NCCU’s Reid handed the reins

DURHAM, North Carolina -- The backup tag has been lifted from N.C. Central quarterback Jordan Reid. Reid on Saturday in Wallace Wade Stadium won the starting job during a 54-17 loss to Duke.

NCCU coach Henry Frazier III said Reid will get first-team reps in practice as the Eagles prepare to get into their Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference schedule this weekend on the road in Georgia against Savannah State.

Starting Reid under center is a no-brainer, Frazier said.

“Man, if I don’t put Jordan out there, they’re going to run me out of town,” Frazier said. “I was born at night, not last night. We’ll throw Jordan out there, we’ll hand the ball to him and give him a week of running with the starters and let him have his opportunity.”

Reid in the first quarter against Duke replaced NCCU quarteback Matt Goggans on the Eagles’ fourth offensive possession, and the redshirt junior came out throwing darts, finishing the game with a career-high 218 passing yards.

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DUKE WINS ALL 3 PHASES

DURHAM — Black helmets. Black jerseys. Black pants.

Dressing dark for the first time, Duke left N.C. Central blacked out in an 54-17 Blue Devils football win before a crowd of 22,829 at Wallace Wade Stadium Saturday night.

Duke wore black uniforms once last year, losing 23-21 to Richmond in the season-opening game. But the team added newly designed black helmets to the ensemble for the second installment of the Bull City Gridiron Classic against cross-town rival NCCU and found better results.

For the first time in eight years, Duke (2-1) scored touchdowns in the same game on offense, defense and special teams.

The 37-point margin of victory is the largest of Duke coach David Cutcliffe’s tenure, which began in 2008.  “To get to 2-1 was important,” Cutcliffe said. “To get better was important. I think the thing I like most about the win is I think we got better in the second half.”

Duke benefited from an imperfect performance from NCCU (1-2), which lost for the second week in a row. The Eagles were called for 10 penalties, costing them 70 yards. NCCU also threw two interceptions, with Duke receiver Ross Cockrell notching both and returning one for a touchdown. NCCU also turned it over a third time with a fumble.

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