Baylor vs. Duke: Preview and Prediction
Here is everything you need to know about the Bears’ upcoming game in our Baylor vs. Duke preview and prediction.
Game Info
When: Saturday September 15th @ 2:30 P.M. CT
Where: McLane Stadium in Waco, Texas
TV: FS1
Radio: Baylor IMG Network
Key Players
Duke
QB Quinten Harris- After starting QB Daniel Jones went down with a season ending injury, redshirt junior Quinten Harris will step into the starting a role. This will be his first ever start and even though this is his fourth year in the program, he has only attempted 13 passes in his career with the Blue Devils. What good is he? I am not sure anybody knows that answer just yet.
RB Brittain Brown- Brown hasn’t done much in his first two games but he is averaging over 4 yards per carry. He is a very balanced RB with who not only has a nice burst, but he can break some arm tackles as well. With a new face in at QB, expect Brittain to get plenty of carries on Saturday.
LB Joe Giles-Harris- This guy is the leader of this tough defense. Giles-Harris is a tackling machine and will likely be everywhere around the football. With possible limitations on offense, the defense will have to step up and Joe Harris-Giles will need to get this unit fired up for this one.
Baylor
QB Charlie Brewer- After his performance in the UTSA game, I don’t expect Baylor to use two quarterbacks in this game much if not at all. Last week Charlie threw for 328 yards and 3 touchdowns while completing 67.6% of his passes. If he can do that again this week, Baylor will be in great shape.
WR Denzel Mims- To me, Denzel is the best playmaker Baylor has on offense. He had 8 catches last week for 133 yards and a score and looked like the best player on the field against UTSA. The same could be said this week when they take on a rebuilding Duke secondary.
LB Clay Johnston- After sitting out week 1 due to injury, Clay made his season debut last week and it was fantastic. He made some plays and probably had the best hit of the game last week against UTSA that raised some eyebrows. Clay told me last week after the game that it took him a little bit to get his mind right but once he did, it was fun to watch.
Key Storyline
What will Duke Offense look like?
The biggest question mark in this game must be what will the Duke offense look like? I have no clue what Quinten Harris will do in this game, but I am sure the Blue Devils will lean heavily on RB Brittain Brown and try to take some of the pressure of their new starting QB. With a shaky offensive line, can they successfully run the football? Baylor has had a few issues stopping the run, but they did improve from the season opener. This is going to be a hard-fought matchup.
Prediction
Baylor 24 Duke 20
Obviously, the loss of QB Daniel Brown will setback the Blue Devil offense a bit and with a rebuilding offensive line, I am not so sure they will successfully run the football. This Duke offense wasn’t exactly a juggernaut with Daniel Brown and I doubt it will be with Quinten Harris. If Baylor can stop the run, I really like their chances in this one. Charlie Brewer will be the best QB that Blue Devils have faced so far this season and with Jalen Hurd and Denzel Mims on the outside, I think Baylor can have some success on offense spreading this defense out. With that said, I like Baylor to get pull out the win at home and start the season 3-0.
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