The road to Charlotte: Duke football vs. Georgia Tech

With Anthony Boone out to injury, quarterback Brandon Connette struggled, mustering just 128 yards passing.
With Anthony Boone out to injury, quarterback Brandon Connette struggled, mustering just 128 yards passing.

Game Synopsis: Georgia Tech's spread-option attack was once again too much for Duke to handle, but it was quarterback Vad Lee's four touchdowns through the air that ultimately brought down the Blue Devils. The Durham native handed Duke its first loss of the year in a game where the Yellow Jacket defense held the Blue Devils to a season-low 14 points. After leading his team to a victory against Memphis, quarterback Brandon Connette struggled in his first start of the season, passing for just 128 yards as Georgia Tech jumped out to a 24-7 lead and milked the clock in the second half with the ground game.

The Quote: "We weren't as optimistic, we weren't as energized," head coach David Cutcliffe said. "That's a test we didn't pass. And that's my responsibility, to make sure the team is resilient and can overcome those circumstances."

Key Stats: Duke allowed a whopping 344 yards on the ground against Georgia Tech, giving up 5.7 yards per carry. Jela Duncan picked up 89 yards and a touchdown, but the Blue Devils didn't have the passing game to mount a comeback.

Milestone Alert: Georgia Tech's win marked defensive coordinator Ted Roof's first victory at Wallace Wade Stadium since being fired as Duke's head coach in 2007. Blue Devil running back Juwan Thompson eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark for his career, and linebacker Kelby Brown had a career-high 17 tackles.

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