Duke football vs Elon: Scouting report, prediction for Blue Devils opener

Duke football will make its debut under first-year coach Manny Diaz in Durham on Friday (7:30 p.m., ACC Network) against Elon at Wallace Wade Stadium.

Coming off consecutive seasons with at least eight wins, the Blue Devils will try to make it three in a row for the first time since 2013-15. Picked to finish 11th in the 17-team ACC, Duke is 7-0-1 in the all-time series against the Phoenix.

The Devils last played Elon in 2014, earning a 52-13 victory in the season opener. Following Friday’s game, Duke will hit the road for two of its next three games before hosting rival North Carolina in late September.

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Here’s a look at things to watch and a score prediction for Duke’s first game of the 2024 college football season.

Maalik Murphy steps in as starting quarterback for Blue Devils

Texas transfer Maalik Murphy was named Duke’s starting quarterback on Aug. 19. Murphy started two games last season as a freshman for the Longhorns, combining for 418 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions in wins against BYU and Kansas State. After beating out Grayson Loftis and Henry Belin IV to be the Blue Devils’ leader behind center, Murphy will get a chance to make a positive first impression on his home field in the Bull City.

Familiar faces for Duke include Jordan Moore, Tre Freeman

It’s easy to focus on what Duke lost to the transfer portal following Mike Elko’s departure to Texas A&M, but the Blue Devils return a pair of All-ACC talents on each side of the ball in wide receiver Jordan Moore and linebacker Tre Freeman. A redshirt junior from Durham, Freeman finished with 106 tackles last season to finish sixth in the ACC. The first Duke defender to reach 100 tackles since 2019, Freeman had five games with double-digit tackles. Since making the move to receiver, Moore has thrived as one of the ACC’s top pass-catchers. The graduate had 62 catches for 835 yards and eight touchdowns last season as Duke’s top weapon on the outside. Both players should make the transition to a new coach easier on the program.

Duke’s defense with Manny Diaz, Jonathan Patke

Diaz has spent 15 of his 26 college football seasons as a defensive coordinator, including the last two seasons at Penn State. Known for producing top-notch defenses, Diaz takes over a unit that was among the ACC’s best last season. Defensive coordinator Jonathan Patke, who coached alongside Diaz at Miami from 2016-21, arrives in Durham after a season at Texas State. Their first task will be slowing down Elon quarterback Matthew Downing, who averaged nearly 300 passing yards in the final four games last season. We’ll see what Diaz and Patke draw up for a Phoenix offense that had a crowd of explosive plays down the stretch in 2023.

Duke vs Elon score prediction

Duke 41, Elon 12: The Devils won’t have a letdown in Manny Diaz’s debut. Maalik Murphy will have some explosive plays, as will the defense. It should be a smooth start to the new season and new era for Duke.

Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached at rbaxley@fayobserver.com or @RoddBaxley on X/Twitter.

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Duke football vs Elon: Scouting report, prediction for Blue Devils opener