Best bowl performances by Duke football players
Posted December 22, 2023 3:54 p.m. EST
Most Duke Blue Devils football fans know the team played in the 1942 Rose Bowl in Durham due to the attack of Pearl Harbor.
They also know how Duke’s stout defense helped earn the 1930s teams the nickname, “The Iron Dukes” under the direction of head coach Wallace Wade, for whom the team’s stadium is now named.
Wade guided Duke to the Rose Bowl in 1939, the program’s first bowl appearance.
However, Duke didn’t win a bowl game until New Year’s Day in 1945, when the Blue Devils beat Alabama 29-26 in the Sugar Bowl.
Duke (7-5) is set to make its 16th bowl appearance on Dec. 23 in the Birmingham Bowl against Troy.
WRAL Sports took a look at the best bowl game performances by Duke players.
1939 Rose Bowl: Duke loses close game 7-3 to USC
Duke took a 3-0 lead early in the fourth quarter after 23-yard field goal by Tony Ruffla.
Trojans backup quarterback Doyle Nave completed four consecutive passes to Al Krueger, who outmaneuvered Eric “The Red” Tipton for the winning touchdown with one minute remaining.
Krueger's touchdown marked the first points scored against Duke during the season. Duke’s stout defense helped the team earn the nickname, “The Iron Dukes.”
1942 Rose Bowl played in Durham due to attack on Pearl Harbor
The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor was on Dec. 7, 1941. Since the game was scheduled for New Year’s Day, there was concern about another attack on the West Coast.
On Dec. 16, Duke University invited the game and Oregon State to Duke's home stadium in Durham.
At the time, Duke Stadium — now named Wallace Wade Stadium — was the second-largest in the South. Its seating capacity was just 35,000 fans.
To accommodate the larger crowd expected for the Rose Bowl, bleachers were brought in from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Kenan Stadium and North Carolina State University's Riddick Stadium to seat an additional 20,000 people.
Oregon State’s 20-16 win was considered a major upset, and a high-scoring game for both teams.
The 20 points that Oregon State scored were the most scored on the Blue Devils since 1930, the year before Wade became Duke’s head coach.
The 14 points allowed by the Beavers’ defense was the most they’d given up all year.
In the fourth quarter, Duke’s offense crossed into Oregon State territory three times, but the Beavers intercepted Duke quarterback Tommy Prothro twice and stopped Duke’s offense the other time.
Duke wins first bowl game in 1945 Sugar Bowl against Alabama
Alabama head coach Frank Thomas struggled to assemble a team in 1944 due to World War II. His roster was mostly composed of 17-year-old freshmen and students who had been rejected as unsuitable for military service.
Duke rallied from a 19-7 deficit thanks to two Tom Davis touchdowns.
George Clark, who also scored two touchdowns, scored on a 20-yard run in the fourth quarter to give the Blue Devils the lead for good.
Duke dominates 1955 Orange Bowl against Nebraska
The 34-7 win over Nebraska is among Duke’s most dominant bowl wins.
The Blue Devils held the Cornhuskers to 110 total yards of offense.
Duke quarterback Jerry Barger threw for two touchdowns. Running backs Bob Pascal and Nick McKeithan each scored a touchdown too.
Richard Nixon, an alumnus of Duke’s law school and the vice president at the time, attended the game.
1961 Cotton Bowl: Dave Unser blocks Mickey Cissel's extra-point attempt
Arkansas took the lead in the third quarter for the first score of the game.
Arkansas’ Lance Alworth returned a Duke punt for a touchdown, but the extra point was blocked by Dave Unser.
In the fourth quarter, Duke players Don Altman and Tee Moorman connected on five passes in one drive. It led to Duke’s tying touchdown and the go-ahead extra point.
2012 Belk Bowl: Late fumble costs Duke in loss to Cincinnati
Quarterback Sean Renfree completed 37 of 49 passes for 358 yards and a touchdown, but he threw two interceptions. Conner Vernon had 10 receptions for 119 yards and a touchdown.
Running back Josh Snead had 17 carries for 107 yards, but had a costly fumble late in the fourth quarter.
Snead fumbled at the Cincinnati 5-yard line with 1:20 left in the game. With 44 seconds left in the game, Cincinnati quarterback Brendon Kaye threw an 83-yard touchdown pass to a tight end by the name of Travis Kielce. The score gave Cincinnati the lead for good.
Duke punter Will Monday’s only punt of the game was a beauty. Monday holds the record for the longest punt in Duke bowl game history with a 79-yarder. Duke downed the ball at the Cincinnati 2-yard line too.
Anthony Boone, Duke fall in 2014 Chick-fil-A Bowl shootout vs. Johnny Manziel, Texas A&M
Johnny Manziel led Texas A&M to a 52-48 comeback win against Duke in the 2014 Chick-fil-A Bowl.
Duke led 38-17 at halftime against the previous season’s Heisman trophy winner.
Duke quarterback Anthony Boone passed for 427 yards and three touchdowns, but threw two costly interceptions late in the game. It included a 55-yard pick 6 to Toney Hurd Jr., who gave the Aggies their first lead with 3:33 remaining. Texas A&M linebacker Nate Askew ended Duke's next possession with another interception.
After 55 years, Duke breaks through with win in 2015 Pinstripe Bowl
Longtime Duke head coach David Cutcliffe did not make a bowl game in first four seasons coaching the team. However, Duke and Cutcliffe made a bowl in six of his next seven seasons coaching the team.
The Blue Devils lost in three consecutive bowl games before Cutcliffe finally won one.
Duke beat Indiana 44-41 in overtime in the 2015 Pinstripe Bowl, which is played at Yankee Stadium.
While the Blue Devils allowed 389 yards passing by Hoosiers quarterback Nate Sudfeld, they had three players surpass 100 yards rushing:
- Quarterback Thomas Sirk had 20 carries for 155 yards and two touchdowns
- Running back Jela Duncan had 13 carries for 109 yards
- Running back Shawn Wilson had nine carries for 103 yards and a touchdown
Duke won the game after the referees signaled that Indiana kicker Griffin Oakes missed a 38-yard field goal in overtime. Oakes thought the kick was good, but the play was not reviewable.
The win marked Duke’s first bowl win since 1961.
Daniel Jones shows off dual-threat ability in 2017 Quick Lane Bowl
Before Daniel Jones earned the nickname “Danny Dimes” and a massive contract extension with the New York Giants, he served as Duke’s quarterback from 2016-2018.
In 2017, Duke barely squeaked into a bowl game at 6-6. However, Jones showcased his dual-threat ability that would make him a first-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.
Jones was named MVP of the 2017 Quick Lane Bowl against Northern Illinois. He went 27-of-40 with 252 passing yards and two touchdowns, along with 86 rushing yards from sixteen carries for one touchdown in Duke’s 36-14 win against Northern Illinois.
Daniel Jones dominates 2018 Walk-On’s Independence Bowl
A year later, Duke’s record improved to 8-5.
En route to a 56-27 win over Temple, Jones had a spectacular performance during his final game in a Duke uniform. He had 423 passing yards and five touchdowns.
The Blue Devils scored on six consecutive offensive possessions in the win.
Duke receiver T.J. Rahming had 12 catches for 240 yards and two touchdowns.
Duke dominates UCF, 30-13, in 2022 Military Bowl
Quarterback Riley Leonard was named the game’s MVP with 236 total yards and two rushing touchdowns.
Duke matched a season-high in sacks with six to set a Military Bowl record for a single game.
