Leonard helps Duke stun No. 9 Clemson 28-7 in a one-sided ACC opener
DURHAM, NC (AP) — Riley Leonard broke away from a tackler and sprinted open for a 44-yard touchdown that underscored Duke’s tough and physical performance that shocked ninth-placed Clemson 28-7 for both teams in Monday night’s season opener .
Jaquez Moore added a 9-yard scoring run for the Blue Devils in the fourth quarter by defeating several defenders at the near pylon on the right (1-0, 1-0 Atlantic Coast Conference), giving them an unexpected lead of two touchdowns in a game they largely controlled despite numerous errors.
That’s because Duke resisted three times after Clemson went inside the 10 – going as far as the 1 on two of those possessions – to keep the Tigers scoreless. The Blue Devils blocked two field goals near the goal line in these critical moments and twice forced fumbles. And they had Clemson work under new offensive coordinator Garrett Riley to move the chains instead of moving the ball in chunks.
In short, the Blue Devils made last season’s ACC favorites look very, very ordinary en route to their first win since 2004 against the Tigers (0-1, 0-1).
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