For QB Cam Ward and Miami, mastering Duke's aggressive defensive approach will be a key to victory

The No. 5 Miami Hurricanes will be a clear favorite over the Duke Blue Devils when the teams square off at Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

According to DraftKings Sportsbook, UM is the 20.5-point favorite over Duke, which is the largest margin of the weekend between two Power Four programs, but still there is a clear path to make this game interesting.

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Duke head coach Manny Diaz, who was the godfather of the “turnover chain” as the Hurricanes' defensive coordinator during Miami's 10-win season in 2017, has a Blue Devils defense that plays an aggressive football team that has led to plenty of takeaways.

The Blue Devils enter Saturday's game having forced 19 turnovers, which is the second most in the country. Duke put together a performance against SMU where they forced six turnovers in a 28-27 overtime loss to the Mustangs.

Diaz runs an aggressive defense whose basic idea is to get upfield quickly and create havoc behind the offensive line.

Heading into Saturday's game, Duke ranks first in the nation in overpowering opponents on 44 percent of its passing plays. Against the run, Duke averages 8.9 tackles for loss per game, which ranks second in the country.

Duke has forced 14 fumbles this season – including five forced fumbles in pass rushing situations – and converted 10 of those opportunities. The Blue Devils have forced opposing quarterbacks into 21 turnover plays, completing nine passes on the year. Duke is credited with throwing six interceptions this season, which is the fourth-most interceptions in the country.

Diaz and defensive coordinator Jonathan Patke, another former Miami coach, know how to make quarterbacks uncomfortable and make poor decisions with the football AND emphasize ripping the ball out of ball carriers.

And that's the challenge that Miami quarterback Cam Ward, an aggressive gunslinger, will face Saturday afternoon.

Over the last few weeks, Ward has done a good job of getting the ball out of the way. Miami has played two games since his Week 7 bye and was credited with a turnover-worthy play by Pro Football Focus in those contests against Louisville and Florida State.

Diaz is known for his zone blitz play designs that force quarterbacks to force the ball into tricky situations.

When Duke has rushed at least five defenders, opposing quarterbacks have completed 32 of 60 attempts for 320 yards. The Blue Devils pressure the quarterback on 42.6 percent of their snaps in which they send at least five pass rushers.

Ward has been one of the best quarterbacks in the country against the blitz this year, completing 68.9 percent of his passes for 1,138 yards with 13 touchdowns against three interceptions while averaging 9.6 yards per attempt.

Duke's aggressive defensive approach has produced results in 2024. Ward and the UM offense will look to maintain their explosiveness while limiting turnover-worthy plays – and that will be the recipe for a comfortable win.