Indiana and Duke look to make history in Pinstripe Bowl

New Era Pinstripe Bowl
Indiana (6-6) vs. Duke (7-5)
Brooklyn, N.Y.
Dec. 26, 2015

Both Indiana and Duke made history on their way to earning a spot in the Pinstripe Bowl. Indiana won its final two games — both on the road — to earn its first six-win season since 2007. The Hoosiers won their final two games of the season for the first time since 2001 and its final two Big Ten road games for the first time since 1946.

Duke can somewhat relate. It’s playing in its fourth consecutive bowl game for the first time in school history, but prior to that first appearance in 2012, the Blue Devils hadn’t played in the postseason since 1995. And they’re still looking for its first bowl win since 1961.

Winning this game is going to be tough.

Duke is averaging 30.5 points per game, but that’s against a weak ACC schedule and it struggled when it met some of the better defensive teams. Luckily for the Blue Devils, Indiana didn’t exactly thrive on defense, allowing 507 yards per game and 37.1 points per game.

The lack of Indiana defense put pressure on the Hoosiers offense to consistently produce and it delivered. The Hoosiers ranked 20th in the nation in total offense with 491 yards per game and 22nd nationally with 36.2 points per game. The Hoosiers are led by running back Jordan Howard, a UAB transfer, who had 1,213 yards and nine touchdowns. Quarterback Nate Sudfeld, a senior, had his best collegiate season with 3,184 yards and 24 touchdowns compared to just five interceptions. His favorite targets were Simmie Cobbs Jr. (914 yards) and Ricky Jones (817 yards).

Duke was hit and miss all season. It lost four consecutive games before beating Wake Forest at the end of the season to finish 7-4. Quarterback Thomas Sirk has become the Blue Devils’ best offensive weapon in his first full season as starter, leading the team with 2,462 passing yards and 15 touchdowns, and 648 rushing yards and six touchdowns.

Picks

Graham: Duke struggled when it faced better teams this season and Indiana is better than it record would suggest. I like the Hoosiers offense to score early and often in this one. Indiana 34, Duke 14.

Nick: Duke has the better defense. Wait, does Indiana have a defense at all? Duke 37, Indiana 30.

Sam: Duke fell flat on its face down the stretch and I don’t expect that to really turn around here. Assuming Jordan Howard is back, Indiana should move the ball pretty easily. Indiana 31, Duke 17.

For more Duke news, visit DevilsIllustrated.com.

For more Indiana news, visit Peegs.com.

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Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at [email protected] or follow her on Twitter! Follow @YahooDrSaturday

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