Although its defense and specials teams contributed as much as possible, Duke suffered another case of déjà vu Saturday, losing its 16th straight home game in much the same fashion as the 15 before.
The Blue Devils (1-9, 0-7 in the ACC) kept the game relatively close throughout but could not make plays when it mattered most in a 41-24 loss on Senior Day to Georgia Tech.
"I thought our kids fought very hard today," head coach Ted Roof said. "But we didn't execute and didn't make enough plays to win the football game."
After starting the season on a blistering pace that seemed destined to shatter school passing records, Duke's offense continued its recent slump by registering fewer than 200 total yards for the third time in the last four games. A recurring problem, poor pass protection, and a new one, dropped passes, contributed to the Blue Devils' struggle to score points against Georgia Tech (6-4, 3-4).
But with a little help from the defense and special teams, Duke only trailed by 10 with less than 14 minutes to go in the final quarter.
After converting on a fourth-and-one and a third-and-14, the Blue Devils finally seemed to have seized the momentum when they crossed into Georgia Tech territory for the first time all game without the help of a turnover.
When Lewis dropped back on first down, however, the Yellow Jackets blitzed and sacked him. On second down, Duke called another pass play and Georgia Tech blitzed again, as Lewis sustained the sixth of eight sacks on the game. An incomplete pass on third-and-23 all but sealed the game, and the overall drive served as a quintessential example of Duke's play so far this year-promising, but a little bit short.
"I would have anticipated us executing better," Roof said. "When we're in position to make plays, we've got to make those plays. And when we don't, it's very costly because of our margin of error."
Despite a stalled offense, the rest of the Blue Devils chipped in by making big plays throughout the afternoon. After Georgia Tech scored a touchdown on the second play of the game, cornerback Leon Wright tied it a few minutes later when he returned a Tashard Choice fumble 24 yards for the score. Four minutes later, linebacker Michael Tauiliili's interception gave Duke the ball on the Yellow Jackets' 18-yard line. But the offense sputtered, lost four yards over three plays and settled for a 40-yard field goal by Nick Maggio, the longest of his career.
Down 34-17 at the 5:17 mark of the third quarter and searching for a spark, freshman cornerback Tony Jackson broke through the middle of Georgia Tech's punt protection and blocked Durant Brooks' kick. Jackson's attempt to scoop up the loose ball failed, but the Blue Devils took over on downs and capitalized on the very next play when running back Re'quan Boyette scampered untouched into the endzone from 11 yards out.
But the offensive ineffectiveness was just too much to overcome for the Blue Devils. Gusty winds, poor throws and dropped passes contributed to the weak aerial attack. Despite ACC-leading numbers in the first several games of the season, the passing game has been relatively silent in recent contests. Freshman wide receiver Austin Kelly dropped three passes late in the game in key situations, while star wideout Eron Riley dropped three early on, including one deep ball down the sideline that could have resulted in a touchdown.
"The [Georgia Tech] defensive coordinator did a really good job of scheming us and getting after [Lewis]. But if we catch some of those balls, you'd be asking me a whole set of different questions," Riley said. "We've got to come out to practice this week, get better and give Thad some help."
Duke travels to South Bend, Ind. to play Notre Dame (1-9) next Saturday in the first of two remaining games for the Blue Devils against opponents that currently have losing records. In an effort to prepare, Roof said he will continue to emphasize in practice this week what he has every week this season-execution.
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