CollegeFootballDigestfrom CooperSearch

2015 Duke

8–⁠5 (4–⁠4 Atlantic Coast Conference), coached by David Cutcliffe.

Schedule and results

Duke in 2015, game by game: won at Tulane 37–7; won vs. North Carolina Central 55–0; lost vs. No. 23 Northwestern 10–19; won vs. No. 20 Georgia Tech 34–20; won vs. Boston College 9–7; won at Army 44–3; won at Virginia Tech 45–43; lost vs. Miami 27–30; lost at No. 21 North Carolina 31–66; lost vs. Pittsburgh 13–31; lost at Virginia 34–42; won at Wake Forest 27–21; won vs. Indiana 44–41+55−35Won 37–7 at Tulane+30TulaneWon 55–0 vs. North Carolina Central+55North Carolina …Lost 10–19 vs. No. 23 Northwestern-9No. 23 NorthwesternWon 34–20 vs. No. 20 Georgia Tech+14No. 20 Georgia TechWon 9–7 vs. Boston College+2Boston CollegeWon 44–3 at Army+41ArmyWon 45–43 at Virginia Tech+2Virginia TechLost 27–30 vs. Miami-3MiamiLost 31–66 at No. 21 North Carolina-35No. 21 North CarolinaLost 13–31 vs. Pittsburgh-18PittsburghLost 34–42 at Virginia-8VirginiaWon 27–21 at Wake Forest+6Wake ForestWon 44–41 vs. Indiana+3Indiana
Each game’s margin, wins above the line and losses below; orange marks an upset win.
DateOpponentResultElo
Sep 3atTulaneW 37–⁠763%
Sep 12vsNorth Carolina CentralW 55–⁠084%
Sep 19vs23NorthwesternL 10–⁠1966%
Sep 26vs20Georgia TechW 34–⁠2046%
Oct 3vsBoston CollegeW 9–⁠765%
Oct 10atArmyW 44–⁠371%
Oct 24atVirginia TechW 45–⁠4354%
Oct 31vsMiamiL 27–⁠3070%
Nov 7at21North CarolinaL 31–⁠6640%
Nov 14vsPittsburghL 13–⁠3162%
Nov 21atVirginiaL 34–⁠4257%
Nov 28atWake ForestW 27–⁠2163%
Dec 26Bowls & playoffvsIndianaPinstripe BowlW 44–⁠4156%

Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.

How it ended: Beat Indiana 44–⁠41 in the Pinstripe Bowl; unranked in the final AP poll; tied for 7th in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

In program history: The 46th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 108 on file).

AP poll, week by week

  1. Wk 7: 25
  2. Wk 8: 23
  3. Wk 9: 22

Consensus All-AmericanJeremy Cash, DB

Record
8–⁠5
Conference
4–⁠4 tied for 7th in Atlantic Coast Conference
AP final
Unranked peak No. 22
Points
410–⁠330
Coach
David Cutcliffe
Elo
1540 −15 this season
SP+ rating
3.4 No. 65 of 128; offense No. 76, defense No. 31, special teams No. 119
SRS
3.7 No. 55 of 128 in FBS
Returning
39% of last season’s EPA, No. 104 of 128
Recruiting class
No. 52 roster talent No. 53 in FBS
Offensive coordinator
Scottie Montgomery
Defensive coordinator
Jim Knowles
Captains
Jeremy Cash and Matt Skura
Most valuable player
Jeremy Cash
Offense
Multiple
Defense
4–⁠2–⁠5

How good, play by play

  • Offense93rd of 128
  • Defense60th of 128
  • Offense, opponent-adjusted92nd of 128
  • Defense, opponent-adjusted82nd of 128
EPA per playSuccessExplosivenessFBS rank
Offense0.0343%1.0893rd of 128
Defense0.0941%1.2460th of 128
Opponent-adjusted0.05 off
0.10 def		44% off
42% def		—92nd off
82nd def
How these are measured

Play-weighted averages over games against FBS opponents; raw numbers, not adjusted for the strength of the opponent. EPA (expected points added) measures how much each play changed the expected score; success rate counts plays that kept the offense on schedule; explosiveness is the average EPA on successful plays. Lower is better on defense. Ranked by EPA per play among teams that were FBS that season. The opponent-adjusted row (offense / defense) is CollegeFootballData.com’s WEPA, which accounts for who each team played.

Drives and havoc

Points per trip inside the 40Average startHavoc
Offense3.3own 322% allowed
Defense3.4own 272% caused

A trip inside the 40 is a drive that reaches the opponent’s 40-yard line; points per trip is how many it scored on average (allowed, on defense). Average start is where drives began (the defense’s line is where its opponents started). Havoc is the share of plays ending in a tackle for loss, a forced fumble, an interception or a pass broken up. From CollegeFootballData.com.

Leaders

Passing yardsThomas Sirk QB2,625 yds
Passing touchdownsThomas Sirk QB16 TD
Rushing yardsThomas Sirk QB803 yds
Rushing touchdownsThomas Sirk QB8 TD
Receiving yardsMax McCaffrey WR643 yds
Receiving touchdownsMax McCaffrey WR5 TD
InterceptionsBreon Borders CB3 INT

Top recruits in the 2015 class

Ben Humphreys OLB★★★★No. 162
Jordan Hayes S★★★No. 1206
Twazanga Mugala WDE★★★No. 1659
Brandon Feamster S★★★No. 1913
Austin Parker P★★★No. 2133

247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.

The 2015 class by position

SignedStarsRating
Quarterbacks12.00.790
Defensive line13.00.820
Linebackers14.00.930
Defensive backs23.00.824
Athletes and specialists13.00.797
Whole class63.00.831

High-school signees by position group, with their average stars and 247Sports composite rating (out of 1), via CollegeFootballData.com. Athletes are signees with no set position.

Roster 106

The 2015 roster

106 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2015 line; 30 have a stat line. See the roster

2015 Atlantic Coast Conference standings

Conference page
TeamConf.OverallAP final
Clemson8–⁠014–⁠12
North Carolina8–⁠011–⁠315
Florida State6–⁠210–⁠314
Pittsburgh6–⁠28–⁠5
Miami5–⁠38–⁠5
Louisville5–⁠38–⁠5
Duke4–⁠48–⁠5
Virginia Tech4–⁠47–⁠6
NC State3–⁠57–⁠6
Virginia3–⁠54–⁠8
Syracuse2–⁠64–⁠8
Georgia Tech1–⁠73–⁠9
Wake Forest1–⁠73–⁠9
Boston College0–⁠83–⁠9

Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.