Almost 11 minutes into a scoreless game, Duke has a third-and-11 on its opponent's 20. The other team has already given the Blue Devils several opportunities to score, turning the ball over in its first two possessions, then going three-and-out deep in its own territory, but they so far they haven't been able to capitalize.
During its 15-game losing streak, the Duke football team faced a number of situations similar to this, and more often than not the play would end not in go-ahead touchdown, but in an interception, or a sack followed by a missed field goal. Whether they went on to lose in a nail biter or a blowout, the Blue Devils always seemed to be one big play away from changing the complexion of a game.
But against Navy on Saturday, for the first time in almost two years, Duke was coming off a win. And on third-and-11 from the Midshipmen 20 late in the first quarter, Spencer Romine lofted a pass toward Richmond Flowers in the corner of the end zone, and the sophomore receiver hauled it in through two defenders for a 6-0 Blue Devil lead. It would be the first of Duke's nine third-down conversions, and a sign of what was to come this Homecoming weekend. The Blue Devils did not play a perfect game on Saturday but, unlike during the losing streak, they did what it took to win.
"When we needed defense we had defense," said Duke coach Fred Goldsmith. "When we needed offense on big drives in the second half, we had to have them and how important was it that we made some key first downs? Player after player making key plays all over the place."
The Blue Devil defense also came up big. While Duke was 9-for-17 on third down, and converted its only fourth down attempt, Navy was 1-for-9 and 0-for-2, respectively. The defense was especially stingy in the second half. After the Midshipmen rushed for 166 yards in the first half, they managed only 81 for the rest of the game.
"We gave up lots of yards," Goldsmith said, "but they didn't have long touchdown runs and the long touchdown passes.... We came up with big stops when we needed to."
Navy quarterback Chris McCoy, who has been touted as a Heisman Trophy candidate, rushed for 76 yards, and now has 2,371 for his career, good for 10th all-time. But he came into Saturday's game with 100 completions in 26 starts. The Midshipmen gained 214 yards on the ground with their option attack; when the Blue Devils were able to stop it on first and second down, however, Navy was doomed by its lack of a passing game, particularly late in the game. McCoy didn't complete a pass until midway through the fourth quarter, and the Midshipmen didn't convert a single third down in the second half.
McCoy's opposite number may not be ready for a Heisman Trophy candidacy, but, for the second straight week, Romine stepped up when he had to, and was the difference in the game. The redshirt freshman, in his second collegiate start, was a solid 11-for-19 for 151 yards with an interception and two touchdowns.
On third down, though, he was nearly perfect, hitting 6-of-7 pass attempts, scrambling for two first downs and throwing for both his touchdowns. The man who two weeks ago was the Blue Devils' third-string quarterback is now 2-0 as a starter-on a team which hadn't won consecutive games in more that two years.
"He did a heck of a job," Goldsmith said. "He's not the most orthodox at times. [But] he did a great job for us. He probably threw the ball better today than he did all week. Not probably, positively."
Fellow redshirt freshman Bobby Campbell, Duke's starting QB before injuring his knee two weeks ago, could be back as early as Saturday's game against Maryland. Romine deferred questions about a potential quarterback controversy to his coaches, and Goldsmith said he would begin to deal with the matter this week during practice. But once Campbell is healthy, Goldsmith will have a decision to make. While Romine could play himself out of contention between now and then, he can lay claim to one statistic which no other Blue Devil QB in recent memory can: a winning record. And he has at least one teammate supporting his cause.
"Spencer's playing tremendous," said senior wide receiver Corey Thomas. "We're 2-0 with him. You ask me, I wouldn't mind staying with him. You've got a quarterback who's [been able] to win. He's playing good, he's getting more confident with every pass he throws."
His team, meanwhile, seems to be getting more confident with every play it runs. The results are reflected somewhat in traditional statistics like time of possession and yards allowed, but the real difference appears on the scoreboard. As junior cornerback Alonzo Moyer said when asked if Duke prepared for Navy differently this year then before last season's 64-27 thrashing, "We just executed better."
And nobody executed better in the clutch than Spencer Romine.
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