Mario Cristobal shares initial thoughts on Duke

Miami head coach Mario Cristobal secured his first conference win this past weekend at the helm for the Hurricanes, defeating Virginia Tech on the road 20-14. The Hurricanes now move onto their next opponent in Duke, a scrappy team that’s lost their last two outings by three points each. Cristobal shared his first impressions of the Blue Devils headed into their matchup, starting with some high praise for their offensive line.

“Well it’s a really good football team, obviously it starts up front, their offensive line has done a good job blocking for both their quarterback and their running backs. They do a lot of stuff up front, they’ll pin and pull you, inside zone, outside zone, gap schemes, their offensive line they play together, very smart group of guys,” Crisotbal explained. “You can tell that they’ve gelled really well, not sure exactly how much time they have spent together but they do a really good job.”

Duke boasts the second-best rushing offense in the ACC, averaging 205.9 yards on the ground which has a lot to do with explosive running back Jordan Waters, who’s tied for the fourth most rushing touchdowns in the conference with six so far this season.

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“And their running back, he creates stuff as well, he really sets up runs well and he has the ability to put a foot in the ground and reverse the field,” Cristobal said.

But the engine that makes the Blue Devils go is quarterback Riley Leonard, who not only ranks in the top five of the conference in passing yards with 1,557 yards, but is Duke’s leading rusher with 420 yards on the ground, which ranks sixth in the ACC amongst all players and fifth amongst quarterbacks in the country.

“Their quarterback is an exceptional player, I really feel that strongly about him. He can make the tight window throws, he can take off with the football when it’s not there, he can extend plays, he’s very smart, he doesn’t make mistakes, very balanced offense,” Cristobal said.

The Hurricanes have plenty of players to game plan around this weekend from Duke’s offense, but the Blue Devils defense has also had some impressive performances this season.

“Their defense, they have a really good grasp of their scheme. You don’t see guys out of place, you see guys playing hard, creating turnovers. I think from a turnover margin standpoint they’re tops in the conference,” Cristobal said. “They get guys on the ground, really had an opportunity to close out last week’s game in a strong fashion, albeit a penalty prevented that from happening. So all in all just really impressed with watching them on film.”

Duke will be looking to bounce back from a heartbreaking loss to their rival UNC, while the Hurricanes will be looking to build on their new-found momentum, as both teams will square off Saturday in Hard Rock Stadium at 12:30 p.m.