What is the notion of a moral victory?
Last Saturday against Wake Forest, Duke nearly pulled off one of the most miraculous comebacks in school history. Down 28-0 at halftime, the Blue Devils exploded for 35 points in the first 20 minutes of the second half to force a 35-35 tie. Unfortunately for Duke, the amazing outburst did not result in a win.
After receiving the Duke kickoff following D. Bryant's one-yard touchdown run, the Demon Deacons promptly drove 67 yards in ten plays, scoring their sixth and final touchdown. Three times on the game-deciding drive the Wake Forest offense faced a third down. Three times they succeeded. The Blue Devils could not complete the improbable comeback.
How does one accept such an agonizing loss?
On the one hand, Duke began the game with a truly abysmal first half. Despite knowing that Saturday's contest against an average Wake Forest team represented an excellent chance to earn their first victory in two years, the Blue Devils played a truly terrible half of football.
On the other, Duke returned to the field in the second half energized, and almost achieved a shocking come from behind victory. The second half featured a host of truly inspiring individual performances, as the Blue Devils exhibited a tremendous amount of resolve for a team whose last victory came in 1999.
As for how the Blue Devil players view the loss, it depends on who you talk to.
"You definitely can build on the good things that happened, but it's so frustrating because no one can really put their finger on it," senior defensive end Charles Porter said. "Why can't we play two halves of football? That's a question that I think most of us, if not all of us, are going to be pondering."
After a quiet first half, himself, Porter literally took over in the third quarter, registering a sack and four tackles, including two for losses. He looked to his fellow teammates for inspiration.
"To see my teammates make plays, and then seeing their want, their desire to win, pushes me," Porter said. "I was trying to get this win, not only for [the upperclassmen], but for the other guys who haven't won a game in college football. I wanted them to experience what it's like to win a game."
Sophomore linebacker Ryan Fowler--who with 11 tackles was also a key contributor to Duke's defensive turn around--took solace in the courage that his team displayed.
"The thing we stressed through the whole game, and especially in the second half, was Odon't give up,'" Fowler said. "The feeling in the second half was probably the greatest feeling I've experienced here so far."
Was Saturday's result then a moral victory?
"Absolutely," Fowler said. "I'm so proud of the defense and the offense. They just stepped it up in the second half, they gave up, they never quit, and that's been one of our main points of emphasis."
With his interception return for a touchdown--a dramatic play made even more so by his jubilant head-first dive into the endzone--free safety Anthony Roberts provided perhaps the biggest single spark in the third quarter.
"Getting an interception and a touchdown is something you dream of," Roberts said. "It came true and it felt great."
For Roberts, though, being reminded of the elation he felt in the third quarter after the game barely brought a smile to his face. Instead, the anguish on his face made it clear that regardless of what individual success he achieved, at the end of the day his team had lost, again.
"It hurts," Roberts grimaced. "It hurts real bad."
Duke coach Carl Franks remained upbeat after the contest, emphasizing that although every loss is painful, some losses are more painful than others.
"There's no substitute for winning," he said. "But, I can't ignore the fact that we were down 28 points and those kids came back and played their tails off."
Franks pointed to his team's spectacular third quarter, and hoped his team would be able to reproduce that quarter's performance in future contests.
"I talked to them after the game about how good that felt, how exciting that was," Franks said. "We want to capture that feeling again, and we're capable of doing it, but we're going to have to be demanding of ourselves."
For all Duke players, whether they believe in moral victories or not, the excitement of being close in the fourth quarter certainly represents something to build on.
"This is why you play college football, to have games like this," Porter said. "I'm speechless, I can't really find the words to explain how I feel right now."
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