Beats' Picks: Will Duke football upset No. 21 SMU at Wallace Wade Stadium?

For the ACC slate, our football beat writers predict whether the Blue Devils will pull out a win in their weekly matchup. In a highly anticipated home game, Duke will welcome No. 21 SMU to Wallace Wade Stadium on Saturday at 8 p.m.:

Ranjan Jindal: SMU 28-24

I have a strange feeling about this game and think it could be Duke that gets its offense back on track, especially with the possibility of both Jaquez Moore and Jordan Moore playing. For the Blue Devils to win, I think they need to do two things: cover SMU more than twice and get a third-down conversion percentage above 40%. The loss of tight end RJ Maryland is huge for this Mustang offense as he was the main target for quarterback Kevin Jennings. For now, I'm sticking with what I've seen coming from SMU more consistently, but I think the Blue Devils have a real chance to steal one with Wallace Wade.

Dom Fenoglio: SMU 31-17

The Mustangs bring all the weapons that allowed Georgia Tech to hand Duke its first loss of the season and more. SMU has a dual-threat quarterback in Kevin Jennings and an all-around quarterback in Brashard Smith. The Blue Devils were able to suppress the Yellow Jackets for much of the game in Week 6, but their problems came when they played tired in the fourth quarter. Yes, this was Duke's sixth straight game, but I see a similar situation on Saturday if the Blue Devils' offensive woes continue. Redshirt sophomore Maalik Murphy and the offense simply can't continue to make quick drives that lead to punts or else the Mustangs will run all over the field in Durham.

Caleb Dudley: SMU 28-17

This is the score I chose for the Blue Devil Blitz, so I'm sticking with it. Duke has done a great job of defending its home game the last few years, but I think the Mustangs have the dynamism to overcome that deficit and pull out a win at Wallace Wade Stadium. If the Blue Devils run the current version of their offense, I don't think they can keep up with Jennings and Co., no matter how good the defense is. Head coach Manny Diaz will have his roster ready to go, and even if he stays tight, that won't be enough.

Martin Heintzelman SMU 17-7

Say what you will about the Blue Devils, but they have demonstrated a remarkable ability to play at exactly the same level as any previous ACC opponent. This is a team that fought hard in double overtime with Northwestern and offset North Carolina's dominant first half with a second half of its own. Duke also led Georgia Tech thanks to a spotty Yellow Jackets defense before losing the game due to defensive issues, then posted its worst offensive performance against a Florida State squad plagued by similar offensive problems. As Duke takes on SMU, there is no reason to doubt that the Blue Devils could emerge victorious in another mirror-image matchup. Maybe one good opponent is enough for the team to capitalize on previous glimmers of success.

Tyler Walley: Duke 27-24

At first glance, this is an unfortunate matchup for the Blue Devils. The Mustangs are the perfect mix of efficient, versatile offense and powerful defense against both pass and run. Thanks to the large talent gap between these two rosters, Duke will face an uphill battle for 60 minutes. And yet I'm sticking with the home team. I believe defensive coordinator Jonathan Patke's unit performed exceptionally well in all but three of 28 quarters of football. The Mustangs have yet to play defense of Duke's caliber, save for an unusual contest early in the season against No. 11 BYU. If the Blue Devils can contain quarterback Kevin Jennings while also fixing their own issues in the passing game over the last three weeks, then I believe Duke will improve to 7-1 on the back of one of the proudest upset victories in program history.

Season records:

Jindal: 4-0

Fenoglio: 2-2

Dudley: 3-1

Heintzelmann: 2-2

Amare: 3-1

DiSalvo: 4-0

Walley: 4-0

Ranjan Jindal
| Sports editor

Ranjan Jindal is a junior at Trinity and sports editor of Volume 120 of The Chronicle.

Rodrigo Amare

Rodrigo Amare is a second-year Trinity student and assistant Blue Zone editor of The Chronicle's 120th volume.

Martin Heintzelmann

Martin Heintzelman is Trinity Junior and Blue Zone Editor of Volume 120 of The Chronicle.

Abby DiSalvo

Abby DiSalvo is a Trinity sophomore and assistant Blue Zone editor of The Chronicle's 120th volume.