Duke Football Boasts Best Week 8 Defender in Country

The Duke football squad is now only one victory away from bowl eligibility.

Duke football safety Brandon Johnson (Jaylynn Nash-USA TODAY Sports)

Nine tackles. Two for a loss. A pair of sacks. One forced fumble. And a fourth-quarter interception returned 28 yards for a touchdown. Duke football safety Brandon Johnson did it all in Saturday's 45-21 road win over Miami (3-4, 1-2 ACC), the Blue Devils' most lopsided victory in the two programs' 20-game all-time series.

And Johnson reeled in the Walter Camp Foundation's National Defensive Player of the Week honors for his impressive all-around efforts.

Johnson, a 5-foot-10, 180-pound sophomore, became the first Blue Devil to earn the award since safety Jeremy Cash in 2015.

"I hadn't seen the endzone in a minute, since high school, actually, when I played offense," Brandon Johnson said about his interception after the game. "It is one of the best feelings as a defensive back, so I am glad that I could just put some points up for my team and kind of seal the game."

Miami's eight turnovers marked the most by any squad in a Power 5 conference game since 2009.

The Duke football team (5-3, 2-2 ACC), under the direction of first-year head coach Mike Elko, now has a week off before playing at Boston College (2-5, 1-4 ACC) on Nov. 4 at 7 p.m. ET (ESPN2). With a victory over the Eagles, the resilient Blue Devils would secure bowl eligibility for the first time since 2018.

Fred Goldsmith is the only coach in program history (1994-98) to lead Duke to a bowl game in his first year at the helm.

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