Everything you need to know about Duke, Troy football's opponent in Birmingham Bowl
Troy football is going bowling once again.
After winning the Sun Belt championship last Saturday, the Trojans (11-2) made their second straight bowl game since hiring Jon Sumrall to be head coach before the 2022 season and the 10th bowl game in program history. They'll play the Duke Blue Devils in the Birmingham Bowl in Birmingham's Protective Stadium, and the game kicks off Dec. 23 at 11 a.m. CT. The game will be televised by ESPN.
A win for the Trojans improves their bowl record to 7-3, while a win for the Blue Devils improves them to .500 in bowls as a program. A win either team marks the program's second consecutive win in a bowl game. Here's everything that you need to know about Troy football's Birmingham Bowl opponent, Duke football:
Fast facts
Nickname: Blue Devils
Conference: ACC
Record: 7-5
Head coach: Trooper Taylor (interim)
Bowl record: 7-8
Program record against Troy: 2-0
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This season
The Blue Devils began the season with a bang, upsetting Clemson on Labor Day to open the year at 5-1 through at the halfway point. However, they've lost four of their last six to close the season after being ranked as high as 16th in the AP Poll in late October.
It's been a tough stretch since then. Duke lost four of its last six to stumble to a 7-5 record while falling out of the polls. To add insult to injury, former head coach Mike Elko left the program in November to take the same job at Texas A&M.
Program history
Duke has won four straight bowls, but had to snap one of the longest bowl droughts in college football history to start the streak.
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Prior to their win in the 2015 Pinstripe Bowl, the Blue Devils had gone winless in bowl games since 1960, with a win over Arkansas the program's last until the 21st century.
Duke has also played the Trojans twice in program history, both in the regular season. Both teams agreed to a home-and-home schedule in 2013 and 2014, with the Blue Devils winning both games. In the first, Duke narrowly beat Troy in Durham, 38-31, while in the second, the Blue Devils also beat the Trojans, although this time in Troy, 34-17.
This article originally appeared on The Courier: What to know about Duke, Troy football's opponent in Birmingham Bowl
