Duke 41, Connecticut 7
By PAT EATON-ROBB
Associated Press
EAST HARTFORD, Conn. - Riley Leonard threw for 248 yards and a touchdown and ran for another score as No. 18 Duke routed UConn 41-7 in the Blue Devils' first road game of the season.
Duke (4-0) held UConn (0-4) to 203 total yards. The Blue Devils allowed just 32 yards in the first half to take a 27-0 lead. The Huskies only score came with 12 seconds left in the game.
Duke defensive end DeWayne Carter put an exclamation point on the win in the third quarter. The 305-pound captain picked up a Jalen Mitchell fumble and rumbled 27 yards for a touchdown.
The Huskies, three-touchdown underdogs, also suffered several self-inflicted wounds that put them in a hole early.
Connecticut's Jackson Mitchell, the team's top tackler, was lost to a targeting call early. That eventually led to Jordan Waters' 1-yard touchdown run in the first quarter that put the Blue Devils on the board. Duke's Nick Morris Jr. later recovered a fumbled pitch, leading to a 10-yard touchdown run for Waters in the second quarter.
Leonard’s final pass of the game, a 22-yard touchdown to a wide-open Jordan Moore, made it 41-0.
Duke's Todd Pelino had two field goals, including a career-long 50-yarder.
THE TAKEAWAY
Duke: The Blue Devils have outscored opponents 149-35 and next week will be looking to start a season 5-0 for the first time since 1994.
UConn: The Huskies offensive woes continue. They are averaging 13 points per game and have not scored more than 17 in a contest this season.
Duke athletics press release
September 23, 2023
| Scoring Summary |
| First Quarter |
Duke | UConn |
| Duke |
TD |
6:16 |
Jordan Waters 1 yard TD run (Todd Pelino Extra Point) |
7 |
0 |
| Second Quarter |
Duke | UConn |
| Duke |
FG |
12:42 |
Todd Pelino 50 yard field goal |
10 |
0 |
| Duke |
TD |
12:25 |
Jordan Waters 10 yard TD run (Todd Pelino Extra Point) |
17 |
0 |
| Duke |
TD |
4:55 |
Riley Leonard 3 yard TD run (Todd Pelino Extra Point) |
24 |
0 |
| Duke |
FG |
0:00 |
Todd Pelino 40 yard field goal |
27 |
0 |
| Third Quarter |
Duke | UConn |
| Duke |
TD |
7:13 |
DeWayne Carter 26 yard fumble return for TD (Todd Pelino Extra Point) |
34 |
0 |
| Duke |
TD |
3:01 |
Jordan Moore 22 yard TD pass from Riley Leonard (Todd Pelino Extra Point) |
41 |
0 |
| Fourth Quarter |
Duke | UConn |
| UConn |
TD |
0:12 |
Ta'Quan Roberson 1 yard TD run (Noe Ruelas Extra Point) |
41 |
7 |
| Team Stats |
| |
Duke |
Connecticut |
| First downs |
20 |
15 |
| Rushing |
2 |
9 |
| Passing |
15 |
5 |
| Penalty |
3 |
1 |
| 3rd Down Efficiency |
5-13, 38% |
5-15, 33% |
| 4th down efficiency |
1-2, 50% |
0-2, 0% |
| Rushes-Yards |
27-82 |
38-90 |
| Passing Yards |
248 |
115 |
| Return Yards |
73 |
84 |
| Completions-Attempts-Int |
23-34-0 |
13-28-0 |
| Sacks-Yards Lost |
0-0 |
2-16 |
| Punts |
4 |
7 |
| Fumbles Lost |
1-0 |
2-2 |
| Penalties - Yards |
8-59 |
4-49 |
| Duke Passing |
| Player |
Cmp |
Att |
Yds |
TDs |
Int |
| R. Leonard |
23 |
34 |
248 |
1 |
0 |
| Connecticut Passing |
| Player |
Cmp |
Att |
Yds |
TDs |
Int |
| T. Roberson |
13 |
28 |
115 |
0 |
0 |
| Duke Rushing |
| Player |
Carries |
Yds |
Avg |
TDs |
| R. Leonard |
3 |
28 |
9.3 |
1 |
| J. Waters |
7 |
18 |
2.6 |
2 |
| J. Coleman |
3 |
14 |
4.7 |
0 |
| P. Jones |
5 |
10 |
2.0 |
0 |
| J. Moore |
7 |
8 |
1.1 |
0 |
| T. Bates |
1 |
2 |
2.0 |
0 |
| Connecticut Rushing |
| Player |
Carries |
Yds |
Avg |
TDs |
| V. Rosa |
14 |
68 |
4.9 |
0 |
| C. Edwards |
13 |
45 |
3.5 |
0 |
| J. Mitchell |
4 |
10 |
2.5 |
0 |
| D. Houston |
1 |
2 |
2.0 |
0 |
| C. Ross |
1 |
-6 |
-6.0 |
0 |
| T. Roberson |
4 |
-9 |
-2.3 |
1 |
| B. Domino |
1 |
-15 |
-15.0 |
0 |
| Duke Receiving |
| Player |
Rec |
Yds |
Avg |
TDs |
| J. Moore |
8 |
86 |
10.8 |
1 |
| J. Calhoun |
6 |
76 |
12.7 |
0 |
| S. Hagans |
4 |
33 |
8.3 |
0 |
| N. Dalmolin |
3 |
28 |
9.3 |
0 |
| J. Waters |
1 |
20 |
20.0 |
0 |
| J. Hasley |
1 |
5 |
5.0 |
0 |
| Connecticut Receiving |
| Player |
Rec |
Yds |
Avg |
TDs |
| B. Buckman |
2 |
32 |
16.0 |
0 |
| J. Joly |
2 |
26 |
13.0 |
0 |
| J. Burns |
2 |
21 |
10.5 |
0 |
| K. Hicks |
1 |
16 |
16.0 |
0 |
| C. Ross |
3 |
9 |
3.0 |
0 |
| C. Edwards |
1 |
5 |
5.0 |
0 |
| K. Clercius |
1 |
4 |
4.0 |
0 |
| G. Porter |
1 |
2 |
2.0 |
0 |
| Duke Interceptions |
| Player |
Int |
Yards |
| Connecticut Interceptions |
| Player |
Int |
Yards |
| Duke Punting |
| Player |
Punts |
Yards |
Avg |
| P. Wilson |
4 |
197 |
49.3 |
| Connecticut Punting |
| Player |
Punts |
Yards |
Avg |
| G. Caratan |
7 |
295 |
42.1 |
| Duke Punt Returns |
| Player |
Ret |
Yards |
Average |
| J. Calhoun |
4 |
73 |
18.3 |
| Connecticut Punt Returns |
| Player |
Ret |
Yards |
Average |
| B. Buckman |
2 |
2 |
1.0 |
| C. Ross |
1 |
16 |
16.0 |
| Duke Kick Returns |
| Player |
Ret |
Yards |
Average |
| Connecticut Kick Returns |
| Player |
Ret |
Yards |
Average |
| B. Domino |
2 |
39 |
19.5 |
| V. Rosa |
1 |
27 |
27.0 |
| Duke Missed FG |
| Player |
Length |
| T. Pelino |
45 |
| Connecticut Missed FG |
| Player |
Length |
| J. McFadden |
42 |
