Saturday against Richmond, Duke’s dreams of bowl contention took a big hit, thanks largely to a lackluster running game that an effective passing attack could not make up for.
“Richmond, by design, decided they weren’t going to let us spread out and run the ball,” head coach David Cutcliffe said. “We’re not a ‘pack it in and run it’ team.”
The running game was never expected to be Duke’s strength on offense this season, but the team managed just 19 yards on 16 carries Saturday.
The Blue Devils rushed for five yards in the first quarter and nine yards in the second, and were forced to rely mainly on senior quarterback Thaddeus Lewis to carry the offensive load. Richmond’s defensive line was able to pressure Lewis throughout the game—even though he was only sacked once—and the Blue Devils’ offensive line seemed outmatched at times.
“Our defensive line is very experienced,” Spiders linebacker Patrick Weldon said. “The front four guys were determined to get no yards running the ball and they were pushing the offensive line back on their heels.”
Despite the lack of success rushing, Lewis had a productive night, throwing for 350 yards and two touchdowns on 34-of-55 passing. The majority of the offensive production in the first half came from Lewis’ consistent short passing game to receivers running slants and out routes. Duke’s receivers were able to effectively drop in front of the Richmond linebackers to pick up short yardage.
But even the short passing game dried up to some degree as the game went on. Swing passes to the flats and wide receiver screens, which Duke used throughout the game, lost their element of surprise and became a substitute for the Blue Devils’ nonexistent rushing game.
This problem was most evident on Duke’s second drive of the third quarter, when Richmond defensive back Seth Williams dropped wide receiver Tyree Watkins with a crushing tackle for a three-yard loss.
A similar play had worked in the first half, but Richmond was prepared after seeing the same plays run over and over.
“We played faster,” said Weldon. “They were making the throws out on the perimeter and in the second half we just realized that this is what they were doing and they are going to keep going to it. We were keeping our eyes open and seeing the ball in the air.”
Duke did have some shining moments offensively. Lewis completed a 54-yard pass to sophomore wide receiver Johnny Williams in the second quarter to reduce the deficit to14-9.
“They ran a boot leg on the play,” said Weldon. “It was tough to read. We bit up on the run and it is one of the most difficult plays to defend in football. They made a great play call, a great throw and a great catch. It was just a great play. I don’t think there was anything we could do.”
The deep pass was there for the Blue Devils all night, but Lewis rarely had enough time to find his recievers downfield. That pressure allowed Richmond to bring a safety toward the line of scrimmage, leaving only one safety back in coverage.
This weekend, Duke wasn’t the only ACC team that didn’t perform up to its full potential, and the loss could not have come at a better time since several other ACC teams that Duke will have to play struggled this weekend.
N.C. State, Maryland, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest all lost to out-of-conference opponents, and Virginia lost to FCS William and Mary.
But if the Blue Devils hope to keep their dreams of a bowl game alive, the team must make some major offensive changes.
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