DURHAM, N.C. – The Atlantic Coast Conference finalized Tuesday the football game times for Duke's opening two contests.

The p.m. and will be broadcast live on NBC. The following Saturday, Duke will welcome Boston College for its home opener at 12 p.m. in Brooks Field at Wallace Wade Stadium. That contest will be broadcast live on RSN.

Duke's game with Notre Dame marks the teams' seventh all-time meeting. The Fighting Irish won the last matchup just a season ago, but the Blue Devils were victorious the last time they were in South Bend.

Boston College is on the schedule for the first time since 2015. During the teams' most recent outing, the Blue Devils registered a 9-7 win in Wallace Wade Stadium.

DURHAM, N.C. – Duke continued preparation for the 2020 season with a 75-play scrimmage Saturday morning at Brooks Field at Wallace Wade Stadium.

"It was hot outside, but we had a good day," redshirt junior offensive lineman Casey Holman said. "We had a lot of healthy guys back and we figured out what we needed to do better and we had to give better effort, but we executed really well."

Duke was led by running backs Deon Jackson and Jordan Waters on the ground. A senior, Jackson led with 50 yards on nine carries and two touchdowns, scoring from two and 13 yards out. Waters, a redshirt freshman, finished with 88 yards on 12 attempts. 

"Deon ran through people today," Holman continued. "He ran hard and didn't hesitate. He followed our guys that created the holes for him and ran with energy. He wanted it."

All three quarterbacks battling for the starting position took repetitions with the first unit. Graduate student Chase Brice completed six-of-nine throws for 151 yards and one touchdown. The yardage total included two long strikes -- a 53-yard scoring toss to sophomore Eli Pancol and a 42-yard completion to redshirt junior Damond Philyaw-Johnson.

Redshirt sophomore Gunnar Holmberg also had a passing touchdown with a 16-yard scoring throw to redshirt freshman tight end Matt Smith. Holmberg finished three-of-five for 23 yards the score. Redshirt junior Chris Katrenick was four-of-eight through the air for 49 yards.

The quarterbacks spread the ball across the field with senior tight end Noah Gray the only Duke receiver to have multiple receptions as the Leominister, Mass., native tallied three catches for 20 yards.

Senior safety Michael Carter II and redshirt sophomore cornerback Jeremiah Lewis led the Duke defense with two pass breakups each. Redshirt junior cornerback Josh Blackwell returned a fumble 26 yards for a touchdown. Redshirt junior defensive end Chris Rumph II and redshirt freshman defensive end Caleb Oppan registered one quarterback sack each.

"I felt good out there," Carter II said. "Just being around the guys and feeding off each other, it was just good to be out there and sort of in a game simulation. Just to be live and all-out without any restraints was great."

Duke's amended 2020 schedule has the Blue Devils scheduled to kick off the season on the road at Notre Dame on Sept. 12. 

DURHAM, N.C. – Duke football continued its preseason grind on Tuesday with its 10th practice of fall camp at the Brooks Practice Facility.

Redshirt junior cornerback Josh Blackwell and redshirt senior offensive tackle Devery Hamilton met with the media virtually at the conclusion of practice.

"I feel like the only thing that we would lose is team cohesion a little bit on the field," Blackwell said when asked about dealing with delays and the COVID-19 pandemic. "I think we all got our individual work at home. It kind of kept us in it. I think physically, we're still where we're supposed to be. But the one thing that I would say that was kind of off at the beginning, especially with the COVID situation, was the team cohesion."

In 23 games, 15 starts, Blackwell has 57 tackles, 13 pass breakups and one forced fumble. He owns two-plus tackles in 15 games, including a career-high six stops against Wake Forest in 2019. Back in 2018, Blackwell set the Duke bowl game record for pass breakups with four against Temple in the Walk-On's Independence Bowl.

Blackwell added his thoughts on having position-mate Mark Gilbert back into the lineup

"Oh, it means a lot. Not having him for two years on the field was detrimental. But it made people like me and Leonard Johnson you know that much better being leaders while he was away. Now that we have him back, he's brought back that spark that we've needed on the field. Even off the field the past two seasons, he's been huge for us mentally just teaching us the ropes. Getting us to where we need to be with Coach (Derek) Jones and now Coach (Chris) Hampton. I feel like he's been a huge part of our success here on and off the field."

Blackwell also gave praise to the defensive line, stating they have been a huge part of the backfield's success with their pressure up front.

"My past four years the d-line has been a huge part of our success in the back. You know we got Chris (Rumph II), Victor (Dimukeje), Drew (Jordan) in there. We've also got Congo (Derrick Tangelo). You know all those guys they've come together very well in the past couple seasons. They've grown together and figured out ways to rush the passer successfully to help us in the back. And then you got our backers in Shaka (Heyward), who's grown up and played a huge role last year as a redshirt freshman. I think as we continue to grow and continue to practice, we'll just keep getting better."

Hamilton, who joined the team as a graduate transfer from Stanford, spoke with the media about where he thinks he'll best be able to help the Blue Devils this upcoming season.

"I've been working at tackle both with the ones and twos," Hamilton said. "Coach (Greg) Frey said we don't have a depth chart yet so we're just going out competing every day and playing football. I'm definitely looking forward to playing tackle again. But it's been great in the past to play every single position except center just to show my versatility. But like you said, my skill set is definitely tailored toward playing tackle. I'm excited to get back to that."

Hamilton has seen action in 27 career games, making 10 starts on the offensive line. He comes to Durham a two-time Pac-12 All-Academic Second Team honoree and helped the Cardinal compile a 32-20 overall record, three bowl game appearances and a pair of national top-20 rankings in the Associated Press final poll during his four seasons.

"My mentality is that you know everything happens for a reason," Hamilton said when asked about the irony of Stanford not playing football in the fall. "There's a bigger picture to everything. Sometimes there are going to be obstacles or hard times in front of you, but you just got to weather the storm. You know when I decided to transfer back in December or January, we didn't know that all this was going to happen. But you know, I'm glad that I'm here. I'm glad that the ACC is still trying to move forward with this as safely as possible. I'm just looking forward to getting back out there with a team. You know that's our mindset, ready to compete for the same goal.

"I'm super excited about this group this year," Hamilton continued. "We got guys returning with experience and we got young guys coming along as well. Like I said Coach Frey doesn't have a depth chart yet, so there could be a combination of five guys out there that you know nobody has seen before. But I think we're all coming together well. All the guys are helping teach the younger guys the playbook, techniques, fundamentals, and things like that. And then you know as much as we can off the field, we're still trying to build that chemistry. It was a little difficult for me at first coming in, being the new guy, but you know since camp has started and we've been spending more time together the chemistry is definitely growing. I'm excited to see what we do this year."

The Blue Devils' amended 2020 schedule has them scheduled to kick off their season on the road at Notre Dame on Sept. 12. 

DURHAM, N.C. – Duke football continued its preparations for the 2020 season at the Brooks Practice Facility on Tuesday.

The Blue Devils, who have been under careful watch by the team's coaches and medical staff, enjoyed sunny skies during their fourth practice of fall camp. Senior defensive end Drew Jordan and senior tight end Noah Gray met with the media virtually at the conclusion of practice.

"We're really focused on the goal of going down and winning an ACC championship, and that's what we've been sticking to since we've been here on campus," Jordan said when asked about his thoughts on the scope of college football in recent days. "You know we're not worried about the Big Ten or Pac 12, we're worried about ACC football. So, that's what we're going to continue to do moving forward."

Jordan has seen action in 37 out of his 38 possible games for Duke. In 1,498 career snaps, the Suwanee, Ga., native has earned 67 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, one caused fumble, one fumble recovery and 11 quarterback pressures. When asked about how he and the rest of the Blue Devils are staying healthy and safe since being back in Durham, Jordan had this to say.

"First and foremost, we have a great medical staff here. They're doing a phenomenal job of wiping things down and keeping everything clean for us. And then us as players, we're walking around with masks on and staying socially distant when we can. We're really trying to create a bubble within our program. So that's how we've been functioning since we've been on campus and once other students arrive here on campus as well we're going to continue those mandates."

When asked another question about what exact measures Duke football has in place for the players Jordan continued his thoughts.

"Like I was saying before, we have the greatest medical staff here in the country and we also have the greatest medical school here at Duke. So, they've been doing a great job of testing us and instructing us on what protocols we have to follow. An example would be, let's say we go into the training room and somebody is using a foam roller. We do a great job of wiping those things down before and after with bleach. That's mandated by us as players and we'll continue to hold each other accountable moving forward."

Gray, a 2020 John Mackey Award Watch List selection, was a Second Team All-American by the Walter Camp Football Foundation just a year ago. In 38 career games, he has totaled 76 receptions for 663 yards and six touchdowns. His 76 receptions are currently tied with Chuck Drulis for ninth all-time in Duke's career receptions by a tight end. When it was his chance to speak with media Gray echoed Jordan's sentiments about how comfortable he feels being back.

"I believe that our coaches, our athletic training staff as well as our equipment and weight training staff are doing the best that they can to ensure our safety and to allow us to get back into the flow of playing, practicing, and getting us conditioned. They're all doing a fantastic job of that."

The Blue Devils' amended 2020 schedule has them scheduled to kick off their season on the road at Notre Dame on Sept. 12. 

GREENSBORO, N.C. (theACC.com) –

Here is the Blue Devils schedule with an official announced from the ACC.

Sept. 12 at Notre Dame Sept. 19 Boston College Oct. 3 Virginia Tech Oct. 10 at Syracuse Oct. 17 at NC State Oct. 31 Charlotte Nov. 7 North Carolina Nov. 14 at Virginia Nov. 21 Wake Forest Nov. 28 at Georgia Tech Dec. 5 Florida State

The Atlantic Coast Conference announced its 2020 football schedule on Thursday. If public health guidance allows, the schedule will begin Thursday, Sept. 10. All 15 conference schools will play an 11-game schedule, with 10 games against ACC opponents and one versus a non-conference program.

The health, safety and well-being of all our campus constituents is at the forefront of all decisions and the schedule announcement follows several months of discussion and scenario planning among the league membership and the ACC’s Medical Advisory Group. The full report from the Medical

Advisory Group is available HERE.

As noted last week in the ACC’s announcement on the plans for football and Olympic sports, the 11-game schedule is slated to be played over a 13-week span. Open dates were strategically placed throughout the schedules for maximum flexibility. Each team will play five home games and five road contests in conference play.

The 2020 ACC Football Championship Game will be contested Dec. 12 or 19 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina.
ACC play will feature 15 teams and one division this season, as Notre Dame will play a 10-game conference schedule. The Fighting Irish also are eligible to compete in the ACC Championship Game. Game times and television designations will be announced at a later date.

All non-conference game opponents, selected by the respective school, must be played in the home state of the ACC institution, and all non-conference opponents must meet the medical protocol requirements as agreed upon by the ACC.