Duke's Deon Jackson: We Can Run on Any Team We Play

Blue Devils gain 363 yards on the ground against Syracuse

Duke got its running game on track in a big way against Syracuse. Deon Jackson ran for 169 yards, while Mataeo Durant added 163 and two touchdowns.

Jackson said that the two running backs make a good team.

“Once we come off the field after drives, we always pick at each other,” he said. “I just did this. I did that. Blah, blah, blah, but it’s always jokes. We feed off of each other. Once we see each other break a long run or run through somebody, we feed off each other. Once the next person comes into the game, we’re just ready to replicate that.”

Jackson fumbled early in the game but was able to recover from the mistake to have a career day.

“I learned from mistakes from the past,” he said. “Usually, if I fumble or make a mistake, I tend to harp on it for awhile. This time, once I came to the sideline, I just told everybody, ‘That’s my fault. It won’t happen again.’ Then I put it in the back of my head and just forgot about it.”

Like any running back, Jackson knew he benefited from blocking on the offensive line and down field.

“As soon as I came back to the locker room, I looked at my phone, and the first text from my mom was, ‘You and Mataeo owe the linemen wings.’ Along with the linemen, the wide receivers blocked their butts off today. They did a good job holding up defensive backs, safeties and linebackers, just making sure we had clear holes to run through.”

Jackson and Durant believe they can continue their success on the ground going forward.

“Me and Mataeo feel like we can run on any team we play against,” Jackson said. “We just kept that mindset coming into this week. We all came in with a determined mindset. We were going to be physical and run it down people’s throats.”