

FILE - In this Saturday, Sept. 29, 2018, file photo, Duke head coach David Cutcliffe reacts during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Virginia Tech in Durham, N.C. Cutcliffe is taking over playcalling duties in hopes of helping the Blue Devils find an offensive spark in 2020 after struggling to some of their lowest totals under Cutcliffe the previous season. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome, File) The Associated Press

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