DURHAM — Duke kick returner Jabari Marshall had been waiting for a big return when he finally broke one for his first touchdown against Connecticut on Saturday.
“I just hadn’t run in a long time the first one I caught just went as planned,” said Marshall, who ranked fifth in the ACC and 22nd nationally in kickoff return average (25.1) in 2006.
The Devils blocked it well — Marshall said senior Justin Boyle laid down the block that freed him up to get outside — and Marshall just had to shift into a faster gear to sprint past one last Connecticut defender.
All Marshall felt of that last man was a brief tug on his jersey.
“We practice that a lot,” Marshall said. “We didn’t take one back last year. I had some long ones. But I was just trying to make sure we got one early to get it out of the way. I hope more will come.”
Marshall looked to have another wall of blockers and a hole on another return in the third quarter but, in his haste to break it, he slipped.
Marshall had been telling his teammates all summer, “I know I can score. I know I can score.” Now the evidence is there. Marshall said the kickoff return team wants to give the Devils great field position all season.
“[That TD] does give us confidence,” Marshall said. “I come out everyday in practice and try to score. I don’t take it easy out there in practice. I know it can help the team out a lot.”
