NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Earlier this week, linebacker Michael Tauiliili challenged his teammates to put Duke's 49-31 loss to Miami in the past and rally around a senior class going through the final stretch of its last season.
And while some of the usual suspects-Thaddeus Lewis, Eron Riley and Vince Oghobaase-responded to Tauiliili, it was two relative unknowns who answered the call and changed Saturday's game at Vanderbilt.
Sophomore running back Tony Jackson scored Duke's only touchdown and sophomore cornerback Chris Rwabukamba grabbed an interception in the last minute to close out Duke's 10-7 win at Vanderbilt Stadium, giving the Blue Devils their first win over an SEC opponent since 1991.
The game was ugly, littered with 10 penalties, seven fumbles and multiple missed scoring opportunities. Yet the Blue Devils (4-3) controlled the game early and held on late.
"Everybody has pride in their conference, whether it's the ACC, SEC, Big Ten, whatever it is, and so whenever you go into another conference, you definitely want to represent, especially at their house," Tauiliili said. "I think we made a statement about Duke and about the ACC overall."
Nobody heard that statement more clearly than quarterback Mackenzi Adams and the Commodore offense, particularly before halftime. In the game's first two quarters, Adams completed a single pass for 14 yards and was sacked three times.
Vanderbilt (5-3) was able to move the ball more efficiently in the second half-Adams finished 14-of-31 with 210 yards-but Rwabukamba intercepted his final pass with 38 seconds left in the game to give Duke possession for good.
On the ninth play of the Commodores' two-minute drill, Adams lofted a ball toward the goal line, where his top receiver, Sean Walker, was locked in single coverage with Rwabukamba. Both leaped for the ball and Duke's cornerback came down with his first career interception.
Rwabukamba had played in other games this season, but never in such a critical moment. Head coach David Cutcliffe said he knew Rwabukamba would be up to the pressure, but really, Rwabukamba had no choice-starting cornerback Leon Wright aggravated a hamstring tweak earlier in the game, and, along with other injuries, left the Blue Devils' secondary extremely shorthanded.
"We were down to maybe three safeties and two corners," Cutcliffe said. "We've had some calls in the past where we've gone dime and used six [defensive backs], and we certainly weren't going to be in that mode [on the last play]."
Before Saturday's dramatic ending, the two teams' offensive execution left much to be desired.
On four red-zone trips, Duke came away with no points. The kicking team botched an early chance at points after a bad snap, kickers Nick Maggio and Joe Surgan each missed one field goal and quarterback Thaddeus Lewis was sacked and lost a fumble at the Vanderbilt 9-yard line. On all four occasions, the Blue Devils had opportunities to score and put the game out of the Commodores' reach, but were unable to do so.
In addition, the Blue Devils started offensive possessions inside the 35-yard line three times without scoring.
While Rwabukamba shined on the game's last play, Jackson came alive in the second quarter. He made his third and fourth career receptions in quick succession with less than two minutes remaining in the half. The first was a 14-yard swing pass, and the second a wheel route that left him open at the left pylon, just beyond the reach of an outstretched Vanderbilt linebacker.
"I ran a crisp route and Thaddeus threw me a great ball to catch me in stride for the touchdown," Jackson said. "The coaches are always telling us that running backs and receivers have to make plays in order for our team to win and I was happy I could help out."
So were the Blue Devils, who used the unexpected contributions to earn something they had waited for all season: a marquee win.
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