The theme of the second half of Saturday’s tough loss to Virginia Tech was a lot of action taking place in the Hokie end of the field. This trend was the byproduct of stellar play from the Duke defense and complete futility on the part of the Blue Devil offense.
For a defensive unit that has been much maligned this year, its performance in the latter stages of the ballgame was eye-opening. Each time the offense sputtered and seemingly gave up a chance to score and take the lead, the defense would force a quick three-and-out to give the team yet another scoring opportunity.
After giving up several explosive plays and 14 points in the first half, the Blue Devils made several critical halftime adjustments that helped them bottle up star running back David Wilson. Though Wilson would rip off 51 yards on three carries on Virginia Tech’s last drive, he picked up just 20 yards on his other 10 carries after halftime.
“When you stop the run, you create second-and-long and third-and-long,” head coach David Cutcliffe said. “They’re not built to be that kind of team. The biggest key for us going in was if we could create some way to stop the run on first and second down, we knew we had an opportunity defensively.”
The Hokies opened the second half with the ball, and Duke would immediately establish a tone of stinginess, getting off the field in just three plays when standout safety Matt Daniels planted Virginia Tech wideout Jarrett Boykin into the turf a yard shy of a first down. Jamison Crowder returned the ensuing punt 26 yards, leaving Duke just 29 yards to the end zone. That drive would stall, however, and only result in three points.
On their next possession, the Hokies did pick up several first downs but were forced to punt it away when the Duke front seven got a good push and dropped Wilson for a loss on third-and-short. Subsequently, Duke would move the ball out toward midfield before being forced into a punt of its own. Alex King would drop a high-arching kick down inside the five-yard line, something he did twice in the half, to back Virginia Tech up deep in its own territory.
“Whenever you have a team backed up within the 10-yard line, Coach Cutcliffe tells us that when you can get a three-and-out, it usually results in points because we end up flipping the field,” Daniels said. “When we’re able to keep a team backed up continually, it usually results in points for the offense.”
Even though Duke would force four more punts in the fourth quarter, three of which came from deep in Hokie territory, Duke would unfortunately not be able to cash in on any of this flipped field position. Virginia Tech had eight possessions in the second half, and each ended in a punt—except when the Hokies took a knee as time expired. Three of these punts came after just three Virginia Tech plays.
There is no doubt that Daniels was the star for the Blue Devils with his two first-half interceptions that erased scoring opportunities and 13 tackles. Still, to hold such a talented and balanced offense at bay, it took a complete effort, and the young defensive linemen stepped up against a physical offensive line and one of the country’s top halfbacks.
With as many as seven defensive linemen seeing repetitions, Cutcliffe was able to keep his undersized youngsters fresh enough to make a significant impact. Jordan Dewalt-Ondijo and Sydney Sarmiento made eight and six tackles respectively, a very high number for a defensive lineman, which points to their relentless pursuit of the ballcarrier. Justin Foxx had a tackle for a loss, and Jamal Wallace had two tackles for losses, one of which was a sack that led to a fumble recovery.
“Week in and week out, we’re seeing those defensive ends and tackles grow up and contribute even more to the defense,” Daniels said. “There is a lot of depth, and I’m proud of the way those guys are stepping up.”
Saturday was certainly a monumental day for the Duke defense as they established their identity at a critical stage in a tight game. If they can continue to come through on their end and keep teams backed up in the shadows of their own goalposts, the offense will have another chance to capitalize and turn the field position into points—something Renfree and company couldn’t do Saturday.
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