Kansas @ Duke preview

Kansas at Duke

Last Meeting ( Sep 19, 2009 ) Duke 16, Kansas 44

Duke and Kansas will have a better idea of where they stand when they meet Saturday in Durham, N.C., after beating up on FCS teams to start the season. The game features a Kansas team rebuilding in its third year with head coach Charlie Weis and a Duke program that is coming off the best season (10-4) in school history under 2013 national coach of the year David Cutcliffe. The two coaches have a history, with Weis hiring Cutcliffe to be assistant head coach/quarterbacks coach at Notre Dame in 2005, but the Duke coach left six months into the job after suffering complications from open-heart surgery.

“He tried to encourage me to wait,” Cutcliffe said. “He didn’t push me away, and I appreciated that very much. I was looking forward to the opportunity of working for Charlie.” Instead they will meet on opposite sidelines, where Weis is 4-20 since taking over a program that has not had a winning season since 2008 (8-5) and entered this season with a 14-46 over the past five years. If anyone proves it's possible to rebuild from ashes, it's Cutcliffe, whose Duke team won the Atlantic Coast Conference Coastal Division title last season after suffering through 18 consecutive losing seasons.

TV: 3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN3. LINE: Duke -14.5

ABOUT KANSAS (1-0): The Jayhawks opened their season with a 34-28 win after holding off Southeast Missouri State, which scored 21 fourth-quarter points. The key for Kansas will be developing a running game after having to replace the school’s No. 3 all-time leading rusher, James Sims, and losing its top two returning backs to season-ending injuries in fall camp. Community college transfer De’Andre Mann had 121 yards on 15 carries and freshman Corey Avery added 91 yards and a touchdown on 19 touches against Southeast Missouri.

ABOUT DUKE (2-0): It’s tough to know if the Blue Devils will continue their magical 2013 season after beginning 2014 by beating Elon and Troy, which were a combined 8-16 last year, by a 86-30 marging. Quarterback Anthony Boone, in his second year as a starter, is 49-of-74 for 515 yards and five touchdowns with no interceptions after throwing 13 picks last season. Duke has a balanced running game behind Josh Snead (106 yards, 22 carries) and Shaquille Powell (100 yards, 1 TD).

EXTRA POINTS

1. Kansas wide receiver Nick Harwell, who sat out last season after transferring from Miami (Ohio), had a big debut with four catches for two touchdowns and 46 yards.

2. Duke outscored opponents 127-65 in the fourth quarter last season, winning four games in which they were tied or trailed.

3. Duke has won eight straight home games against non-conference foes dating to the 2011 season.

PREDICTION: Duke 28, Kansas 14