Ball Durham
Fansided

Duke Football: ‘Odd’ hip injury ends season for CB Mark Gilbert

By Matt Giles

DURHAM, NC - OCTOBER 14: Mark Gilbert #28 of the Duke Blue Devils celebrates after making an interception with teammate Dylan Singleton #16 during their game against the Florida State Seminoles at Wallace Wade Stadium on October 14, 2017 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
DURHAM, NC - OCTOBER 14: Mark Gilbert #28 of the Duke Blue Devils celebrates after making an interception with teammate Dylan Singleton #16 during their game against the Florida State Seminoles at Wallace Wade Stadium on October 14, 2017 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

Duke football cornerback Mark Gilbert, a preseason first-team All-ACC selection, will not play again in 2018 after suffering a hip injury during the Blue Devils’ 21-7 win at Northwestern on Saturday.

Unfortunately, Duke football fans will not have the opportunity to see if cornerback Mark Gilbert would have been able to lead the Atlantic Coast Conference in interceptions for the second consecutive season (he had an ACC-best six picks in 2017).

During the second quarter of the Blue Devils’ victory over Northwestern on Saturday, Gilbert came up hobbling after appearing to overextend his left leg while covering a Wildcats receiver.

Duke Sports Information announced on Sunday that Gilbert underwent surgery to his left hip and will miss the remainder of the season.

More from Ball Durham

Gilbert, a junior who was a first-team All-ACC selection last season, might have been able to leave Duke early and enter the NFL Draft had this injury not occurred. Instead, he will likely return for his senior season in Durham in 2019.

“It’s a very difficult circumstance,” Duke football coach David Cutcliffe said, according to David M. Hale of ESPN.com. “Very awkward, odd injury. It’s very unlucky but things like that happen.”

In Gilbert’s place on Saturday, Michael Carter II — a 5-foot-10, 180-pound sophomore safety — snatched his first interception as a Blue Devil, and he is now expected to be a lead candidate to start in place of Gilbert for the remainder of the season.

Also, Duke Sports Information announced on Sunday that junior quarterback Daniel Jones will be out indefinitely as he recovers from a procedure on his fractured left clavicle (Jones left the Northwestern game in the fourth quarter with the injury after a Northwestern defender drove him into the ground during a sack).

Junior Quentin Harris is likely to start at quarterback until Jones returns.

Next. Duke-Kentucky opener preview and prediction. dark

Stay tuned to Ball Durham for more on Jones’ injury and how it will impact the Blue Devils.

Home/Duke Football