On a fourth-and-goal from the 4-yard line with 49 seconds left, quarterback Sean Renfree lined up in the shotgun with a running back to his right and two wide receivers split out to each side. After going down 21-6 in the third quarter, the Blue Devils had mounted an improbable comeback thanks to a game-changing 95-yard fumble recovery by redshirt freshman linebacker August Campbell that closed the deficit to five points.
Running was not an option. The Boston College defense—led by linebacker Luke Kuechly, who tallied 21 tackles and a forced fumble against Duke—had stifled the Blue Devils’ rushing attack all day, limiting it to just four net rushing yards. This late in the game, Duke would have to pass.
Renfree took the snap and looked to his left. He quickly threw to sophomore Conner Vernon, Duke’s leading receiver on the day.
Unfortunately for the Blue Devils (3-7, 1-5 in the ACC), Boston College defensive end Max Holloway deflected Renfree’s pass at the line of scrimmage before Vernon had a chance to make a play on the ball. And with that 21-16 loss to Boston College (5-5, 3-4), Duke’s bowl hopes are officially put to rest.
“We really felt good from a coverage standpoint that we had the opportunity to get Conner Vernon one-on-one with the ball,” Duke head coach David Cutcliffe said. “We did try to cut [Holloway], but we missed him obviously and he was there to knock it down.”
At the start of the fourth quarter, the game seemed to be in hand for the Eagles. The visitors led 21-9 and were poised to extend their lead. On first down from their own 48-yard line, freshman quarterback Chase Rettig dropped back and threw down the left sideline. With 5-foot-11 cornerback Chris Rwabukamba in position, 6-foot-6 wide receiver Ifeanyi Momah adjusted in midair to make an excellent leaping catch for a gain of 37 yards.
The Boston College aerial attack took a more prominent role than expected. Retting attempted 24 passes including several shots down the field into man coverage. He set a new career high with 230 yards and two passing touchdowns.
With the ball in the red zone, the visitors handed off to the ACC’s leading rusher, junior running back Montel Harris, three times in a row in the fourth quarter. On third-and-4 from the Blue Devils’ 9-yard line, Harris tried the right side.
He would finish with 109 yards and a touchdown, but not before he lost two fumbles, including a crucial giveaway on that fourth-quarter drive. He was met at the 5-yard line by safety Walt Canty, who knocked the ball free, and Duke was alive again. Campbell scooped the ball up and took off downfield. He made a cut to the left sideline and was off to the races for the longest fumble recovery touchdown in Duke history, thanks in part to a great hustle by cornerback Ross Cockrell, who threw a block around the Eagles’ 20-yard line.
“It was definitely a game changer,” Campbell said. “The sideline got alive again, the crowd got back into it, and you started to see some of the fans start to walk back in. It was definitely a booster for the team.”
Following this defensive touchdown, the Blue Devils’ defense stepped up and made crucial plays for the rest of the fourth quarter, not allowing Boston College to record a first down in the last 12 minutes of the contest.
When Duke got the ball back at its own 37 with 4:52 left in the game, Renfree did not hesitate to take a chance downfield. On first down, he ran a play action and looked for Vernon down the field in one-on-one coverage. Vernon was hit, and the wide receiver came up livid, calling for a pass interference call. If he had gotten his wish, Duke would have gained the game’s momentum, as well as great position for a touchdown.
Instead, the call never materialized. And after the loss, the Blue Devils said the defeat falls squarely on their shoulders.
“You have to respect and take care of the football, and you have to absolutely have great penalty discipline,” Cutcliffe said. “If we do those things that I know we are capable of doing, then we win a tough ACC game in the fourth quarter, which is what I thought we might do.”
Cutcliffe’s comment about protecting the football pulls the most weight in the defeat. Duke faced an uphill battle in the fourth quarter after back-to-back drives in the third culminated in lost fumbles by wide receivers Austin Kelly and Vernon.
Duke, though, is not dwelling on this defeat or the loss of its bowl hopes.
“Back to work again tomorrow—we are going to try to win these next two games,” Vernon said. “We are going to take it one game at a time.”
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