No. 18 Duke visits winless UConn in a tune-up before a 対決 with Notre Dame
STORRS, Conn. (AP) - Duke 長，率いるs to Connecticut Saturday for one of those games coaches love to 警告する players about.
The 18th-階級d Blue Devils are chasing their first 4-0 start since 2018 and have a big game coming next week at home against No. 9 Notre Dame.
UConn, on the other 手渡す, has started 0-3 after a six-勝利，勝つ season a year ago.
It would be, as the clich? goes, 平易な for the Blue Devils to overlook the Huskies
But Duke also started out 3-0 last year, then followed that up by losing three of four.
Coach マイク Elko has been 押し進めるing his team to think about doing a better 職業 扱うing the middle chunk of the season.
"Last year we didn´t 扱う that part of the season really 井戸／弁護士席," Elko said, 追加するing: "I think we have an 適切な時期 to show some growth here this week, and that´s the big challenge."
The Huskies also are looking 支援する at last season, when they started 1-4 and then won five of their next six games.
UConn coach Jim Mora, who like Elko is in his second season at his 現在の 職業, would like to see a repeat or, at the very least, movement in a 肯定的な direction.
"We're 再構築するing something that we all know has not been 広大な／多数の／重要な for a long time," he said. "I don't think it's ever just a straight 上向き trajectory."
CLIMBING THE RANKINGS
Duke opened the season unranked, but moved into the AP 最高の，を越す 25 after drubbing Clemson for the first time since September 2018. The Blue Devils have climbed to their highest 最高位の since reaching No. 16 in November 1994.
RUN GAME
Duke´s run game has carried the 負担, from QB Riley Leonard´s 緊急発進するing ability to the tandem of Jordan Waters and Jaquez Moore.
Leonard has twice flirted with 100-yard 急ぐing days (98 yards and a 得点する／非難する／２０ against Clemson, 97 yards and two 得点する／非難する／２０s against Northwestern. Waters has 得点する／非難する／２０d two touchdowns in each of the past two games, while Moore (176 yards, two 得点する／非難する／２０s) has also been 効果的な.
There´s also the 可能性のある 上げる from Jaylen Coleman´s 結局の debut after 行方不明の the first three games 予定 to 傷害.
NEW OLD QUARTERBACK
UConn quarterback Ta'Quan Roberson is hoping to play a second straight 完全にする game for the first time since high school.
The junior 移転 from Penn 明言する／公表する won the starting 職業 a year ago, but 苦しむd a 膝 傷害 on the Huskies second 運動 of the season. He lost a three-way 競争 for the 職業 this season to Maine 移転 Joe Fagnano, but got it 支援する when Fagnano went 負かす／撃墜する with a season-ending shoulder 傷害 against Georgia 明言する／公表する.
In his first start of the season last week, the 二重の-脅し QB 完全にするd 15 of 32 passes for just 170 yards and no touchdowns against FIU. He ran just eight times for a total of eight yards.
Mora said they've been tweaking the 罪／違反 a bit to better match Roberson's style.
"I think we have a better feel now for what we need to do with him," Mora said.
FEW SCORES
Duke has 許すd 28 points in three games, which is tied for fifth in the Bowl Subdivision 階級s (9.3 per game). Most impressively, they´ve 許すd just seven points after halftime - coming in the final minutes of last week´s 38-14 勝利，勝つ against Northwestern.
That 業績／成果 含むs 持つ／拘留するing preseason 大西洋 Coast 会議／協議会 favorite Clemson to just one second-４半期/4分の1 touchdown.
MILITARY APPRECIATION
UConn will wear special red, white and blue helmet decals 似ているing a sergeant's （土地などの）細長い一片s for its 軍の 評価 Day. More than 650 members of UConn´s 退役軍人s 事件／事情／状勢s program have been 招待するd to the game. Six people will be sworn in to the 国家の guard during the break after the first ４半期/4分の1 and two 退役軍人s from UConn will be 認めるd for their service.
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AP Sports Writer Aaron 耐えるd 与える／捧げるd to this story from North Carolina
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AP college football: https://apnews.com/中心/college-football and https://apnews.com/中心/ap-最高の，を越す-25-college-football-投票
