Oh, so close....
That's what both Duke and Georgia Tech were saying to themselves last weekend. While the Blue Devils (2-7, 0-6 in the Atlantic Coast Conference) were losing 29-20 in overtime at Death Valley, the Yellow Jackets (4-4, 3-3 in the ACC) saw a near conference road victory slip through their fingers as Virginia came back in the final two minutes to beat Tech, 35-31.
Now both teams have to forget about last week and face the task at hand.
"The team that feels least sorry for itself is going to bounce back and win," Duke coach Fred Goldsmith said.
Georgia Tech enters Saturday's 1:30 p.m. contest at Wallace Wade Stadium in search of a crucial win in its quest for a postseason bowl bid. With a season-ending finale against No. 7 Georgia on the horizon, the Yellow Jackets would be best served by wrapping up their last two ACC games with wins. Should Georgia Tech defeat both Duke and Maryland, it would finish at 5-3 in the conference and, at worst, tied for fourth in the ACC, a scenario that would likely earn it a bowl bid.
A win last week, however, would have kept the Yellow Jackets in the running for third in the ACC and an automatic bid. But the loss to the Cavaliers was also their third straight loss overall after they got blown out by Florida State and dropped a 16-13 decision to North Carolina. Still, Tech is focused on what it can do now.
"It's very important for us to bounce back and keep our heads in the right place," said Tech flanker Derrick Steagall. "People talk about whether we're in a must-win situation, but really all games are must-win. We're trying to have a winning season, and we're having a tough stretch right now, but we can come back."
Steagall is one to talk about comebacks. The fifth-year senior spent all of last season on the sidelines with a torn ACL but has rebounded this year to become the Yellow Jackets' second-leading receiver with 21 catches for 373 yards.
Most impressive, however, was Steagall's performance last Saturday in Charlottesville. Steagall set the Georgia Tech single-game receiving
"I just go out every day and try to have the best game that I can," Steagall said. "That day, everything just came together for me and I was able to make plays."
Steagall is joined by senior split end Harvey Middleton, who is leading the Yellow Jackets in receiving in 1997 with 30 receptions for 484 yards-that after leading the ACC and setting a school record with 64 catches last year.
Delivering the ball to both of them is sophomore quarterback Joe Hamilton. Hamilton is fourth in the ACC in total yards per game and is the conference's fourth-rated passer.
Hamilton has also been the sparkplug for a Georgia Tech offense that is near the top of the ACC in rushing with 142 yards per game.
"It all starts with Hamilton," Goldsmith said. "He's a productive guy and the most mobile quarterback in the ACC. He does so much-he can even run the counter-trey out of the shotgun. He will have the ball in his hands more than anyone else we play."
On the defensive side of the ball, the Yellow Jackets rank last in the ACC in yards allowed, with 407.4 per game.
"They've given up a lot more yardage than they have points," Goldsmith said. "The numbers don't completely show it, but their defense plays really good football."
Georgia Tech has been slightly less liberal on the scoreboard, ranking fifth in the conference in points allowed at 22.9 per outing.
The Yellow Jackets also feature one of the nation's premier punters in junior Rodney Williams, who ranks second in the conference and sixth in the nation in punting average with 46.05 yards per kick.
Heading into Saturday, the Blue Devils' motivation is a little more personal. With no postseason implications on the line for Duke, the focus shifts to putting an end to some unfavorable trends-namely, its 16-game ACC losing streak and five-game skid overall.
The Blue Devils were blown out in the majority of their 11 losses last season but have hung close in all but two of their losses in 1997.
"This football team knows how to win," Goldsmith said. "They know what it takes to win, and we just haven't been able to quite get the job done. I don't think there's any guru-ish psychology involved with that at this point. That comes from execution, and that just will come."
With the season coming to a close, however, that time has to come soon for Duke if it doesn't want to start 1998 carrying a similar burden to the one it bore this season. Leading the Blue Devils on offense once again will be redshirt freshman Bobby Campbell. Campbell starts his sixth game of the year for Duke, the first five of which resulted in Blue Devil losses. Spencer Romine earned wins for Duke in both games he started and finished but is out for the remainder of the season following a foot injury suffered in the second quarter of last week's game.
Now it is up to Campbell to direct Duke to the win and live up to the pressure that came with Goldsmith tabbing him the Blue Devils' starter at the beginning of the season.
"Georgia Tech is a great team, but by no means is this game not winnable," Campbell said. "If we execute and we quit making mental errors and we take advantage of the opportunities like guys getting open deep, there's no reason why we shouldn't win this game."
It is also the last chance for 17 Blue Devil seniors to win in front of their home fans.
Notes: Duke sophomore Sims Lenhardt has been named one of three finalists for the Lou Groza award given to the nation's top placekicker. The other two finalists are Kansas State junior Martin Gramatic and UCLA junior Chris Sailer.
Blue Devil seniors Tawambi Settles and Corey Thomas have both been invited to play in the Hula Bowl in Honolulu, featuring the some of the nation's top seniors. "Not in my wildest dreams did I ever think I was going to go down there," Thomas said. "I feel like I can't lose in that situation. Pretty girls, hot sun in January, and there's a lot of NFL scouts down there I can really show what I can do. I'm proud just to be a part of that."
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.