They Can't Handle the D...fense

The phrase "defense wins championships" is often thrown around in regards to American football teams. It's simple: if a team stops the other team from scoring, they're probably going to win. We've seen over the years that sometimes a good offense is just as successful, but one of the most cliche sayings in the book has proven to ring true this season for Duke...in the second half anyway.

All season, the Blue Devils have proven time and again that they are a second half team. The only quarter the team has been outscored in total points is the first, where opponents have scored 12 more points (75-63). From then on, Duke has averaged 104.7 total points scored over the final three quarters, suggesting it takes a while for the offense to wake up. What's even more impressive are the defensive numbers, specifically in the fourth quarter. In eleven games played this season, Duke has given up, wait for it, 34 points total in the fourth quarter. No, I'm not kidding.

To further analyze this astonishing turnaround from a year ago, look no further than the Blue Devils' current seven-game winning streak. In the seven fourth quarters played, Duke has allowed a mere 13 points. In four of those games, the Blue Devils have shutout their opponents in the final quarter. In two games against ranked conference opponents, Duke has allowed three points in the fourth. For those keeping track at home, this team is pretty darn good in the final quarter of football games.

But what has made the difference late in games? The numbers suggest the turnover margin. This season, the Blue Devils have forced 21 turnovers overall, with 14 interceptions, 14 forced fumbles, and seven fumbles recovered. The defense's play in the fourth quarter is the major reason why Duke's overall turnover margin is +2 on the season. Duke's defense has intercepted the opposing quarterback seven times in the fourth, accounting for half of the 14 total interceptions overall. Similarly, the Blue Devils have also recorded 42.8 percent of the total fumbles recovered (three out of seven) in the fourth quarter. While it should be noted that Duke's offense has turned the ball over a respectable 21 percent of the time in the fourth quarter, there is no doubt that defense has paved the way.

The Blue Devil defense now will face it's toughest offensive opponent in months when they take on North Carolina this Saturday in Chapel Hill. Over the course of the Tar Heels' current five game win streak, the team has scored at least 27 points each time, averaging an eye-popping 44 points per game in that span (yes, that includes an 80 point outlier game last week against Old Dominion). How many times did UNC score at least 27 points in its first six games? Only twice.

Two teams with lengthy win streaks will go into this weekend's rivalry game with at least one dominating unit; it will be the offense of the Tar Heels against the defense of the Blue Devils. To steal a line from the Joker in The Dark Knight, it's like "an unstoppable force meet[ing] an immovable object." Fans should be thankful for a matchup like this.