North Carolina Central @ Duke preview

Last Meeting ( Aug 31, 2013 ) North Carolina Central 0, Duke 45

Duke is aiming for a spot in the ACC Championship game this season and certainly looked the part of a contender in its opener. First-year quarterback Thomas Sirk and company will try to make it two wins two start the season when the Blue Devils host crosstown-rival North Carolina Central in the Bull City Gridiron Classic on Saturday.

Sirk won the job in camp and ran the read-option to perfection against Tulane last week, throwing for 289 yards and a pair of touchdowns while adding 68 yards on the ground. “We were confident that (Sirk) would play well,” Duke head coach David Cutcliffe told reporters. “We had put him in all those situations in practice. We had seen him execute. (Offensive coordinator Scottie) Montgomery has done a great job with him over the last two years.” The offensive performance was nicely complimented by a defense that held the Green Wave to 25 yards on the ground in the 37-7 rout. The Blue Devils’ front seven will be tested again against an Eagles squad that ran for 188 yards and three scores in a 72-0 triumph over St. Augustine’s.

TV: 6 p.m. ET, ESPN3. LINE: NL

ABOUT NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL (1-0): The Eagles dominated in all three phases of the game last weekend, piling up 447 yards of offense to go along with 304 total return yards. Senior defensive back Ryan Smith contributed to the fireworks with a 95-yard kick return for a touchdown. North Carolina Central split time at quarterback between Malcolm Bell and Quinn Billerman in the blowout, and Bell is expected to be back in at starter on Saturday.

ABOUT DUKE (1-0): Part of the evaluation process for the Blue Devils this week was figuring out if the lopsided triumph in the opener was a result of them being great, or Tulane being poor. “We’ll know more as games progress,” Cutcliffe told reporters. “I think Tulane’s better … I hope we are. I thought going into the game that they were better – 10 starters returning on offense and defensively, I knew they were good. I think they’ll be fine.” Cutcliffe got his own 95-yard kick return TD in the opener from DeVon Edwards in addition to 530 total yards on offense.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Duke K Ross Martin (55) needs one more made field goal to pass Sims Lenhardt for sole possession of the most in school history.

2. Eagles DB Mike Jones set a school record with 145 punt return yards in the opener.

3. The Blue Devils have taken each of the previous three meetings, including a 54-17 triumph in 2012 and a 45-0 thrashing in 2013.

PREDICTION: Duke 40, North Carolina Central 7