Army tops Duke for perfect home mark
Black Knights take advantage of Blue Devils’ errors to improve to 8-2
Ahmad Bradshaw scored on an 18-yard run, Javhari Bourdeau returned a blocked punt for another touchdown, and Army beat mistakeprone Duke 21-16 on Saturday to finish the season unbeaten on its home turf at Michie Stadium.
Army (8-2), fresh from a dominating 21-0 victory at Air Force, has won six in a row and finished 6-0 at home, the first Army team to be perfect at home in a season since 1996.
Doing so on Veterans Day and two years after Duke had embarrassed the Black Knights 44-3 on their home turf made it a special moment for Army coach Jeff Monken.
“Just a fantastic day to be able to represent the Army and the way we did,” Monken said. “I think that’s the best thing that we can do on this day is play like we did, with a lot of toughness and a lot of grit. It wasn’t perfect, but in the end it was good enough. I’m really, really proud of our team.”
Duke (4-6) was 4-1 in its previous five meetings with Army, but the Blue Devils were done in by mistakes in their sixth straight loss and now have to win their final two games to become eligible to play in a bowl game.
“We’re going to run to it,” said Duke quarterback Daniel Wilson, who was 19 of 29 for 164 yards and one interception passing and scored on a 4-yard run in the second quarter. “We still have an opportunity to finish strong. We’ll do our best to do that.”
In the first half, Duke outgained Army and even held the ball a tad longer than the Black Knights, the leading rushing team in the nation. But turnovers and the blocked punt cost the Blue Devils dearly. They trailed 21-10 at halftime and couldn’t rally for the victory.
Jones led Duke on a 14play drive capped by Brittain Brown’s 1-yard touchdown run on the first play of the fourth quarter, but the Blue Devils failed on the 2-point conversion when Jones was stopped cold on a run.
Army responded by holding the ball for over 10 minutes
on an 18-play drive that was helped by a personal foul against Duke linebacker Joe Giles-Harris that gave the Black Knights a first down at the Duke 13.
Then it was Army’s turn to self-destruct, getting called for delay of game and a false start that forced the Black Knights to attempt a field goal. Duke defensive tackle Mike Ramsay blocked Blake Wilson’s 20-yard attempt with 4:15 left, giving the Blue Devils one last shot.
The Army defense made sure the seniors would celebrate one last time on their home field, stuffing the Blue Devils in their tracks. Jones was hit twice as he tried to pass and was sacked once. Duke punted with just over 2 minutes left and never got the ball back.
After falling behind 3-0, Army drove 80 yards in 11 plays to gain a lead it never relinquished, with Andy Davidson rushing for 37 yards on four carries to help set up Darnell Woolfolk’s 3-yard touchdown.
Army then forced the Blue Devils to punt, and Davidson used his expertise on
special teams to block the kick. Bourdeau, a freshman defensive back, quickly scooped it up and returned it 25 yards for a touchdown and a 14-3 lead early in the second quarter.
When Duke got the ball back, the Blue Devils committed another gaffe. Jones mishandled a snap on first down and Army safety Rhyan England recovered the fumble at the Army 36.
The triple option offers an element of mystery when it comes to Army, which did not attempt a pass in the win over Air Force and ranks last nationally in passing. Bradshaw stunned Duke with his only throw of the game, hitting a wideopen Kell Walker down the left side for 42 yards on a third-and-9 play. Two plays later, Bradshaw scored untouched over right tackle for what proved to be the decisive score.
THE TAKEAWAY
Duke: Coming off a bye week, Duke faced the first of two straight games against the triple option with Georgia Tech next on the schedule. The Blue Devils held Army to a season-low 226 yards rushing, well below its average of 365.4 yards, so that bodes well for next week.
“It felt good knowing that we could hold this team,” Ramsay said. “They’ve kind of dominated a lot of other teams. Being able to shut them down, get that field goal blocked, was a big momentum change for the team.”
Army: The Black Knights continued their impressive run, overcoming an Atlantic Coast Conference team that was desperate for a win. They can match the school record for victories in a season if they win their final two games.
UP NEXT
Duke: The Blue Devils host Georgia Tech next Saturday afternoon.
Army: The Black Knights are at North Texas next Saturday night.