For the ACC slate, our football beat writers predict whether the Blue Devils will pick up a win in their weekly matchup. In a highly anticipated home game, Duke welcomes 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 might be the game where Duke 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: turn SMU over more than twice and have a third-down conversion rate 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’ll stick with what I’ve seen, which is more consistent from SMU, but I think there’s a real chance the Blue Devils steal one in 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 then some. SMU has a dual-threat quarterback in Kevin Jennings and an all-around stud in Brashard Smith. The Blue Devils were able to stifle the Yellow Jackets for much of the game in Week 6, but their problems came when they played tired in the fourth quarter. Yes, that was the sixth straight game played for Duke, but I see a similar situation developing on Saturday as the Blue Devils’ offensive struggles continue. Redshirt sophomore Maalik Murphy and the offense simply can’t continue with quick drives that result in punts or the Mustangs will run the length of the field in Durham.

Caleb Dudley: SMU 28-17

This is the score I chose during the Blue Devil Blitz, so I’m sticking with it. Duke has done a great job of protecting its home court in recent years, but I think the Mustangs are dynamic enough to overcome this deficit and pull out a win at Wallace Wade Stadium. If the Blue Devils continue the current version of their offense, I don’t think they will be able to keep up with Jennings and company, no matter how good the defense is. Head coach Manny Diaz will have his roster ready to play, and while they will keep him close, it won’t be enough.

Martin Heintzelman SMU 17-7

Say what you will about the Blue Devils, but they have shown a remarkable ability to play at the exact level of any previous ACC opponent. This is a team that fought Northwestern tooth and nail in double overtime and matched 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 to defensive woes, then posted its worst offensive production against a Florida State squad marked by similar offensive woes. With Duke taking on SMU, there’s no reason to doubt that the Blue Devils could come out on top again in another mirror-image matchup. Perhaps a good opponent is all it takes for the team to capitalize on previous glimmers of success.

Tyler Walley: Duke 27-24

On the surface, this is a fateful game for the Blue Devils. The Mustangs are the perfect blend of efficient, versatile offense and swarm defense against both the pass and the run. Thanks to a large talent gap between these two rosters, Duke will face an uphill battle for 60 minutes. And yet I stay with the home team. I believe defensive coordinator Jonathan Patke’s unit has performed exceptionally in all but three of 28 quarters of football. The Mustangs haven’t played defense of Duke’s caliber yet, outside of an unusual early-season matchup against No. 11 BYU. If the Blue Devils can keep quarterback Kevin Jennings in check while solving their own passing game issues over the past three weeks, I believe Duke will improve to 7-1 on the back of one of the proudest wins in program history.

Season records:

Jindal: 4-0

Fenoglio: 2-2

Dudley: 3-1

Heintzelman: 2-2

Amare: 3-1

DiSalvo: 4-0

Walley: 4-0

Ranjan Jindal
| Sports editor

Ranjan Jindal is a Trinity junior and sports editor of The Chronicle’s 120th volume.

Rodrigo Amare

Rodrigo Amare is a Trinity sophomore and assistant Blue Zone editor of The Chronicle’s 120th volume.

Martin Heintzelman

Martin Heintzelman is a Trinity junior and Blue Zone editor of The Chronicle’s 120th volume.

Abby DiSalvo

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