Gunnar Holmberg Scored Four Rushing Touchdowns, Duke Closed Out Their Non-Conference Schedule With Win Over Kansas In Durham

Saturday belonged to Duke starting quarterback Gunnar Holmberg on the gridiron in Durham!

Why?

Gunnar Holmberg rushed for four touchdowns to help lift Duke past Kansas, 52-33.

Gunnar Holmberg finished his night rushing 17 times for 88 yards and four touchdowns. The Wake Forest, N.C., native also went 22-of-29 passing for 328 yards with a touchdown.

Though Saturday’s game was a back-and-forth affair with both teams taking turns holding the lead in the opening half. Senior running back Mataeo Durant put the Blue Devils on the board first when he broke free for a 57-yard jaunt midway through the first period. He finished the game with 124 rushing yards on 21 carries with a score.

Kansas answered with a field goal before both teams combined for 35 points in the second quarter. The two teams traded touchdowns in the period before the Jayhawks scored one final time before the half to take a 24-21 edge into the break. A Holmberg four-yard rush and a 26-yard strike to junior wide receiver Jalon Calhoun accounted for Duke's two scores.

Kansas extended their lead to 27-21 early in the third quarter, but the Blue Devils would not waver. Duke rattled off three consecutive touchdowns after Jordan Waters and Holmberg (two) rushed into the end zone to take a commanding 42-27 lead at the end of the third quarter.

Redshirt sophomore Charlie Ham connected on a 30-yard field goal in the fourth quarter to extend the Blue Devil lead. The Jayhawks would finally halt Duke's scoring with a touchdown of their own to pull within 45-33 with a little less than nine minutes to play. Fortunately, Holmberg punched in his fourth rushing touchdown of the game a few minutes later to ultimately seal Duke's victory.

Senior wide receiver Jake Bobo led the Duke receiving corps with 105 yards on seven receptions. Saturday's performance boosted him over the career 1,000-yard receiving mark, becoming the 39th Blue Devil to achieve that feat.

Defensively, Duke was led by redshirt junior linebacker Shaka Heyward and sophomore safety Jaylen Stinson with nine and eight tackles respectively. Heyward and redshirt junior safety Nate Thompson each recorded an interception, marking the first time since 2019 the Blue Devils recorded two-plus interceptions in back-to-back contest.

Saturday Gunnar Holmberg who had himself a game, Duke are traveling 8 miles down the road to match up with North Carolina on Saturday in Chapel Hill.

Kickoff is set for 12:00pm from Kenan Memorial Stadium!

The game is going to be televised on ESPN2!