Duke defeats UCF to win Military Bowl

ANNAPOLIS, MD — The 8-4 Duke Blue Devils defeated the UCF Knights 30-13 to win the 2022 Peraton Military Bowl.

The victory marks the fourth consecutive bowl win by the Blue Devils, entering the bowl season tied for the 10th longest active streak nationally. Among ACC teams, only Syracuse has an active streak of four wins. This was Duke’s first bowl game since 2018.

Sophomore QB Riley Leonard led the way for Duke, totaling 236 yards from scrimmage and rushing for two touchdowns as he was named Military Bowl MVP. Wide receiver Jalon Calhoun finished with a game-high six catches for 62 yards, eclipsing 800 yards receiving in a season for the first time in his career.

Duke and UCF both got on the board early as Blue Devils running back Jaquez Moore scored on a 14-yard rush — which was matched by a goal line touchdown by Isaiah Bowser on the ensuing possession. Duke extended their lead to as much as 13 by halftime following two field goals and a touchdown from Leonard.

A huge storyline from the matchup was how the Blue Devils’ defense excelled. Duke’s stout defense held UCF quarterback John Rhys Plumlee to 182 passing yards and sacked him a Military Bowl record six times. Key sacks from R.J. Oben, Cam Dillon, and Vincent Anthony Jr. kept the Knights scoreless throughout the third quarter.

Duke head coach Mike Elko becomes the first first-year head coach in Blue Devils history to win a bowl game in his first appearance. Duke enters the offseason after finishing with a 9-4 record in 2022.