Malik Cunningham s seven TDs help Louisville dominate Duke
Malik Cunningham had 527 total yards and seven touchdowns as Louisville drilled the host Blue Devils 62-22 on Thursday night in Durham, N.C.
Cunningham threw five touchdown passes and ran for two to help the Cardinals (6-5, 4-4 Atlantic Coast Conference) clinch bowl eligibility.
Cunningham rushed for 224 yards on 11 carries and threw for 303.
He completed 18 of 25 passes. His TD passes went to five different teammates.
Cunningham, a redshirt junior, eclipsed the 10,000-yard mark of total offense for his career.
Duke (3-8, 0-7) has lost seven games in a row, all except one of those by wide margins. The Blue Devils will finish last in the ACC’s Coastal Division despite one game to go.
The Cardinals have won back-to-back ACC games for the first time since November 2019. This came just five days after cruising past Syracuse 41-3.
Louisville opened the scoring on Cunningham’s 48-yard pass play to Trevion Cooley. The next touchdown came on a 20-yard pass to Marshon Ford.
Cunningham ran for touchdowns on plays of 44 and 72 yards in the second quarter. Jalen Mitchell added an 11-yard touchdown run.
Duke’s Charlie Ham booted field goals of 22, 28 and 26 yards in the first half. It was the fourth time in the last five games that the Blue Devils didn’t score a first-half touchdown.
Louisville was 6-for-9 on third downs and 2-for-2 on fourth downs through three quarters.
The Blue Devils have surrendered at least 45 points in five consecutive games.
Duke had Gunnar Holmberg back at quarterback after he missed the past 1 1/2 games because of an injury. He threw for 176 yards and an interception before being replaced after the first possession of the third quarter.
The Blue Devils reached the end zone at the 5:06 mark of the third quarter on Jalon Calhoun’s 6-yard run.
–Field Level Media