Fall and get back up. That is what Duke is looking to do this weekend.
After suffering a 19-10 loss to then-No. 23 Northwestern in their first game against a Power 5 opponent, the Blue Devils will try to rebound in their ACC opener against No. 20 Georgia Tech Saturday at noon at Wallace Wade Stadium. The showdown with the Yellow Jackets—who fell to then-No. 8 Notre Dame 30-22 Saturday—will be another opportunity for Duke to register a marquee victory, with the threat of falling back to .500 and 0-1 in conference play the sobering alternative.
“When you come off a loss, it’s always a little challenging to go back and get your energies and emotions where they need to be,” Duke head coach David Cutcliffe said. “But I think we’ve done that starting Sunday because it is an ACC game and obviously the focus is on doing things better than we did last week. This will be a huge test.”
Facing Georgia Tech right after a loss is nothing new for the Blue Devils (2-1). Last year, Duke entered its matchup with the Yellow Jackets coming off a 22-10 defeat against Miami. The Blue Devils showed no signs of any lingering disappointment from the set-back as they forced three Georgia Tech turnovers and held off a late comeback bid, leaving Atlanta with a 31-25 win.
Like any other team that faces Georgia Tech (2-1), Duke will rely on its defense to slow down the Yellow Jackets’ potent triple option running attack. Led by quarterback Justin Thomas and B-back Patrick Skov, the Yellow Jackets gain an average of 377.0 rushing yards and score 52.0 points per game. Relatively speaking, Notre Dame held Thomas and Skov in check last weekend, though, giving up 216 yards on the ground.
After wearing down against a big Northwestern offensive line and a strong Wildcat rushing attack that ran for 182 yards in the second half, the play of Duke’s defensive front will be key. Georgia Tech’s offense relies on low cut blocks to open up gaps for its running backs and usually tires opposing defenses with long drives. In order to force the Yellow Jackets into third-and-long situations and require Thomas to beat them through the air, the Blue Devils will have to stay disciplined and cannot afford missed tackles.
“We have to stay focused. If I try to take the pitch and I have the QB and someone else takes the pitch too, then that’s an easy touchdown,” sophomore linebacker Zavier Carmichael said. “It only takes one missed tackle for them to go 55 yards the opposite way.”
Offensively, redshirt junior quarterback Thomas Sirk and company will have to improve after a rough outing against Northwestern. Duke had several opportunities to seize the lead, but never found a rhythm, finishing 3-of-17 on third down conversions. Sirk rarely took shots down the field, relying instead on screen passes and short throws to his running backs.
Duke can look to Notre Dame’s offensive performance against the Yellow Jackets as a recipe for success. The Fighting Irish picked apart the Yellow Jackets’ pass defense, as quarterback Deshone Kizer threw for 242 yards, one touchdown and completed 70.0 percent of his passes.
The Blue Devil offense needs a strong performance on the ground in order to stay on the field—after averaging 247 rushing yards through their first two games, the Blue Devils ran for just 177 yards against Northwestern. In last year’s win against Georgia Tech, Duke rushed for 242 yards and held the ball one minute longer than the Yellow Jackets, keeping Georgia Tech’s offense off the field.
Cutcliffe also stressed the importance of limiting penalties and mistakes. Against Northwestern, several plays backfired for the Blue Devils and resulted in lost yardage or turnovers.
“When you’re playing Georgia Tech, you cannot have penalties,” Cutcliffe said. “We can’t turn the ball over. You cannot have plays that put you behind schedule.”
Seth Johnson contrbuted reporting.
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