Army @ Duke preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 11, 2017 ) Duke 16, Army 21

Duke looks to build off a strong finish to last season with an experienced group on both sides of the ball when it hosts Army on Friday night to open the 2018 campaign. The Blue Devils lost six straight contests in the middle of 2017, including a 21-16 setback at Army, but averaged 36.7 points in three consecutive wins that culminated with a victory over Northern Illinois in the Quick Lane Bowl.

Junior quarterback Daniel Jones threw six touchdown passes and ran for three more in the final three games for Duke last season and leads the offense while preseason All-American cornerback Mark Gilbert keys a well-seasoned defense that will take on Army’s triple-option attack. The Black Knights rushed for 226 yards against the Blue Devils in last year’s win, but they must introduce a new quarterback with standout Ahmad Bradshaw (1,746 yards on the ground in 2017) gone. Army won eight of the last nine games a year ago, including the Armed Forces Bowl, and won the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy for the first time since 1996. The Black Knights, who went 18-8 in the last two seasons after winning 14 combined in the previous five years, still should be able to move the ball on the ground with a stable of productive and experienced running backs while they search for more consistency on defense.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, ESPNU. LINE: Duke -13.5

ABOUT ARMY (2017: 10-3): Junior Kelvin Hopkins Jr. from Charlotte, N.C., who ran seven times for 40 yards and passed for 76 more last year, will get the first chance of filling Bradshaw’s shoes at quarterback and he can rely on veteran running backs. Seniors Darnell Woolfolk (812 yards rushing, 14 TDs last year) and Andy Davidson (627, five), along with junior Kell Walker (629, six), all have loads of experience to carry the load while Hopkins settles in. The Black Knights’ defense gave up at least 28 points in three of its last six games last season and will be led by talented senior linebacker James Nachtigal, who finished with 103 tackles and five sacks in 2017.

ABOUT DUKE (2017: 7-6): Jones will have to improve on his efficiency after throwing 30 touchdown passes while getting intercepted 20 times in his career and completing just 56.7 percent of his attempts in 2017. Jones has plenty of experienced targets with seniors T.J. Rahming (65 catches, 795 yards in 2017), Johnathan Lloyd (39, 367) and Chris Taylor (25, 332), and a group of impressive freshmen who will get chances. Gilbert had six interceptions last year while junior linebacker Joe Giles-Harris (125 tackles, 4.5 sacks) and senior linebacker Ben Humphreys also return for a defense which allowed 20.4 points per game in the last seven of 2017.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Sophomore RB Brittain Brown (701 yards, seven TDs) is the top rusher returning for the Blue Devils.

2. Woolfolk, Davidson and Walker have combined for 48 career TDs on the ground and each ran for 100 yards in a game twice last year.

3. Rahming is fifth all time at Duke in receptions (178) and ninth in receiving yards (2,108), but has just five career TDs.

PREDICTION: Duke 31, Army 14