Updated 11:45 p.m.
DURHAM - The first play from scrimmage of 2012 could not have gone much better for Duke’s defense.
The Blue Devils swarmed Florida International’s Kedrick Rhodes immediately after he caught quarterback Jake Medlock’s pass, throwing him for a loss of 3 yards.
The second play from scrimmage of 2012 could not have gone much worse for Duke’s defense.
Medlock barely avoided the Blue Devils’ pass rush and again dumped the ball off to Rhodes. This time, Rhodes had nothing but green space ahead of him. He covered the 67 yards between him and the end zone with relative ease, giving the Panthers a quick seven-point lead a mere 42 seconds into Saturday’s season opener at Wallace Wade Stadium.
Just when it looked like Duke was positioning itself for another disappointing result against a program with little football pedigree, a curious thing happened over the final 59 minutes and 18 seconds. Shrugging off FIU's early touchdown, Duke responded with an inspired second quarter that provided the impetus for an emphatic 46-26 win
