One week after being routed 52-7 by then ninth-ranked Miami, completing only four passes and totaling just 47 yards aside from Ronnie Drummer's 81-yard touchdown dash, the Blue Devils' struggling offense will find little respite when Duke hosts Georgia Tech Saturday in Wallace Wade Stadium.
More than halfway through the season, Duke (1-5, 0-3 in the ACC) is averaging an anemic 90 passing yards a game and has converted only two passing touchdowns in six contests. The team will face stiff competition against the Yellow Jackets' defense that currently sits first in the ACC in interceptions and second in the league in run defense with just 78.6 yards allowed per game.
"They're a sound football team, and we're going to have to play a great football game in order to win," head coach Ted Roof said.
Though Roof and running back Justin Boyle both cited improved offensive production as a key in defeating Georgia Tech (3-2, 1-2), true-freshman starting-quarterback Zack Asack will lead an offense that remains plagued by injuries. Duke's top two receivers, Jomar Wright and Ronnie Elliot, will stay sidelined along with running backs Cedric Dargan and Re'quan Boyette. Only Boyle will return from injury this week.
While Roof admitted that the injuries have changed the way he calls games, he has maintained that missing players is just part of the game. He even found a positive side to starting so many freshmen.
"That accelerates your learning curve and your growth curve," he said. "I think it'll pay dividends down the road."
"If you're productive in whatever you do, that's what I'm looking for," Roof said. "Not how many tricks, or how many times we run it or how many times we throw it, I just want to be productive and win. That's all I want to do."
The Blue Devils will face challenges on both sides of the ball this week as Georgia Tech boasts the ACC's most productive wide receiver, Calvin Johnson, as well as threats in quarterback Reggie Ball and running back P.J. Daniels.
"They got a great receiver, one of the best in the country, they've got a quarterback who's got some mobility and throws the deep ball well, and they've got a running back who ran for over 1,400 yards last year," Roof said. "It's not like they're one dimensional."
With so much working against them, the Blue Devils enter Saturday's contest with one advantage-a unique connection with this Georgia Tech team. Roof was an all-ACC linebacker for the Yellow Jackets and was an assistant coach at his alma mater before coming to Duke. In all, four members of Duke's coaching staff have previous coaching experience at Georgia Tech, including offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien and assistant head coach Glenn Spencer, who was Roof's roommate at Georgia Tech. Also, 17 of Duke's current players hail from the state of Georgia.
"We've all got a lot of pride and a lot of drive," Roof said. "You like to beat your neighbor."
Two years ago, the Blue Devils accomplished that task, as they upset the Yellow Jackets 41-17 snapping a 30-game ACC losing streak and giving Roof his first victory as Duke's head coach.
With Georgia Tech currently on a two-game skid and unranked for the first time in six weeks, Boyle explained that confidence is high.
"[The enthusiasm has] been awesome," he said. "I think it's been one of our best weeks."
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