Duke freshman Kelby Brown will miss season finale

Duke coach David Cutcliffe announced on Sunday that freshman Kelby Brown suffered a season-ending knee injury at Georgia Tech and will miss the team's season finale against North Carolina on Saturday.

Brown, a linebacker from Charlotte, tore his anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments in the Blue Devils' 30-20 loss to Georgia Tech. Brown will undergo surgery at a date to be announced.

"It is unfortunate that Kelby's fine freshman season ends prematurely," Cutcliffe said. "It is really tough for a freshman to arrive on campus in June and start seven games at middle linebacker, and he did just that. We know he is in great hands with our medical staff - it is the best in the country - and we're confident Kelby will overcome this obstacle and be back as soon as possible."

In nine games, Brown, at 6 foot 2 and 215 pounds, made an impact for the Devils in his first season.

He leads the nation in fumble recoveries and his 7.3 tackles per game are ranked second in the ACC. His four recoveries are a single-season freshman record and the most for the Devils since 2002.

-- Edward G. Robinson III