The football team headed into Saturday's game against Virginia hoping for something which might help jump start what has been a dismal season. Already holding the distinct honor of having the worst start to a season in the history of Duke football, what the Blue Devils went through on Saturday was simply a case of deja vu all over again-a 27-3 loss to the Cavaliers.
Miracles don't happen, at least not to the football team this year.
Riding a nine-game losing streak coming in, the Blue Devils were huge underdogs against 16th-ranked Virginia, who had won six of the last seven meetings between the two schools. The Cavaliers featured tailback Tiki Barber, a legitimate Heisman Trophy candidate, who had rushed for 100 or more yards in nine straight games.
Make that 10-for-10 after Saturday's performance. Barber's 125 rushing yards and 198 all-purpose yards, combined with Virginia's overpowering defense, turned out to be the difference in the game.
"I don't know a back that can bounce outside, run north and south, and turn down the sideline like [Tiki] can," Duke coach Fred Goldsmith said. "Tiki can get on balance and turn down the boundary better than anybody I have seen. The guy is really, really good."
Nearly all of Barber's damage was done before halftime as the Cavaliers jumped out to a 27-0 lead. Tiki's rampage began right about where Duke's hopes of winning ended.
The Blue Devils played Virginia tough in the opening minutes of the game. But sophomore quarterback Matt Radar and the rest of the Blue Devils were unable to establish any consistency, as they traveled into Virginia territory only once in the first half. Virginia stumbled early and often as well, generating only three points in the first quarter-a 38-yard field goal by Rafael Garcia with 50 seconds remaining.
But after a low-scoring first quarter, the Cavaliers exploded. Virginia's first possession of the second quarter saw it drive for the eventual winning touchdown. Cavalier quarterback Tim Sherman hit receiver Germane Crowell for two huge pass plays of 41 and 23 yards on the drive, which was culminated with a five-yard touchdown run by Barber.
Duke's misfortunes continued just 48 seconds later when freshman running back Letavious Wilks, in his second start of the season, fumbled on Duke's second play of the ensuing drive. Cavalier defensive back Anthony Poindexter scooped up the football and returned it 37 yards for the only non-Barber touchdown of the game.
Five minutes later, following a stalled Duke drive, Barber hit pay dirt for the second time on a three-yard run. His score gave Virginia a 24-0 lead with nearly six minutes left in the half.
Every one of the Cavaliers' scoring drives on the day took less than four minutes, and they only had one drive that consumed more than three minutes of clock. The Blue Devils held the ball for seven more minutes during the game, but they were only able to put up three points for their efforts.
Duke was able to hold Virginia without a point for the next six minutes, only allowing a last-second, 32-yard field goal by Garcia. For the scoreless Blue Devils, halftime couldn't have come any too soon.
"It looked rather difficult," said Goldsmith, referring to the rushing efforts of Virginia's defensive front. "You come in and you holler at a team at halftime about blocking those guys and this and that. I know what's going through their minds. They're probably saying, 'You're not the one having to block them.' The thing that I was disappointed in was that you've got to keep your poise. When it's second and eight or nine, you can't come up with disaster plays."
The second half could be described as an offensive-minded fan's worst nightmare. Both teams seemed to feed off the other's mistakes, as turnovers were the highlight of the final 30 minutes.
Junior Chike Egbuniwe stopped an early Cavalier drive on the Duke eight-yard line with his first interception of the year. Freshman cornerback Lamar Grant, who had a strong defensive effort in the field with seven tackles, added one more pick for Duke early in the fourth quarter. Even with two fumbles recoveries and an average fourth quarter starting field position on the Virginia 40-yard line, Duke was still only able to muster a last minute Sims Lenhardt field goal.
"Offensively, we've just got a ways to go," Goldsmith said. "In the second half we had some good drives but we just couldn't convert. We've worked more the last three weeks than we have all season on our passing game. When it comes down to it, that is what you see from the teams that are winning."
About the only excitement left by the time the fourth quarter rolled around was whether or not Duke would score and if Virginia could extend its streak of consecutive games with an interception to 37.
Virginia defensive back Antwan Harris took care business for the Cavaliers by intercepting a Kevin Thompson pass in the end zone with 3:20 left. Two minutes later, Lenhardt answered with a 26-yard field goal for Duke.
The Blue Devils defense was one of few bright spots on the afternoon. Barber was limited to just 24 yards on seven carries in the second half, and Duke held an opponent scoreless in a half for the first time this year.
"We've been improving week by week," Thompson said. "Our defense has been playing really well. My hat's off to them. They've been getting better every week. They played a great game today, especially in the second half."
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