CLEMSON, S.C. - With seven minutes remaining Saturday in Death Valley, the football team was agonizingly close to shocking Clemson and ending its 15-game losing streak in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
But after a disastrous overtime, agonizing was the only word left to describe Duke's emotions after dropping another game it almost win. The Blue Devils (2-7, 0-6 in the ACC) lost a 20-13 lead late in the fourth quarter and botched a trick play on their first possession in overtime, allowing the Tigers (6-3, 4-3) to escape with a 29-20 win and keep themselves in position for a bowl bid. Duke, forced to once again look back on what could've been, was left almost speechless after the game.
"I don't know what to say," coach Fred Goldsmith said. "I asked our team to play its butts off for four quarters and it did. I thought we had gone to the limit of frustration until today. Today, we passed the limits of frustration."
Duke almost avoided overtime by winning the game in regulation. But Sims Lenhardt's 46-yard field goal into the wind with 2:32 left in the fourth quarter went wide right by only a few feet.
The overtime was the first for both Duke and Clemson this year. The Blue Devils won the coin toss and gave the Tigers the ball first, at Duke's 25. Clemson could move the ball only six yards and was forced to settle for a 36-yard David Richardson field goal, which put the Tigers ahead 23-20.
On Duke's possession from Clemson's 25, the Blue Devils took a big chance and it ended up costing them the game. On first down, quarterback Bobby Campbell faked the option left and handed the ball off on a reverse to receiver Scottie Montgomery, who came around the right side.
The play was designed for Montgomery to pass the ball downfield to tight end Terrence Dupree. Montgomery dropped the handoff from Campbell and, although he recovered, the Tigers weren't fooled and Dupree was well-covered. Montgomery was forced
"I dropped the pitch but we still had time to get the thing off," Montgomery said. "They played it just as well as you can play it. Antwan Edwards picked up our tight end, which we had no clue that would happen. We worked on it all week.
"Coach told me, 'If there's one guy on [Dupree] just tuck it and run.' I was still going to throw the ball, but a couple of guys came up and I just went down with it."
After an incompletion on second down, Campbell was just looking to set up the Blue Devils for a game-tieing field goal on third. But the Tigers blitzed and Campbell tried to get rid of the ball into the left flat. Abdullah broke in front of Lay Marshall, picked it off and easily strolled downfield 63 yards to break open Duke's wound.
As Clemson fans stormed the field, the refs conversed about a flag thrown on the play. But it turned out to be holding on Duke, and the fans rushed the field once more.
"Of course we're frustrated," linebacker Kevin Lewis said. "We came to Death Valley and stood up to Clemson's mystique. Things have got to turn in our favor."
For most of the second half, things were in the Blue Devils' favor. After a scoreless third quarter, Duke opened the fourth with the ball at Clemson's 40. Montgomery took a lateral from Campbell for eight yards, and a late hit by the Tigers tacked on another 15.
On the very next play, Marshall ran untouched up the middle and into the end zone for a 17-yard touchdown that gave the Blue Devils a 20-13 lead, their first since a 6-3 edge in the opening quarter.
Duke had Clemson on the ropes and forced the Tigers into two subsequent three- and-out drives. But with seven minutes left, Clemson got the ball at the Duke 34 and revived its offense on a 23-yard pass play from Nealon Greene to Tony Horne down the middle of the field.
The duo, which connected four times for 119 yards in the game, tied up the score two plays later. With Clemson on its 34, Duke decided to blitz on first down and put 10 men on the line of scrimmage. Greene quickly found Horne seven yards downfield in the left flat. Horne eluded two tackles and tore around the right end and down the sideline for the touchdown.
"Horne just played a great game," safety Darius Clark said. "He made the plays we didn't. He caught that pass and made two or three good cuts."
All afternoon, it was Greene's passing that saved Clemson's offense. Duke stuffed the Raymond Priester-less run and forced the Tigers to win with the pass. Clemson's only other touchdown in regulation came on a 49-yard pass from Greene to Brian Wofford 11:25 into the second quarter that gave the Tigers a 13-6 lead.
Duke answered near the end of the half. Its offense had to adjust to another change at quarterback, when Spencer Romine, who was playing well, sprained his foot in the second quarter and was replaced by Campbell.
But the defense helped ease the transition. With 2:40 left in the first half, Clemson had the ball at its own 19 on third-and-six. Duke brought a blitz and, unlike the play that would later tie the game at 20, this time the resulting touchdown went to the Blue Devils.
Lewis hit an unsuspecting Greene on his blind side at the five and the ball flew loose. Clark scooped up the ball and scampered in for five yards to tie the game at 13 heading into halftime.
"The guy who I was expecting to block me went away to the other side," Clark said. "He left me free so I could come up and make the big play. I thought everything was in our favor."
But on another afternoon of could've beens, the Blue Devils were forced to stare defeat in the eyes yet again after a wild finish.
"This rates up there with the '94 loss to Carolina," Thomas said. "I really thought we had this one. It hurts so much we can't bring tears out."
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