All Florida State needed was E.J. Manuel. After three straight losses with their preseason Heisman Trophy contender sidelined with a shoulder injury, the Seminoles celebrated the return of their dual-threat quarterback with a 41-16 rout of the Blue Devils.
Duke (3-3, 1-1 in the ACC) appeared outclassed from the start, giving up three 50-plus yard passing plays to Florida State (3-3, 1-2) in the first half alone.
“They found some hot spots,” head coach David Cutcliffe said. “We have been beat up in the secondary and that was the initial part of it, the three 50-yard passes and a couple of other plays they made.”
Entering the game, the reeling Seminoles, at one point ranked No. 5 this season, looked vulnerable coming off a particularly disappointing 35-30 loss to Wake Forest. The Blue Devils, in contrast, had won three in a row for the first time since 2009.
On the opening drive, Duke struggled to move the ball 12 yards before quarterback Sean Renfree’s pass was deflected at the line of scrimmage and intercepted by Florida State’s Everett Dawkins at the Blue Devil 25-yard line, giving the Seminoles with excellent field position.
The next five minutes, though, would prove to be Duke defense’s finest moments of the day, as the unit held the Seminole offense to a field goal. On its ensuing possession, Duke capitalized on junior Desmond Scott’s 34-yard run to kick a field goal of its own, tying the game at 3-3.
The Seminoles needed only two plays and 26 seconds to reach the end zone on their next drive, highlighted by wide receiver Christian Green’s 59-yard reception with 7:50 left in the first quarter.
After an out-of-sync Duke offense only managed to travel ten yards before being forced to punt, the Seminoles received the ball on their own 36-yard line. After three plays got them to midfield, Rodney Smith beat cornerback Johnny Williams to catch another big touchdown pass.
“We knew it was going to be a challenge going in, but whenever you’re playing a team like that if you’re out of place one step here and one step there that’s what’s going to happen,” Duke cornerback Zach Greene said.
The Blue Devils closed the half with four more possessions, resulting in two three-and-outs, a fruitless 30-yard drive and a fumble by Scott. That turnover gave Florida State the ball in field goal range with 43 seconds remaining in the half, allowing the Seminoles to extend their lead to 27-3 by halftime.
The second half did not fare much better for Duke. The Florida State offense ran down the clock by running the ball and slowing the pace of the game. Both teams scored two touchdowns in the final half, but the Blue Devils first-half hole had already decided the outcome.
“We just never got rhythm,” Cutcliffe said. “If we had been consistent on executing offensively, we could have kept that a close ball game. We just could not stay on the field.”
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