When Duke takes the field in Chestnut Hill, Mass. against No. 22 Boston College Saturday night, it will take the nation's longest losing streak-17 games-along with it.
The Blue Devils have also failed to defeat a ranked opponent since 1994-a span of 32 contests-and have not beat an opponent on the road outside North Carolina since 1999.
Despite Duke's 0-9 record this season (0-5 in the ACC), the Blue Devils have performed relatively well against some high-profile opponents. In their games against Alabama and Miami, the Blue Devils put up solid offensive numbers and took both big-name programs to the wire.
"We have more focus against the better teams, and we come out and execute a little bit better," wideout Jomar Wright said. "Our coaches do a real good job of telling us not to take anybody easily, but then again, players have their own ways of thinking."
Eagles head coach Tom O'Brien is also aware of Duke's relative success against good teams this season.
"It seems the bigger the opponent, the better they play," O'Brien said. "If we qualify as a big opponent, we will get their best game. We have to be ready to play."
Going into this season, the Eagles (7-2, 3-2) were not expected to make much noise in the ACC. The team had graduated nine senior starters-four of whom were drafted in the first four rounds of the NFL Draft-and only had four returning starters on defense.
But the play of quarterback Matt Ryan, who has completed 61.7 percent of his passes for 2,063 yards this season, put Boston College in a position to take control of the Atlantic Division entering last weekend's game against Wake Forest
The Eagles ended up losing the game, 21-14, but Ryan threw for 402 yards-a career high.
Duke has struggled against the pass this season, ranking 10th in the conference. The Blue Devils have also allowed 18 touchdown passes-the most in the ACC. Saturday, Duke will need another strong effort to have a chance to beat Boston College, which ranks second in the conference with 369.7 yards per game on offense.
"They are very solid in every phase," head coach Ted Roof said. "They don't give up big plays on defense, and they are very efficient throwing the ball."
At certain times, like the first half against Alabama and the second half versus Miami, Duke has outplayed its opponent. The team also showed signs of life against Wake Forest and Vanderbilt but has yet to put a whole game together.
"We just have to find a way to put it all together at the same time," Roof said. "We have to play a complete football game."
With the game on ESPNU, Roof said his team is hungrier than it has been all year and wants to put itself in a position to win on national television-the first time this season that the Blue Devils will be seen nationally.
"Our guys keep coming back," Roof said. "They're resilient-they're not going to break.. Our leadership in the locker room has been excellent, and I expect that to continue."
While a win would be a huge breakthrough for the team, Roof said he understands how big it would be for the entire Duke community.
"I want this to happen not just for any one particular person or group of people," Roof said. "I want this to happen for everybody, because I want to build a football program that reflects the excellence of this university."
Sean Moroney contributed to this story
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