DURHAM, N.C. – Duke University will play in its sixth bowl game in the past seven seasons by meeting Temple in the Walk-On's Independence Bowl on Thursday, December 27 in Shreveport, La.
Kickoff at Independence Stadium is set for 1:30 p.m., and the game will be televised live by ESPN. The meeting on the gridiron between the Blue Devils (7-5) and the Owls (8-4) will mark the first in series history.
Blue Devil fans are encouraged to purchase tickets from the Duke allotment on GoDuke.com.
Duke head coach David Cutcliffe was enshrined into the Independence Bowl Hall of Honor in 2003 after guiding Ole Miss to victories in 1998 (35-18; Texas Tech), 1999 (27-25; Oklahoma) and 2002 (27-23; Nebraska). Cutcliffe, who is 6-4 all-time as a head coach in bowl games, will participate in the 28th bowl game of his coaching career, a tenure which includes 17 games as an assistant coach at Tennessee (11-6), five as the head coach at Ole Miss (4-1) and five as the head coach at Duke (2-3).
“It is an honor to be selected to participate in the Walk-On's Independence Bowl,” Cutcliffe said. “Obviously, we have a great deal of history in Shreveport in association with this bowl game. I'm excited for our players to have another opportunity to practice together and play in a 13th game of this season. This group has earned the opportunity to win the program's third bowl game in a row.
“Replicating our schedule from past seasons, we'll close out the academic semester before turning our attention to a well-coached Temple team,” Cutcliffe continued. “Congratulations to Coach Collins and the Owls on an excellent season as we have tremendous respect for their entire program. At Duke, we take great pride in representing the Atlantic Coast Conference, and we'll embrace the challenge of competing against a very fine Temple squad.
“Special thanks to Missy Setters and the entire bowl staff for their commitment and dedication to providing a great experience to both programs.”
Ten of Duke's 11 FBS regular season opponents secured bowl bids on Sunday with No. 2 Clemson earning a spot in the College Football Playoff. The combined overall record of the Blue Devils' 12 foes stands at 82-61 (.573) with Army West Point's regular season tilt versus Navy pending prior to bowl season.
Offensively, the Blue Devils are led by redshirt junior quarterback Daniel Jones, senior wideout T.J. Rahming and sophomore running back Deon Jackson. Jones, who ranks fourth in the ACC in passing yards per game (225.1), has thrown for 2,251 yards and 17 touchdowns while rushing for 325 yards and an additional two scores while Rahming, an All-ACC selection for the second straight season, leads Duke with 63 receptions for 571 yards and six touchdowns. Jackson garnered second team All-ACC honors as an all-purpose back after rushing for 806 yards and seven touchdowns, catching 24 passes for 246 yards and two scores and totaling 443 yards on 20 kickoff returns. In addition, Jones has utilized three redshirt senior targets in tight end Daniel Helm (22 receptions for 248 yards & 2 TDs; 3rd team All-ACC), tight end Davis Koppenhaver (13-111-6), wide receiver Johnathan Lloyd (46-557-5) and wide receiver Chris Taylor (28-363-2).
On defense, a duo of All-ACC linebackers in redshirt junior Joe Giles-Harris and senior Ben Humphreys spearhead a unit which ranks sixth in the league in scoring defense. Giles-Harris, who became the first Duke linebacker to earn multiple first team all-league citations since Mike Junkin in 1985-86, leads the squad with 81 tackles including 7.0 stops for lost yardage, while Humphreys has amassed 66 tackles with a team-high two fumble recoveries. A total of 11 Blue Devils have recorded 3.0 or more tackles for loss on the year, led by redshirt freshman defensive end Chris Rumph II (8.0), sophomore defensive end Victor Dimukeje (7.5), Giles-Harris, Humphreys (5.5) and redshirt freshman safety Leonard Johnson (5.0).
With an all-time record of 5-8, Duke will make its 14th bowl game appearance. The Blue Devils also have appeared in the Rose Bowl (1938 & 1941 seasons), Sugar Bowl (1944), Orange Bowl (1954 & 1957), Cotton Bowl (1960), All American Bowl (1989), Hall of Fame Bowl (1994), Belk Bowl (2012) Chick-fil-A Bowl (2013), Hyundai Sun Bowl (2014), Pinstripe Bowl (2015) and Quick Lane Bowl (2017).
Duke – All-Time Bowl Results (5-8)
Rose Bowl – January 2, 1939 – Southern California 7, Duke 3
Rose Bowl – January 1, 1942 – Oregon State 20, Duke 16
Sugar Bowl – January 1, 1945 – Duke 29, Alabama 26
Orange Bowl – January 1, 1955 – Duke 34, Nebraska 7
Orange Bowl – January 1, 1958 – Oklahoma 48, Duke 21
Cotton Bowl – January 2, 1961 – Duke 7, Arkansas 6
All American Bowl – December 28, 1989 – Texas Tech 49, Duke 21
Hall of Fame Bowl – January 2, 1995 – Wisconsin 34, Duke 20
Belk Bowl – December 27, 2012 – Cincinnati 48, Duke 34
Chick-fil-A Bowl – December 31, 2013 – Texas A&M 52, Duke 48
Hyundai Sun Bowl – December 27, 2014 – Arizona State 36, Duke 31
Pinstripe Bowl – December 26, 2015 – Duke 44, Indiana 41 (OT)
Quick Lane Bowl – December 26, 2017 – Duke 36, Northern Illinois 14
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