Saturday's game against Clemson was more than a hard-fought victory-it was a statement of character for Duke: After three years in the abyss, Fred Goldsmith's squad will not settle for anything less than winning.
During the previous three seasons while the Blue Devils dwelled at the bottom of the ACC, Duke was only able to win a total of two games, compiling a conference record of 2-20. Back then the Blue Devils were a team plagued by lapses in concentration, inconsistent special teams play and plain bad luck.
But this season Duke is finally learning to use its previous disappointments to turn them into a recipe for success.
"We're a football team [that] for two years turned Sims Lenhardt into the leading field goal kicker in America," coach Fred Goldsmith said. "To be able to get down there against a good defense and to be able to block, to be able to carry hard-nosed plays up into there for touchdowns-it's been a long, long time around here since we've done that.
"We couldn't do that in '94, except in the early part of the season. We couldn't do it in the last part."
Not only did the Blue Devils finally break their three-year home ACC losing streak Saturday, they did so without three of their main cogs.
Leading receiver Richmond Flowers and starting free safety Eric Jones did not suit up for Saturday's contest and star defensive lineman Chris Combs injured his knee during the first half and missed the rest of the game.
Usually when a team loses three of its key players, it is forced to scramble for adequate replacements. Although three of Duke's starters went down with injuries, three players answered the challenge of stepping up in a big game against a Clemson squad that Duke had only defeated twice in the last 17 years.
- Fifth-year senior Kenan Holley performed magnificently in the absence of Jones, intercepting two Brendan Streeter passes. The first led to a B.J. Hill two-yard TD scamper and the second with 34 seconds left in the game killed Clemson's last-ditch effort for a comeback. Somehow, Holley's stellar play did not even surprise himself.
"When I sat there [Friday night] and visualized the game, I actually visualized three interceptions, and you saw I should have had [a third one] but dropped it," Holley said. "But I couldn't let that [last] one get away. This game meant too much."
Scottie Montgomery also realized the importance of Saturday's contest. He stepped up in Flowers' absence, catching seven passes for 102 yards, including an outstretched 12-yard reception for a first down late in the fourth quarter that helped to seal the victory for the Blue Devils. He also made a 30-yard catch off a Bobby Campbell pass that helped the Blue Devils score their final touchdown.
Campbell, who was making his first start of the season, helped Duke bounce back after a lapse in the third quarter in which Clemson was able to come back from a 21-3 deficit to score two touchdowns.
On the next possession, Campbell led the Blue Devils on a nine-play 80-yard drive that resulted in the touchdown that increased Duke's lead to 28-17. During that drive, Campbell was able to connect on 3-of-3 passes for 73 yards, including a key conversion on third and 14 with a 31-yard pass down the sideline to tight end Mike Hart.
"We talked about [the adversity],'' Campbell said. "We told everybody they had to pick up their games. I'm as confident as anytime since I've been here and I feel the guys have a lot of confidence in me.''
Duke finally put the clamps on the Tigers, but only after Clemson drove down the field on a 99-yard drive that narrowed Duke's margin to 28-23.
In the past, Duke might have struggled to maintain its composure, but the Blue Devils stood their ground and were able to close out the game following Holley's interception with 35 seconds left.
"This team-I'm just so proud of the older guys for their leadership and the older guys for their heart," Holley said. "When it comes down to it, everybody in college football has adversity. But this team, we don't fold when adversity comes-somebody steps up."
Saturday's game marked another step in the right direction for the Blue Devils. The victory shows that the Blue Devils now believe that they have the talent and mental toughness to perform when the game is on the line.
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