CollegeFootballDigestfrom CooperSearch

2017 Duke

7–⁠6 (3–⁠5 Atlantic Coast Conference), coached by David Cutcliffe.

Schedule and results

Duke in 2017, game by game: won vs. North Carolina Central 60–7; won vs. Northwestern 41–17; won vs. Baylor 34–20; won at North Carolina 27–17; lost vs. No. 14 Miami 6–31; lost at Virginia 21–28; lost vs. Florida State 10–17; lost vs. Pittsburgh 17–24; lost at No. 13 Virginia Tech 3–24; lost at Army 16–21; won vs. Georgia Tech 43–20; won at Wake Forest 31–23; won vs. Northern Illinois 36–14+53−25Won 60–7 vs. North Carolina Central+53North Carolina …Won 41–17 vs. Northwestern+24NorthwesternWon 34–20 vs. Baylor+14BaylorWon 27–17 at North Carolina+10North CarolinaLost 6–31 vs. No. 14 Miami-25No. 14 MiamiLost 21–28 at Virginia-7VirginiaLost 10–17 vs. Florida State-7Florida StateLost 17–24 vs. Pittsburgh-7PittsburghLost 3–24 at No. 13 Virginia Tech-21No. 13 Virginia TechLost 16–21 at Army-5ArmyWon 43–20 vs. Georgia Tech+23Georgia TechWon 31–23 at Wake Forest+8Wake ForestWon 36–14 vs. Northern Illinois+22Northern Illino…
Each game’s margin, wins above the line and losses below.
DateOpponentResultElo
Sep 2vsNorth Carolina CentralW 60–⁠766%
Sep 9vsNorthwesternW 41–⁠1744%
Sep 16vsBaylorW 34–⁠2062%
Sep 23atNorth CarolinaW 27–⁠1738%
Sep 29vs14MiamiL 6–⁠3147%
Oct 7atVirginiaL 21–⁠2851%
Oct 14vsFlorida StateL 10–⁠1744%
Oct 21vsPittsburghL 17–⁠2461%
Oct 28at13Virginia TechL 3–⁠2420%
Nov 11atArmyL 16–⁠2129%
Nov 18vsGeorgia TechW 43–⁠2035%
Nov 25atWake ForestW 31–⁠2331%
Dec 26Bowls & playoffvsNorthern IllinoisQuick Lane BowlW 36–⁠1448%

Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.

How it ended: Beat Northern Illinois 36–⁠14 in the Quick Lane Bowl; unranked in the final AP poll; tied for 9th in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

In program history: The 37th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 108 on file).

Record
7–⁠6
Conference
3–⁠5 tied for 9th in Atlantic Coast Conference
AP final
Unranked
Points
345–⁠263
Coach
David Cutcliffe
Elo
1564 +105 this season
SP+ rating
6.1 No. 46 of 128; offense No. 87, defense No. 20, special teams No. 72
SRS
9.1 No. 33 of 130 in FBS
Returning
83% of last season’s EPA, No. 17 of 128
Recruiting class
No. 47 roster talent No. 40 in FBS
Offensive coordinator
Zac Roper
Defensive coordinator
Jim Knowles
Captains
Austin Davis, Bryon Fields Jr., Daniel Jones and Mike Ramsay
Most valuable player
Joe Giles-Harris
Offense
Multiple
Defense
4–⁠2–⁠5

How good, play by play

  • Offense105th of 130
  • Defense10th of 130
  • Offense, opponent-adjusted95th of 130
  • Defense, opponent-adjusted16th of 130
EPA per playSuccessExplosivenessFBS rank
Offense0.0140%1.16105th of 130
Defense-0.0538%1.3710th of 130
Opponent-adjusted0.05 off
-0.02 def		42% off
37% def		—95th off
16th 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
Offense3.0own 3217% allowed
Defense3.1own 2920% caused

CORE rating 8.0, 29th of 130 (offense -4.4, defense -12.4).

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. CORE is CollegeFootballData.com’s context- and opponent-adjusted rating (points better than an average team; lower is better on defense). From CollegeFootballData.com.

Leaders

Passing yardsDaniel Jones QB2,691 yds
Passing touchdownsDaniel Jones QB14 TD
Rushing yardsShaun Wilson RB818 yds
Rushing touchdownsBrittain Brown RB7 TD
Receiving yardsT.J. Rahming WR795 yds
Receiving touchdownsShaun Wilson RB4 TD
TacklesJoe Giles-Harris LB125 tkl
SacksMike Ramsay DT5.5 sacks
InterceptionsMark Gilbert CB6 INT

Top recruits in the 2017 class

Drew Jordan WDE★★★★No. 338
Jake Marwede TE★★★No. 392
Jacob Rimmer OT★★★No. 465
Patrick Leitten OT★★★No. 493
Damani Neal S★★★No. 630

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

The 2017 class by position

SignedStarsRating
Quarterbacks13.00.855
Running backs23.00.852
Receivers33.00.854
Offensive line43.00.863
Defensive line53.20.845
Linebackers13.00.838
Defensive backs53.00.849
Athletes and specialists22.50.803
Whole class233.00.847

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 96

The 2017 roster

96 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2017 line; 56 have a stat line. See the roster

2017 Atlantic Coast Conference standings

Conference page
TeamConf.OverallAP final
Clemson7–⁠112–⁠24
Miami7–⁠110–⁠313
NC State6–⁠29–⁠423
Virginia Tech5–⁠39–⁠424
Wake Forest4–⁠48–⁠5
Louisville4–⁠48–⁠5
Boston College4–⁠47–⁠6
Georgia Tech4–⁠45–⁠6
Florida State3–⁠57–⁠6
Duke3–⁠57–⁠6
Virginia3–⁠56–⁠7
Pittsburgh3–⁠55–⁠7
Syracuse2–⁠64–⁠8
North Carolina1–⁠73–⁠9

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