Nearly 21 months after last stepping foot on a football field, it appears Jela Duncan is set for a return two years in the making.
Thursday, Duke head coach David Cutcliffe revealed that Duncan is likely to see early action in this Saturday’s game against Georgia Tech; in fact, he’s officially listed as probable on the team’s injury report. The running back sustained a partially torn pectoral muscle early on in summer camp that has caused him to miss the first three games of the season.
The injury issue extended what was a year-long forced sabbatical from the playing field.
It was announced in December of 2013, following the ACC championship game loss against Florida State, that Duncan was suspended for not only the Chick-fil-A bowl matchup with Texas A&M, but for the entire following season as well because of a violation of university academic policy. He was officially reinstated in January of this year.
At the time of his suspension, Duncan’s 562 yards were tops on the team for the 2013 season. He ended up No. 2 behind Josh Snead and his 651 yards, one year after leading the Blue Devils with 553 yards on the ground. Duncan’s also a weapon out of the backfield as he totaled 32 receptions for 212 yards in 2012 and 2013.
This season, quarterback Thomas Sirk leads the Blue Devils in rushing with 215 yards. The leading rusher among running backs is Shaun Wilson and his 179 yards.